Parshat Balak

538 related texts · Page 59 of 60

King Balak hires Balaam to curse Israel, the talking donkey, and Balaam's blessings instead of curses. Numbers 22:2-25:9.

Spirit of Prophecy and Eretz

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 42:10

Jewish tradition is full of moments like that. to one, a promise of abundance so rich it almost feels too good to be true. We're looking at a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collect...

JosephProphecyPrayerHoly Land

Wisdom of Rabbi Simai

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 306:35

Rabbi Simai begins with a seemingly simple observation: "My taking shall drip as the rain." It’s a phrase ripe with symbolism, and Rabbi Simai uses it to explore the relationship b...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveKing David

Isaiah: Rebuilding and Restoration

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 310:7

It's in those moments, when things feel darkest, that Jewish tradition offers a powerful, almost defiant, message of hope. Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrashim on the bo...

King DavidMessiahProphecyMysticism

Hoshea and Creation

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 342:2

The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, points out this fascinating characteristic of the prophets. "And this is the bl...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Death of Moses and Elijah

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 342:7

The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash on the book of Deuteronomy, poses a fascinating question about a seemingly simple phrase: "before his death." It appears in the co...

MosesProphecyHoly Land

Gad's Transgression

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 355:6

The text begins with a blessing: "Blessed is He that broadens Gad." What does it mean? Simply put, the passage teaches us that the territory allotted to the tribe of Gad expanded e...

CreationAngelsAdam & EveNoah & Flood

Jacob's Transgression and Moses

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 356:9

And while definitive answers might elude us, Jewish tradition offers tantalizing hints and comforting assurances. Our exploration begins in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal an...

PatriarchsMosesKing DavidMessiah

Legacy of the Forefathers and Sira

Apocrypha Ben Sira 35:14

It pulls no punches in its call for humility and divine justice. Ben Sira, a sage writing in Hebrew around 200 BCE, gives us these powerful words: "Make an end of the head of the p...

PatriarchsTempleProphecyHoly Land

Ben Sira in Jewish Tradition

Apocrypha Ben Sira

Jewish tradition understands that feeling deeply, and sometimes, the simplest phrases carry the weight of generations trying to break free. Take this seemingly straightforward stat...

Prophecy