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.

Ahithophel Beyond the Firmament

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 22:7

The book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, recounts the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. In chapter 32, we encounter the tribes of Reuben and Gad. "The children of Reuben ...

HeavenCreaturesKing DavidSolomon

The Garden of Eden

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 20:3

Turns out, even the story of the Garden of Eden, that pivotal moment of eating the forbidden fruit, offers a lesson in precedence. Rabbi Ḥiyya, a sage from long ago, taught a fasci...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveMoses

Adam and David of Benaya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 24:2

It all begins, of course, with Adam. But did you ever imagine him… colossal? Our sages certainly did. In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Bo...

Adam & EveKing DavidTorahWisdom

Isaac and Creation of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:8

Take the story of Isaac, son of Abraham, diligently re-digging wells in Beersheba. It's a quick mention in Genesis 26:18: "Isaac again dug the wells of water that they had dug in t...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

Rabbi Mona in Solomon's Court

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 3:1

"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the land," it says, "and if the tree falls in the south, or in the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it sh...

SolomonTorahProphecySoul

Aaron in Battle and Joseph

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 5:1

The Torah touches on this very human act in some surprising ways. We find a fascinating exploration of brotherly love, and the significance of a kiss, in Shemot Rabbah, a collectio...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Moses: Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 5:14

We all know the story, but Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of midrashim – interpretations and expansions – on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating glimpse into the details,...

CreationJosephMosesKing David

Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:4

The story starts with a grumble. "The entire congregation of the children of Israel complained" (Exodus 16:2). They were wandering in the desert, fresh out of Egypt, and their port...

HeavenJosephMosesProphecy

Halls of the Angels and Aivu

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 23:5

And believe it or not, there's an ancient teaching that uses a similar image to describe the Jewish people's relationship with… well, pretty much everything. It all starts with a l...

HeavenPatriarchsKing DavidMessiah