Parshat Bereshit

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Covers the creation of the world in six days, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the first sin, Cain and Abel, and the generations from Adam to Noah. Genesis 1:1-6:8.

First Days of Existence and Nazirite

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 10:16

to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 10, a midrashic commentary on the Book of Numbers, specifically dealing with the laws of the nazir, or Nazirite. The passage opens wit...

CreationTorahRepentance

Samson in Paradise

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 10:17

Today, we’re diving into a fascinating corner of Jewish law: the rules surrounding the nazir, or nazirite, a person who takes a special vow to abstain from certain pleasures for a ...

Adam & EveTorahMessiahProphecy

When God Created and Shemaya

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 10:25

Rabbi Shemaya poses a profound question: Why is the impure nazir, someone who took a vow of separation but then became ritually impure, offered leniency in the form of turtledoves ...

CreationHeavenTorahTemple

Wisdom of Aaron and Esau

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 11:1

It’s a question that’s plagued humanity for millennia. And believe it or not, our ancient texts wrestle with it too. We find a fascinating perspective in Bamidbar Rabbah, specifica...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaPatriarchs

Abraham and the Heavenly Realms and Blessings

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 11:5

(Numbers 6:24). It’s more than just a nice sentiment. It’s a layered blessing, packed with meaning and implications. Let's unpack it, shall we? Bamidbar Rabbah, a classic collectio...

HeavenNoah & FloodKing DavidSolomon

Fathers of the Nation and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:2

The passage begins with a curious question, referencing the Book of Job: "Will a man be more just than God...?" (Job 4:17). It seems like a rhetorical question, almost a challenge....

CreationPatriarchsMosesJob

First Days of Existence and Aaron

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:7

The ancient rabbis grappled with that feeling too, especially when things were going well for the Israelites. Take the story in Bamidbar Rabbah 12, which begins with a single, load...

CreationAngelsMosesKing David

Moses the Lawgiver and Nisan

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 12:15

It wasn't just a matter of unfolding some tents and calling it a day. The Torah tells us, in Exodus 40:17, that it was "in the first month during the second year, on the first of t...

CreationMosesTempleMessiah

Daily Sacrifices and the Altar

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 13:9

It wrestles with a seemingly simple question about the dedication of the altar in the Tabernacle. The text focuses on the phrase "the first, and his offering." It’s from the Book o...

CreationTempleSacrifice