Parshat Bamidbar

803 related texts · Page 27 of 90

The census of the Israelites in the wilderness, the arrangement of the tribal camps, and the duties of the Levites. Numbers 1:1-4:20.

Moses and Joseph of Breasts

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:1

Ever read the Song of Songs and thought, "Wait, is this... about breasts?" Well, you’re not wrong! But in the world of Jewish interpretation, things are rarely just what they seem....

JosephMosesSolomonTorah

Noah's Offering and Yosei

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 16:1

We find ourselves pondering just that in a fascinating discussion rooted in the verse from Song of Songs 4:16: "Awake, north wind, and come, south wind; blow upon my garden, that i...

CreationNoah & FloodJosephMoses

Giving of the Torah and the Wilderness

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:1

That feeling, that journey, is at the heart of a beautiful passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah (Song of Songs Rabbah) 5, which opens with the evocative line: "Who is that ascending f...

AngelsMosesSolomonJob

Moses in the Wilderness and Spirit

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 6:1

This week, we're diving into Vayikra Rabbah 6, a fascinating passage that wrestles with the complexities of truth, testimony, and our relationship with both God and each other. It ...

Noah & FloodMosesKing DavidSolomon

Moses in the Wilderness and Calf

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 18:4

Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai paints a powerful picture of that experience. He teaches that when the Israelites stood at Sinai and proclaimed, "Everything that God said we will perform an...

Noah & FloodMosesSolomonHoly Land

Manna from Heaven and Tabernacle

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 22:5

It wasn't all manna from heaven and miraculous wells, you know. There was a lot of… well, let's call it "divine growing pains." The Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabb...

MosesTemplePrayerHoly Land

Four Beasts and Avin

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 24:8

It’s a question that Rabbi Avin tackles in Vayikra Rabbah, and his answer is both insightful and, frankly, a little bit comforting. Rabbi Avin uses a parable. Imagine a king with a...

DanielProphecyHoly Land

Sukkot: Shabbat at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 30:8

Take Sukkot, for example, the Feast of Tabernacles, a joyous holiday where we dwell in temporary shelters, remembering our ancestors' journey through the wilderness. But it's not j...

CreationTempleSabbathShabbat

Korah and Moses and the Wilderness

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 45:1

We're looking at Midrash Tehillim 45, and it all starts with lilies. The verse in question is Psalm 45:1: "To the conductor over the white lilies, a wise song of friendship." But w...

MosesSolomonProphecyWisdom