Parshat Shemot

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The Israelites' enslavement in Egypt, the birth of Moses, Moses at the burning bush, and God's call to liberate His people. Exodus 1:1-6:1.

Aaron and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7

Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers – gives us a vibrant picture. It tells us that each of the twelve tribes had its own uniqu...

CreationAdam & EveJosephMoses

Moses at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:15

We're diving into Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 2, which is like a treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations and stories drawn from the Torah and the Prophets. What's so f...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Moses and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:17

Bamidbar Rabbah 2 dives into this very idea, opening with a quote from Hosea (2:1): "The number of the children of Israel will be..." It then launches into a fascinating exploratio...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Presence

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 2:25

Their answer is both clever and chilling: The wilderness of Sinai was where they received their death sentence. How could that be? The key, it seems, lies in Exodus 24:11: “Against...

HeavenMosesSolomonTorah

Moses and Joseph of Levites

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:7

Sometimes the pieces don’t quite fit at first glance. Take, for instance, the tribe of Levi. In the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar in Hebrew – we find two seemingly opposing instructio...

JosephMosesTemplePrayer

Moses the Lawgiver and Levites

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 4:6

The verse we're looking at is Numbers 3:42: “Moses counted, as the Lord commanded him, all firstborn among the children of Israel.” Simple enough. But the Rabbis never let anything...

HeavenMosesTempleHoly Land

Aaron and Noah of Tabernacle

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 4:18

It wasn't just a matter of tossing everything into a wagon. There was a precise order, a sacred choreography, and it all begs the question: Why this order? Bamidbar Rabbah, specifi...

Noah & FloodMosesTempleEgypt

Levites: Moses at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 7:2

It's almost like a cosmic nudge, inviting us to dig a little deeper. Take, for example, the juxtaposition of the laws concerning lepers right before the section detailing the dutie...

CreationJosephMosesKing David

Aaron Faces Judgment and Kings

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 7:3

And Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 7, gives us a fascinating peek into their thinking. It uses a series of comparisons to illustrate God's, well, "royal" attributes, if you ...

Hell/GehennaMosesHoly LandEgypt