Parshat Bamidbar

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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.

Saul in Joseph's Time

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:11

It turns out, quite a few times. And each counting, each census, seems to carry its own weight, its own story. Our springboard is the verse in Numbers, 2:32: "These are those who w...

JosephMosesKing DavidProphecy

Rashi Faces Judgment

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:19

The Torah, specifically the book of Numbers (Bamidbar in Hebrew), gives us a glimpse into just how much the Holy One, Blessed be He, values the people of Israel. And it's all about...

Hell/GehennaMosesRepentanceHoly Land

Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Presence

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:25

Their answer is both clever and chilling: The wilderness of Sinai was where they received their death sentence. How could that be? The key, it seems, lies in Exodus 24:11: “Against...

HeavenMosesSolomonTorah

Proverbs of the King and Count

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 4:2

This particular passage revolves around the census taken of the Israelites in the desert – "Count every firstborn male…" it says. (Numbers 3:40) But it's not just about counting he...

SolomonProphecyHoly Land

Aaron Faces Judgment and Kings

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 7:3

And Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 7, gives us a fascinating peek into their thinking. It uses a series of comparisons to illustrate God's, well, "royal" attributes, if you ...

Hell/GehennaMosesHoly LandEgypt

Moses: Reuben and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15

The Torah portion describes the offerings brought by the leaders of the tribes of Israel at the dedication of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Each day, a different leader brought the ...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Samuel and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 15:11

The Book of Numbers—Bamidbar in Hebrew—tells us to "Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and purify them" (Numbers 8:6). But hidden within that instruction, our sage...

MosesKing DavidProphecyPrayer

Isaac: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 15:12

Jewish tradition suggests that success isn't just handed out; it’s earned through trials, through proving ourselves worthy. Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on t...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMatriarchs

Kush and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 16:13

The verse sets the scene: “They ascended and scouted the land from the wilderness of Tzin to Rehov, at the approach to Hamat” (Numbers 13:21). But, Bamidbar Rabbah asks, how exactl...

CreationNoah & FloodJosephPrayer