412 related texts · Page 6 of 46
Ecclesiastes 9:14 tells a strange little story: "There was a small city, with few men in it, and a great king came against it and surrounded it." What does it mean? In Bereshit Rab...
The passage in Genesis (9:24) tells us, "Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him." Now, Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic int...
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...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly does. And the rabbis of the Midrash, in Kohelet Rabbah, wrestled with it too. Specifically, they hone in on a verse that r...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. We find this idea beautifully illustrated in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It uses a verse...
Ever catch a whiff of something amazing and wonder, "What is that?" Our senses are powerful doorways to memory and meaning. And in ancient Jewish tradition, few things were as powe...
We find ourselves pondering just that in a fascinating discussion rooted in the verse from Song of Songs 4:16: "Awake, north wind, and come, south wind; blow upon my garden, that i...
The rabbis of the Midrash tackled this very question, and their answer might surprise you. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Hanan, both citing Rabbi Azarya of Kefar Hittaia, offer a...
Today, we’re going to dive into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) 20 that wrestles with this very problem. Our entry point is the Book of Leviticus, spec...
