683 related texts · Page 3 of 15
Judah, fourth son of Jacob and Leah, gathered his sons and told them everything. His mother had named him Judah, saying, "I give thanks to the Lord, because He has given me a fourt...
Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the Torah says "the sea returned towards morning to its eithano" (Exodus 14:27). That final word — eithano — becomes the subject of...
When a lion roars, every animal in the forest freezes. Even the ones who have never been hunted. Even the ones too far away to be prey. The sound itself is the message: there is so...
“The adversary extended his hand over all her delights; for she saw the nations entering her Sanctuary, whom You had commanded that they should not enter Your assembly” (Lamentatio...
“It was contemptible in his eyes to lay hands on Mordekhai alone, for they had told him of Mordekhai’s people; Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were in the whole kingdom o...
And it came to pass after these things (Gen. 40:1). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and ne...
The story of Jacob and Esau, and their mother Rebecca, is a powerful, sometimes troubling, example of maternal love… and perhaps, a bit of manipulation. to the Book of Jubilees, a ...
The Book of Jubilees, for those unfamiliar, is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories of Genesis and Exodus, but with a whole lot of extra detail and a unique perspective ...
Sometimes, it's not just about armies and strategies, but about the advice whispered in the ears of kings. That's the situation King Balak finds himself in. He’s worried about the ...
We often think of Balaam as the sorcerer hired to curse the Israelites, and Jannes and Jambres as the magicians who opposed Moses in Pharaoh’s court, but they had lives, families, ...
We all know the story of the Exodus, but some of the details… well, they're chilling. According to Legends of the Jews, which draws from various Midrash (rabbinic interpretive comm...
It all boils down to a simple, yet profound observation: "Throw the stick up in the air it will always return to its original place." This idea sets the stage for a rather scandalo...
The story centers around Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Simeon, and his brazen defiance. He publicly takes Cozbi, a Midianite woman, as his own. A clear violation of the law. But ...
Here he is, a man learned in Torah, yet understandably terrified of receiving his father's curse instead of a blessing. Can you blame him? His mother, Rebecca, steps in, offering a...
The story of Israel in the wilderness offers a stark, and frankly, heartbreaking answer. Fresh from the miracle of the Exodus, having witnessed God's power firsthand, the Israelite...
It wasn't just a panoramic view of the Promised Land. According to our tradition, it was so much more. "From the plains of Moab," the text tells us. (Sifrei Devarim 357). But what'...
The Targum's version of (Numbers 23) reveals Bileam's inner strategy. When he looked at Israel, "he knew that strange worship was among them, and rejoiced in his heart." He spotted...
The blessings of (Deuteronomy 28) receive domestic detail. Being blessed "when you go out" becomes "blessed shall you be in your coming in to your houses of instruction, and blesse...
Mesha, the king of Moab, heard the story of the Binding of Isaac and drew exactly the wrong conclusion. He learned that Abraham, the father of the Israelites, had been willing to s...
According to the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), not at all. It's a question that comes to the fore when we delve into Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 20. The pas...
Our story today, drawn from Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a section of the classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), plunges us right into such a situation – a tale of Moabites, ...
We choose them carefully, hoping they’ll embody certain qualities, or perhaps carry on a family legacy. But what if a name wasn't a blessing, but a curse? What if it foreshadowed i...
Our ancestors grappled with this very question of agency and divine intervention. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Boo...
It wasn't just a simple story; it was a portal to layers of meaning, hidden connections, and profound insights. Take Jacob's blessing to his son Issachar in (Genesis 49:14-15): “Is...
Our tradition teaches us that something else holds even greater worth: a good name. And it's not just about reputation, but about the power and blessing inherent in a name earned t...
Rabbi Levi, in Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) 15, cuts right to the heart of it. He teaches that blessed actions – acts of kindness, of justice, of integrity – bring blessing ri...
(Numb. 22:2:) “Now Balak ben Zippor saw.” What is the meaning of “Now he saw?” He saw retribution which would come against Israel in the future.3Numb. R. 20:2. And he hated them mo...
(Numb. 22:4:) “So Moab said unto the elders of Midian.” What is the relevance of [mentioning] the elders of Midian here?7Numb. R. 20:4. It is simply that they saw Israel conquering...
(Numb. 22:20:) “Then God came unto Balaam at night.” This text is related (to (Job 33:15-1)7), “In a dream, a vision of the night […]; Then he uncovers a human ear […]; To turn a p...
(Numb. 22:39:) “Then Balaam went unto38The Masoretic text reads both this and the following UNTO as WITH. Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-Huzoth (literally: city of markets),” wh...
(Numb. 23:4:) “Then God encountered Balaam.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You evil man! What are you doing?” (Ibid., cont.:) “And [Balaam] said unto him, ‘I have prep...
(Numb. 25:1:) “[While Israel was staying at Shittim,] the people began to go whoring.” There are springs that rear warriors, and there are those that rear weaklings; some that rear...
(Numb. 25:4:) “Take all the heads of the people, and impale them [before the Lord in the sun].” R. Judan said, “He hanged the heads of the people, because they had not protested ab...
Our heroes, Tobiyyah and the angel Raphael (disguised as a human, of course), are on a journey. They arrive at Agbatauis (Ecbatana), and Raphael drops a bombshell. "My brother," he...
The story of Noah and the vine is a wild ride through temptation, disrespect, and divine retribution. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, Noah's troubles began...
And the answer, as often happens in Jewish tradition, is layered and complex, and more than a little surprising. According to the Legends of the Jews, compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzb...
The story of Balaam, the non-Jewish prophet, gives us a tantalizing glimpse. He was a powerful figure, no doubt about it. But what he lacked was the key to true and lasting impact....
Balaam's voice carried to the ends of the earth—one voice, heard by everyone. Why? Because God knew that one day, someone would come along claiming to be a god, leading many astray...
He's led the Israelites for forty years, through thick and thin, through miracles and rebellions. He’s shepherded them from slavery to the very edge of the Promised Land. And now, ...
We often hear the story from the inside, from the Torah and the Prophets. But what about the view from outside the camp? What did the surrounding nations think of this seemingly in...
Jewish tradition has some pretty strong feelings about that, especially when it comes to something as simple as eating. Think about biting into a juicy piece of fruit. It's delicio...
This is where the Kabbalists delve deep, and texts like the Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah (Wisdom) offer some truly mind-bending answers. The core idea revolves around Eyn Sof, blessed b...
"He blessed them on that day, saying: may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh" (Genesis 48:20). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev uses Jacob's blessing to explain a peculiar tea...
The Mekhilta traces a prophetic thread that spans nearly the entire Hebrew Bible, connecting a drunken curse in Genesis to a divine promise in the book of Joel. When the prophet Jo...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this very question. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord," s...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. They felt it on a national level, in their relationship with God. And they didn't shy away from the tough questions. They wrestled with t...
Our tradition grapples with this very question, especially when considering the immense gifts God has bestowed upon us. Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its exploration of Psalm 1...
The sages teach that sometimes, that very position – being between two good choices – is a blessing in disguise. Think about Samuel the Prophet. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer...
