Parshat Metzora

287 related texts · Page 23 of 32

The purification process for one afflicted with tzaraat and laws regarding impurity in houses. Leviticus 14:1-15:33.

Fine: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:1

Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, throws us a curveball right from the start: "A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death than the day of one's birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). Whoa....

CreationKing DavidSolomonDaniel

Mount Sinai in Heaven

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:3

It's not just about accumulating knowledge, but about understanding, about the ability to delve into the heart of things. And according to Kohelet Rabbah, one of the most beautiful...

HeavenMosesKing DavidTorah

Patience of Job

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 8:1

It all starts with the verse, "May your garments be white at all times, and may the oil on your head not be lacking" (Ecclesiastes 9:8). Now, what does that even mean? Is it litera...

SolomonJobTorahMessiah

Rabbi Akiva Faces Judgment and Azai

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 1:1

Ecclesiastes 10:1 puts it bluntly: "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer’s oil; a little folly is weightier than wisdom, than honor." It's a powerful image, isn’t it? How somethin...

Hell/GehennaSolomonTorahProphecy

Yiftach and Solomon

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 15:1

We find ourselves in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in question is Ecclesiastes 10:15: “The toil of the fools will ...

SolomonTempleSoulHoly Land

Kingdom of Aaron and Joseph

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 7:1

The ancient rabbis certainly thought words held immense power, for good and for ill. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse in Exodus, as explored in Shemot Rabbah, a compilati...

CreationJosephMosesSolomon

Ezekiel: Nebuchadnezzar and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 8:2

Jewish tradition has some pretty strong opinions on that. And, spoiler alert: it doesn't end well. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (interpretive stories) on the Book...

CreationHell/GehennaAngelsJoseph

Wisdom of Moses and Candelabrum

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 15:28

Shemot Rabbah, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Exodus, recounts a fascinating episode. It begins with the verse, "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), referri...

MosesKing DavidTorahTemple

Divine and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 17:1

Take, for instance, the humble hyssop. Hyssop – that little plant we read about in the story of the Exodus. It doesn't seem like much, but according to Shemot Rabbah, it's a key to...

CreationHeavenJosephMoses