Parshat Chukat

985 related texts · Page 23 of 110

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

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

Shammai and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 36:1

This question, believe it or not, has occupied Jewish thinkers for centuries. And it all stems from a seemingly simple verse in Leviticus (26:42): “I will remember My covenant with...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

David: Absalom's Transgression

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 3:3

King David knew that feeling well. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into the context and meaning behind David's songs. A...

PatriarchsJosephMosesKing David

Foundations of Being and Gibeonites

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 17:15

The text opens with a discussion of "rana," which can be translated as a cry or supplication. But it's not just any cry; it's a cry of righteousness. The Midrash draws a parallel t...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAngels

Giving of the Torah

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 19:5

No clocks, no sunrise, no sunset as we know it. So, how did he know when it was day and when it was night? The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psal...

CreationHeavenAngelsMoses

David's Song and Jacob

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 23:2

But let’s dive into what the ancient interpreters found within those words. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms, offers some fascinating p...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs

Jacob and Creation of Sinai

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 31:4

It’s a question that’s been wrestled with for centuries, and the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers some truly fascinating, and at t...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAdam & Eve

Wisdom of Korah and Israelites

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 44:1

The ancient Israelites grappled with that exact feeling after the Exodus from Egypt. And Midrash Tehillim (a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms) delves right into ...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses