Parshat Pekudei

388 related texts · Page 35 of 44

The completion of the Tabernacle, the priestly garments, and the glory of God filling the Tabernacle. Exodus 38:21-40:38.

Levi: Aaron and the Lawgiver

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 15:6

Our ancestors felt that way, too. The ancient rabbis understood this, and that's why we find so much human drama, even in the most sacred texts. Take this story from Bamidbar Rabba...

MosesKing DavidTempleHoly Land

Wisdom of Moses and Betzalel

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 15:10

The story of the menorah, the candelabrum in the Tabernacle, as told in Bamidbar Rabbah 15, is a wild ride about just that. It's a reminder that even Moses, the ultimate receiver o...

HeavenNoah & FloodMosesTemple

Covenant of Abraham and Canaan

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 17:3

Rabbi Zakai of She'av offers a beautiful insight. He imagines the Israelites asking God: "Master of the universe, everywhere else You call it the land of Canaan, but here, ‘the lan...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Daily Sacrifices and Sukkot

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 21:24

The ancient rabbis certainly did. They found that very human feeling reflected in the Torah itself, specifically in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. And they explore it in ...

King DavidTemplePrayerHoly Land

Rabbi Akiva and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 21:25

It's not about being stingy, but about creating a sense of progression, a journey. Believe it or not, we find a hint of this idea in the book of Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically in se...

CreationMosesKing DavidTorah

Light of the First Day and Adam

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 8:1

The passage opens with that foundational verse, Genesis 1:26: "And God said: Let us make Man in our image, in our likeness, and let them dominate…” But what does it mean? Rabbi Yoḥ...

CreationHell/GehennaAngelsAdam & Eve

Satan and Creation of Garden

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 17:6

Take, for example, the verse in Genesis 2:21, "He took one of his sides [mitzalotav]..." Now, mitzalotav can mean either "one of his ribs" or "one of his sides." So, which was it? ...

CreationDemonsAdam & EveMoses

Dawn of the World and Yudan

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 35:3

It's more than just a colorful arc in the sky. In fact, according to Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of Rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, the rainbow holds pro...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Noah's Transgression of Shem

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 36:8

We often rush past Noah and the ark, but there's a tiny section in Genesis 9:26-27 that's sparked centuries of interpretation. It’s a passage about blessings, expansions, and dwell...

CreationHeavenSolomonEsther