Parshat Chukat

967 related texts · Page 22 of 108

The red heifer purification ritual, the deaths of Miriam and Aaron, Moses strikes the rock, and the bronze serpent. Numbers 19:1-22:1.

Moses's Prayer and Meeting

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 46:3

The text suggests that these three actions originated from Moses' own reasoning, and, remarkably, his reasoning turned out to be in sync with God's own. The first instance involves...

MosesPrayerMiraclesEgypt

Marriage of Moses and Mishkan

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 52:4

Boards, bars, meticulously woven fabrics… everything perfect in its own right. But when it came to assembling it all? Nothing. They were stumped. Shemot Rabbah 52 vividly paints th...

HeavenMosesSolomonTemple

Righteousness of Moses and Songs

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:2

But that's the magic of rabbinic interpretation, where seemingly disparate threads of the Torah are woven together to reveal deeper truths. Rabbi Yitzḥak, as quoted in Shir HaShiri...

Hell/GehennaMosesKing DavidSolomon

Abraham and Creation of Hezekiah

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 8:3

It's a story about perspective, gratitude, and maybe even a missed opportunity to usher in... the Messiah! The passage begins with a verse from Song of Songs, "Look from the peak o...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsJoseph

Ezekiel and the Lawgiver of Sabbath

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 16:4

Rabbi Aḥa and Rabbi Tanḥum bar Rabbi Ḥiyya, quoting Rabbi Yoḥanan, offer a beautiful and practical answer, drawing on the words of the prophet Ezekiel: "Sanctify my Sabbaths" (Ezek...

MosesMessiahProphecyMiracles

Adoniyahu and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 10:8

Today, let's dive into a fascinating story about the shemen ha-mishchah, the sacred anointing oil, taken from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash on the Book of Leviticus. Imagine Moses, out...

CreationMosesKing DavidSolomon

Mission of Moses and Haughty

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 21:5

Our tradition recognizes this struggle, and even offers some pretty ingenious battle strategies. It all starts with a verse from Leviticus (16:3): “With this Aaron shall come.” But...

MosesKing DavidSolomonProphecy

Rod and Serpent of Roman

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 22:4

Vayikra Rabbah 22, a fascinating collection of stories and teachings, explores just that. It suggests that everything – from frogs to plants to even inanimate objects – can be inst...

MosesTorahProphecyMiracles

Acts of Creation and Jeremiah

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 26:1

Our sages explore this very idea in Vayikra Rabbah 26, drawing out fascinating contrasts between human promises and divine pronouncements. The passage opens with a verse from Levit...

CreationMosesKing DavidTorah