2,634 related texts · Page 94 of 293
Take, for example, the verse in Numbers: "This will be the land that will fall [tipol] to you as an inheritance." (Numbers 34:2). "Fall?" the Rabbis asked. Does land just fall? Isn...
In the ancient world, and even described in the Torah, there was a system in place to offer refuge. We're talking about the cities of refuge, places of sanctuary for those who unin...
Rabbi Yehoshua, speaking in the name of Rabbi Levi, offers a beautiful image. He suggests that God consulted with the "works of the heavens and the earth." It's like a king who has...
The story goes that a noblewoman, clearly not shy about asking tough questions, once approached Rabbi Yosei. "Why," she demanded, "did God create Eve as if by theft? Why take Adam'...
One fascinating interpretation comes from Bereshit Rabbah 21, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis. It starts with a verse from Job: "Though his exaltedness asc...
We're talking about Adam and Eve, and their first children, Cain and Abel. We all know the story, but Jewish tradition often dives deeper, asking questions you might never have con...
We read the story so quickly, but the Rabbis of the Midrash, those ancient interpreters of scripture, lingered on the details, drawing out every possible meaning. One such explorat...
We find ourselves with Lemekh, a descendant of Cain. He's talking to his wives, Ada and Tzila, and things are… complicated. He says, "Hear my voice, wives of Lemekh, listen to my s...
Specifically, Bereshit Rabbah 30 dives deep into the nuances of "walking with God" by comparing Noah to another biblical giant: Abraham. Rabbi Yehuda offers a beautiful analogy. Im...
