Parshat Matot

382 related texts · Page 1 of 43

Laws of vows, the war against Midian, and the settlement of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh east of the Jordan. Numbers 30:2-32:42.

Gadites: Joshua at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 23:14

In the ancient world, and even described in the Torah, there was a system in place to offer refuge. We're talking about the cities of refuge, places of sanctuary for those who unin...

CreationMosesDanielTemple

Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 1

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 1

(Numb. 30:3:) “When someone makes a vow (neder) to the Lord.” Let our master instruct us: How are konamot (i.e., vows of abstinence) and vows (nedarim)? Thus have our masters taugh...

Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 5

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 5

(Numb. 32:1:) “Now the Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad] had much livestock.” Let our master instruct us: How many good gifts were created in the world?14Numb. R. 22:7. T...

Gad's Hatred

Ginzberg Vol. 2

It’s a human experience, unfortunately, one that even touched the lives of the biblical figures we often hold up as paragons of virtue. Let’s turn to Gad, one of the twelve sons of...

CreationTorahPatriarchsMoses

Reuben and the Dreamer

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:3

Jewish tradition certainly thinks so. And when it comes to the Tribes of Israel, their names aren't just labels, they're prophecies, whispers of a future redemption woven into the ...

JosephMosesJobTorah

Birth of Reuben and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:4

It's a wild ride of interpretations, isn’t it? The passage opens with Jacob's words: "Reuben, you are my firstborn." Now, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi], the compiler of the Mishnah, offers...

CreationHell/GehennaPatriarchsMatriarchs

Jehoseph and Joseph

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 3:35

More than just architecture and gold, we're talking about the very names etched onto the High Priest's garments—each letter, each stone, imbued with meaning. Take the ephod, for in...

JosephHoly Land

Very and the Promised Land

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:52

You return, weary but victorious, only to find… things aren't exactly as you left them. That's what happened to the two and a half tribes who ventured east of the Jordan River in t...

Holy Land

Joseph: Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 22:1

The Torah, in the book of Numbers (30:2), grapples with this very idea: "Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the matter that the Lord ...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsJoseph