Parshat Yitro

810 related texts · Page 21 of 90

Jethro visits Moses, the revelation at Mount Sinai, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 18:1-20:23.

Angelic Hosts and Israelite

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2:2

We often imagine the scene: thunder, lightning, a mountain shrouded in smoke. But the ancient rabbis took it a step further, diving into the intimate, almost sensual, experience of...

AngelsMosesKing DavidTorah

Giving of the Torah and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2:3

It goes all the way back to Mount Sinai, according to the ancient Rabbis. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, dives into a fascinating interpretation of the ...

MosesKing DavidTorahHoly Land

The Ten Commandments and Tablets

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 14:1

Take this one: "His hands are rods of gold set with beryl; his belly is a slab of ivory covered with sapphires." (Song of Songs 5:14). Beautiful imagery, but what does it mean? Wel...

Noah & FloodMosesKing DavidSolomon

Depths of the Underworld and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 6:5

The Torah tells us of an agreement, a covenant, between God and the Israelites. But the details, as explored in Vayikra Rabbah, are far more intricate and, frankly, a little . Rabb...

HeavenHell/GehennaAngelsNoah & Flood

The Ten Commandments and Kedoshim

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 24:5

Rabbi Ḥiyya taught that this specific portion, Kedoshim, was delivered in a grand assembly – "Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel..." (Leviticus 19:2). Why? ...

Adam & EveMosesTorahSabbath

Trial of Jacob and Sinai

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 118:4

In fact, it teaches us that it's really not fitting to sing your own praises… unless someone else steps up to vouch for you. But then, who vouches for God? That's the question pose...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Wisdom of Solomon

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 119:34

The verse "You are righteous, O Lord, and Your judgments are upright" echoes throughout Jewish thought. The wisdom of King Solomon, in Proverbs 8:8-9, tells us, "In righteousness, ...

HeavenMosesKing DavidSolomon

Death of Abraham and Joshua

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 29:15

We all know it's a fundamental ritual in Judaism, a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham. But what about the times when it wasn't done quite. The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a ...

Noah & FloodPatriarchsMosesTorah

Death of Moses and Jethro

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 40:4

Take the story of Moses and the staff. It all starts with a garden, a simple rod, and a curious shepherd-to-be. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval te...

JosephMosesTorahHoly Land