Parshat Shoftim

2,567 related texts · Page 232 of 286

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

Saul and David of Israelites

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 5:11

Jewish tradition explores this feeling on a national scale, focusing on the ancient Israelites' request for a human king. Imagine this: God, the ultimate King, has been leading the...

King DavidElijahTempleProphecy

Rabbi Meir at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 5:15

We often think of it as the absence of conflict, but Jewish tradition elevates peace – shalom – to something far more profound and active. It’s not just a nice idea; it's a force t...

CreationAdam & EveNoah & FloodPatriarchs

David and Joseph of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 6:7

Take the mitzvah, the commandment, of shiluach haken, sending away the mother bird before taking her eggs or young. It appears in Deuteronomy 22:6-7, and it's all about compassion,...

JosephKing DavidElijahProphecy

After the Flood

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 7:1

I’m talking about amen. Deuteronomy 28:1 promises, "It will be if you will heed the voice of the Lord your God to observe, to perform all His commandments that I am commanding you ...

Noah & FloodMosesKing DavidTorah

Living by Torah and Shimon

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 7:4

The rabbis of old grappled with this very question. They asked: Is it better to be ignorant of the Torah’s demands, or to know them intimately and then… ignore them? It’s a tough o...

Hell/GehennaTorahProphecy

Abraham Beyond the Firmament and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 7:8

Take reading from the Torah, for example. The verse we're looking at is from Deuteronomy 29:2: "Moses summoned all Israel, and he said to them: You have seen everything that the Lo...

HeavenPatriarchsJosephMoses

Moses Among the Heavenly Host and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 8:2

It seems so natural, so ingrained in Jewish practice, that we might not even stop to ask why. But the Rabbis of old, they were always asking. They wanted to know the source, the re...

AngelsMosesKing DavidSolomon

Death of Moses of Joshua

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 9:9

But in Jewish tradition, we find a fascinating story in Devarim Rabbah that touches upon just such a concept when it comes to the death of Moses. The text starts by asking, "What i...

Noah & FloodMosesSolomonJob

Death of Moses of Behold

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 11:9

The ancient rabbis wrestled with this very idea, and their insights, preserved in texts like Devarim Rabbah, can still resonate deeply today. Our story begins with Moses, nearing t...

AngelsMosesSolomonElijah