265 related texts · Page 1 of 6
Specifically, the scapegoat for Azazel. The book of Leviticus (16:5-10) describes a fascinating, and frankly bizarre, ritual performed by Aaron, the High Priest, on Yom Kippur, the...
Two words haunted ancient Israel: shedim (demons) and se'irim. The Israelites were forbidden from sacrificing to either. They sacrificed anyway. The se'irim were the hairy ones, sa...
Because of (the following) four things R. Mattia b. Charash went to R. Elazar b. Hakappar in Ludia. He said to him: My master, did you hear of the four divisions of atonement expou...
We all know it's a time of intense reflection, fasting, and prayer. But according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, there's a cosmic drama unfolding alo...
Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). The holiest day. The most dangerous ritual in the entire Torah. And the Targum Jonathan adds details that turn Leviticus 16 into a thriller. Firs...
That feeling is something our ancestors grappled with intensely after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. And in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the ancient commentary on Song of Son...
And it's one that the ancient rabbis understood deeply. They wrestled with these feelings in their interpretations of scripture, offering us a timeless roadmap for finding strength...
See, (Leviticus 16:23) tells us that Aaron, the High Priest, would enter the Tent of Meeting – the Ohel Mo'ed – and remove the linen vestments he wore when he entered the Sanctum –...
A man who had mastered Scripture, studied the Mishnah, and served many scholars dropped dead in the middle of his life. His widow seized his tefillin (leather phylacteries worn dur...
Jewish tradition has some pretty fascinating, and sometimes terrifying, answers. to the story of Azazel, a fallen angel whose lair is the source of some seriously dark magic. The s...
That’s the scene we’re stepping into today, a scene that plays out once a year, on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Our focus? The High Priest, his heart pounding, preparing to en...
“How has gold tarnished, the fine gold changed? The sacred stones are spilled at the head of every street” (Lamentations 4:1).“How has gold tarnished [yuam]?” Rabbi Shmuel said: Ho...
The name of a supernatural being mentioned in connection with the ritual of the Day of Atonement (Lev. xvi.). After Satan, for whom he was in some degree a preparation, Azazel enjo...
Jewish tradition offers some truly fascinating, and sometimes unsettling, answers. to a few… We've heard tales of fallen angels, haven't we? The ones who dared to defy the divine. ...
Sometimes, the stories behind them are even more incredible than the rituals themselves. Let's talk about brit milah, circumcision, and a story that links it to the holiest day of ...
They stood at Sinai, heard the very voice of God thundering the Ten Commandments, including the absolute prohibition against idolatry… and then, a mere forty days later, they're pa...
It’s a question that leads us to a fascinating passage in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a beautiful, ancient text that weaves together biblical narrative and rabbinic interpretation. The...
That’s the sense I get reading Bereshit Rabbah 98, a beautiful passage from the ancient midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection, which interprets a verse from (Psal...
It’s the word zot – "this." Sounds simple. But in the mystical tradition, particularly within the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, the zot is anything but simple. It's a doorway....
The Sages once captured the yetzer hara (יצר הרע)—the evil inclination itself. According to Yoma 69b, they prayed for three days, and it was delivered into their hands. A fiery lio...
The Torah tells us, "Jacob called to his sons, and he said: Gather, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days. Assemble and hear, sons of Jacob, and listen to Isr...
It's a reminder that divinity can work through anything. Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, puts it this way: "The ad...
The story I want to share with you comes from the Talmud and it’s about Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha, the High Priest, and a truly extraordinary encounter. Imagine this: Rabbi Ishmael ...
The people of Hebron certainly did, right before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Imagine this: It's the eve of the holiest day of the year, a time for communal prayer and reflect...
I'm talking about Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It's more than just a somber day of fasting and prayer, you see. The sages tell us Yom Kippur is so vital that even in the messi...
It’s a feeling woven deep into the fabric of Jewish mystical thought. to a fascinating passage from the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, specifically Tikkun 43, where we find thi...
Jewish tradition has a name for that feeling: the beinonim, the "average ones." And let me tell you, their fate is a cliffhanger worthy of any thriller! The Tikkun (spiritual repai...
Leviticus 23 lists every festival on the Jewish calendar. The Targum Jonathan transforms it from a schedule into an instruction manual, adding measurements, procedures, and theolog...
(11) R. Kruspedai said in the name of R. Jochanan: "Three books are opened on New Year's Day: one for the grossly wicked, one for the perfectly righteous, and one for the intermedi...
(17) R. Jochanan said: "Repentance, is a great thing, for it tears (cancels) the [evil] decree against man; as it is said (Isa. 6, 10) Obdurate will remain the heart of this people...
(18) R. Samuel b. lnya said in the name of Rab: "Whence do we know that a decree against a community is not confirmed." Is that true? Behold, it is written (Jer. 2, 22) The stain o...
The prophet Isaiah offers a powerful message of hope in such moments: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts" (Isaiah 55:7). But what does that actual...
What allowed him, a human, to step into the most sacred space? Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of biblical interpretations, explores this very question. "This is the matter," it sa...
Ever catch a whiff of something amazing and wonder, "What is that?" Our senses are powerful doorways to memory and meaning. And in ancient Jewish tradition, few things were as powe...
What would you bring with you? What could possibly prepare you for such an encounter? Well, Rabbi Yudan, in Vayikra Rabbah 21, offers a fascinating perspective. He interprets the v...
Jewish tradition teaches that all of creation springs forth from the very Name of God, specifically the holiest Name: YHVH. The Zohar tells us that in the very beginning, God revea...
The longest and most carefully guarded section of Sefer Raziel HaMalakh catalogs the divine names—the Shemot (שמות), the names of God through which creation was brought into being ...
Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 20, dives right into this difficult territory. It starts with a quote from Proverbs (17:26): “To punish also the righteous is not good." It's a...
Take the story of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. Their sudden, tragic deaths after offering "alien fire" before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2) is one of the most jarring moments in th...
(Exodus 19:22) "And also the Cohanim, who draw near to the L–rd": We are hereby apprised that the Cohanim are not included in "the people" (above, 21). And thus is it written (Levi...
(Ibid. 20:8) "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it": "Remember" and "Keep" (the Sabbath day to sanctify it [Devarim 5:12]) were both stated in one pronouncement. (Exodus 31:14) ...
The Feast of the Garden of Eden [in Seder Rav Amram Gaon 13b, and Beit haMidrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) vol. 5, 45] In the future to come, the Holy Blessed One will rev...
“It was due to the sins of her prophets, the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst” (Lamentations 4:13).“It was due to the sins of her prophet...
There was a goat that carried the sins of an entire nation into the wilderness and was never seen again. Every year on Yom Kippur—the tenth day of the seventh month—the Israelites ...
The story of Og, King of Bashan, from Legends of the Jews, is a wild ride that explores just that! The Israelites, fresh from their victory against Sihon (a battle that, by the way...
Jewish mysticism, especially in the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, actually has a really beautiful way of understanding that feeling, especially in connection to Yom Kippur, th...
It’s a theme woven deep into our sacred texts. And one place where this connection is powerfully articulated is in the Book of Jubilees. Jubilees, a text not included in the canoni...
It’s a question that might make you squeamish, but it also speaks to the incredible ingenuity and meticulousness of the ancient priests. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating docum...
