683 related texts · Page 9 of 15
We often think of Rebekah's role in the story of Jacob and Esau as somewhat manipulative, but when you dig into the legends, you find a fierce maternal love driving her actions. : ...
The scene is set: Isaac, old and blind, intends to bless his elder son, Esau. But through a clever ruse orchestrated by his mother, Rebekah, Jacob receives the blessing instead. Im...
It involves Kikanos, a conquering hero returning home, only to find… the gates barred against him. Imagine this: Kikanos, fresh from quelling rebellious nations, leads his victorio...
We're talking about a pretty intense moment described in Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg's monumental compilation of rabbinic stories and lore. The Israelites are in deep trouble. Th...
It’s a fascinating question when we delve into the story of Moses and the war against Midian. Moses, the great leader of the Israelites, didn’t personally lead this particular batt...
Remember the story of the daughters of Moab? It's a troubling episode in the Torah where the Israelites succumbed to temptation and idolatry (Numbers 25). According to the biblical...
It’s a question that’s sparked debate and wonder for centuries. The Torah tells us he died on Mount Nebo, overlooking the Promised Land he would never enter. But is that the whole ...
I want to tell you a story I heard from Mitpachat Sefarim, a collection of stories and accounts. This particular one involves Rabbi Pinchas Yoshev Ohel, a Torah scholar from Krakow...
Da'at (Knowledge) Tevunot, a profound work of Jewish thought, grapples with this very issue. It suggests that what appears to be divine inaction or even harshness is actually a for...
It suggests that the Supreme Mind – think of it as divine intelligence itself – meticulously calculated the precise amount of "damage" and "repair" needed to bring all of creation ...
The Mekhilta articulates one of the most powerful principles in all of rabbinic theology through a deceptively simple logical argument. The principle: God's capacity for good alway...
R. Yishmael says: What is written at the beginning, viz. (Leviticus 25:1-3) "And the L–rd spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying … then the land shall rest a Sabbath to the L–rd. Si...
The book of Job presents one of the most profound tests of faith in all of Scripture. Job loses everything — his wealth, his children, his health — and his wife urges him to curse ...
We're not just talking about grammar and vocabulary here. According to ancient Jewish tradition, these aren't just letters – they’re the very building blocks of creation. I know, i...
The ancient rabbis felt it too, especially after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. They saw the world changing, and not for the better. Midrash Tehillim, a collection ...
Take, for instance, this fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, Psalm 59. It wrestles with a question that's been around since, well, the beginning: What's the deal with marria...
The ancient text of Sifrei Devarim wrestles with this very question, and its answer is surprisingly nuanced. We find ourselves in the book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, spe...
It’s a question our sages grappled with, and their answers are, well, breathtaking. to Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuterono...
Leviticus 26 contains the blessings and curses—God's promise of abundance for obedience and a cascading nightmare for rebellion. The Targum Jonathan adds a breathtaking historical ...
The place was called Shittim, and the Targum explains the name: it derives from shetutha, meaning foolishness and depravity. The Targum's version of (Numbers 25) describes Moabite ...
The war against Midian in the Targum's version of (Numbers 31) is a supernatural thriller. Twelve thousand Israelite soldiers went out with Phinehas carrying "the Urim and Thummim ...
The Torah says write the law on plastered stones after crossing the Jordan. Targum Jonathan says write it "with writing deeply engraven and distinct, which shall be read in one lan...
A woman came to Rabbi Eliezer with a dream that troubled her. She described its images, its strange sequences, its unsettling feeling. Rabbi Eliezer listened and then interpreted: ...
Korah was the richest man who ever lived — and his wealth destroyed him. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teaches that three hundred mules were needed just to carry t...
Can words truly shape destiny? The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found layers of meaning hidden within the simplest verses. to one of those verses, and see what secrets we...
Indeed, he shall be blessed." But what was that trembling? And why is it so significant? Our sages, delving into the depths of the text, find layers of meaning in that tremor. Bere...
The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found fascinating insights in the story of Joseph in Egypt. In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of G...
The verse says, "He raised his voice in weeping…. And his brothers could not answer him" (Genesis 45:2-3). It's a powerful moment! But what does it really mean? Well, Abba Kohen (a...
to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 99, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic commentary on the Book of Genesis, and unpack some of the hidden gems within Jacob'...
It’s baked right into Jewish tradition. to a fascinating idea from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Deuteronomy. The very first verse of Deu...
The Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, wrestles with the verse, "The Lord your God will maintain for you…" What exactly will God maintai...
But what does it really mean? Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, dives right in. It suggests that "the rebuke of a wise man" refers to those who deliver homilie...
A blessing, a curse, a promise kept, a promise broken... it all hangs on the power of speech. Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, understood this deeply. In Kohelet Rabbah, a midrash (interp...
It’s a recurring theme in Jewish tradition, and one particularly striking example comes to us from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. Th...
Rabbi Yitzchak, in Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6, offers a fascinating, if unsettling, interpretation of the events following the plague that killed twenty-four thousand Israelites. This ...
And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son (Gen. 25:19). May it please our master to teach us why peace-offerings (sacrifices) were instituted?1There are three kinds of ...
42:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it (Prov....
And the time drew near that Israel must die (Gen. 47:29). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit...
Let my soul not come into their council (Gen. 49:6). This relates to when Zimri came and had intercourse with Cozbi. Let my soul not be mentioned in reference to them. And that is ...
And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of speaking (Exod. 31:18). R. Tanhuma began the discussion with the verse: Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us c...
(Numb. 21:25:) “Israel took all these towns….” This text is related (to Is. 61:8), “Because I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery with a burnt offering.”152Numb. R. 19:30. The Ho...
(Numb. 25:11) “Phinehas ben Elazar […].” What reason did the Holy One, blessed be He, have for tracing the lineage of Phinehas after this act (of slaying Zimri in Numb. 25:8)?1Numb...
(Numb. 25:14:) “And the name of the slain man of Israel...” Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, is concerned with the praise of the righteous to publicize3Rt.: PRSM. Cf. Gk.: parr...
(Deut. 11:26:) “See, I [am setting before you today a blessing and a curse]. This text is related (to Jer. 21:8), “And (to) [unto] this people you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “...
Another interpretation: "See I" (Deuteronomy 11:26). I who have chosen goodness, see how different I am from the whole world, such that the creatures should not say, "When Moshe ca...
It’s a cry, a yearning for divine intervention. "Shake thy hand over the strange people; And let them see thy mighty acts." It's a powerful image, isn't it? A call for God to revea...
It pulls no punches in its call for humility and divine justice. Ben Sira, a sage writing in Hebrew around 200 BCE, gives us these powerful words: "Make an end of the head of the p...
Jewish tradition understands that feeling deeply, and sometimes, the simplest phrases carry the weight of generations trying to break free. Take this seemingly straightforward stat...
