Parshat Shoftim

2,634 related texts · Page 14 of 293

Laws of judges and officers, the king, the Levitical priests, true and false prophets, cities of refuge, and warfare. Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9.

Midianites in Battle and Yehoshafat

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 21:6

The Torah tells us, "When you besiege a city…you shall not destroy its trees" (Deuteronomy 20:19). Seems pretty straightforward. Protect the environment, even in wartime. But then ...

ElijahTorahProphecyPrayer

The Golden Calf and Tablets

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 3:17

We all know the story of the first set, shattered in anger at the sight of the Golden Calf. But why two in the first place? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of ...

CreationHeavenJosephMoses

Zekharia and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:1

Kohelet Rabbah, a Midrashic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, tackles this idea head-on with the verse: "If the spirit of the ruler comes upon you, do not forsake your place"...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodKing David

Yekhonyahu's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 19:6

It all begins with the poignant question: “Who fulfilled the mitzvah," the good deed, "of separating from a woman at the time of her discharge?” The answer? A surprising figure: Ye...

Hell/GehennaNoah & FloodMosesKing David

Samuel: Moses and the Holy Sanctuary

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 138:2

The ancient rabbis certainly did. And in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, we find a powerful example of just that. It's a passage drippin...

MosesTempleProphecySoul

Samuel and the Heavenly Realms

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 33:12

And in a fascinating passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a compelling possibility emerges. The text explores the story of Samuel, the last of the Judges and a pivotal prophet in a...

HeavenProphecyRepentanceDeath

Jeremiah and the Origins of the World

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 342:3

And that messiness, that delicious, complicated paradox, is exactly what grabs our attention in Jewish tradition too. Take the tale we find in Sifrei Devarim 342. It focuses on the...

CreationProphecy

Ancient Lore and Priest

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 5:107

Forget your gavels and stern judges. Imagine something far more… theatrical. The image comes to us from Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation of rabbinic lore put togeth...

Judgment

Torah and Wisdom of Yashiah

Other Texts Sifrei Devarim 218:7

Jewish tradition grapples with this, especially when it comes to a concept called sorer umoreh, the "wayward and rebellious son." Now, the term sorer umoreh itself is fascinating. ...

TorahHoly LandJudgment