1,351 related texts · 28 related myths · Page 27 of 29
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Manasseh's Prince and the Tension of Obeying the King. The Midrash clarifies that respecting authority is crucial. After all, we read in (Deuteronomy 17:15...
Avidan son of Gidoni brings Benjamin's offering, and Bamidbar Rabbah finds Rachel, dawn, and creation folded into the gift. The Torah tells us, "On the ninth day, prince of the chi...
In Jewish tradition, even the sequence of seemingly minor details can hold profound meaning. Take, for instance, the offerings of the princes in the Book of Numbers. Why does the p...
It might seem like a minor detail in the Book of Numbers, but Jewish tradition finds profound meaning in every nuance of the Torah. "On the twelfth day, prince of the children of N...
It might sound like a stretch, but our sages saw profound links between generations, commandments, and even the offerings brought by the princes of Israel. The Book of Numbers, Bam...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Sacred Service. The verse seems to repeat information we already know. So, why is it there? What's it trying to tell us? The Rabbis, masters of textual int...
We flip a switch and flood a room with light without a second thought. But millennia ago, kindling a flame was a precious act. So why did God command it in the Mishkan, the Taberna...
The verse in question is from (Psalms 18:29): "For You light my lamp." Israel, in this story, turns to the Holy One, blessed be He, and essentially says: "Master of the Universe, Y...
Our ancestors felt that way, too. The ancient rabbis understood this, and that's why we find so much human drama, even in the most sacred texts. Take this story from Bamidbar Rabba...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, explores this very question. It all starts with the seemingly simple phrase, "When you kindle" (Numbers ...
The story of the menorah, the candelabrum in the Tabernacle, as told in Bamidbar Rabbah 15, is a wild ride about just that. It's a reminder that even Moses, the ultimate receiver o...
The verse reads, "Craft for you – you use them, as you are king, but no one else may use them other than King David." This refers to instruments, likely trumpets, initially reserve...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with centuries ago, and their insights, drawn from the Torah itself, are surprisingly relevant today. We find a fascinating discussion in Bamidb...
The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, picks up the story after the tumultuous events at Sinai. In Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpreti...
In Bamidbar Rabbah – that’s a collection of rabbinic teachings connected to the Book of Numbers – there's a fascinating passage about how God commanded Moses to gather seventy men....
Like checking the price tag after you’ve already won the lottery. Well, according to Bamidbar Rabbah 16, part of the larger collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentar...
The scene is set in (Numbers 14:1): “The entire congregation raised and sounded their voice and the people wept that night.” It sounds dramatic, doesn't it? But what was behind all...
When Gentile Nations Showed More Respect Than Israel is the question behind this passage from Bamidbar Rabbah. Ouch. The text goes on to illustrate this point with a fascinating st...
It wasn't just about following the rules, but about heart and intention. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 17 and see what we can uncover. Rabbi Tanhuma bar Abba, quoti...
Rabbi Zakai of She'av offers a beautiful insight. He imagines the Israelites asking God: "Master of the universe, everywhere else You call it the land of Canaan, but here, ‘the lan...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Footsteps of Messiah. What's so special about this offering? The Rabbis in Bamidbar Rabbah see something truly profound. God, blessed be He, is essentially...
Our stories are woven into our lineage, and sometimes, those threads get tangled. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of N...
It’s a tale of ambition, delusion, and a very dangerous offering. The scene is set: Moses, leading the Israelites. And then comes Koraḥ, a Levite, challenging Moses’s leadership, s...
The story of Koraḥ's challenge to Moses' leadership is a powerful one, filled with jealousy, ambition, and a profound questioning of divine authority. We find a particularly insigh...
The pain of that kind of betrayal, the kind that cuts deepest, echoes through the words of King David in the Psalms. And, according to Bamidbar Rabbah 18, it wasn't just a general ...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to The Prophetic Letters That Change Form at a Word's End. What about mem mem? It's linked to Isaac, and the verse "For you have grown much mightier than we [...
The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives into this very question, and what it reveals is both awe-inspiring and, well, a little unsettl...
Sometimes, the solutions to those disagreements come in the most unexpected forms… like, say, a blossoming staff. We find this story in Bamidbar Rabbah 18, which elaborates on the ...
The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearni...
Take a look at the story surrounding the death of Aaron in the book of Numbers, specifically as it's illuminated by Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The verse tells us, “They traveled from Kade...
Our story centers around the verses in (Numbers 20:25-28): "Take Aaron and Elazar his son, and take them up Hor Mountain… Strip Aaron of his vestments, and dress Elazar his son in ...
A quote from (Numbers 22:2): "Balak son of Tzipor saw all that Israel had done to the Emorites." This sets the stage for a larger discussion about divine justice and fairness. "Bal...
The Torah gives us a fascinating glimpse of such a moment in the story of Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites. In Numbers, chapter 22, verse 31, we read: “T...
It's one of those biblical tales that's just packed with odd details, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) had a field day unpacking it all. We find a f...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Kingdom of Bilam of Balak. The story unfolds in Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection that dives deep into the bibl...
The story of Pinḥas, as told in Bamidbar Rabbah, shines a light on just how vital shalom is. The story begins with a moment of intense crisis. The Israelites are straying, and divi...
God Himself steps in to clarify Pinḥas's lineage. But why now? What did God see that prompted this? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 21,...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to God's Power Is Restrained Yet Infinitely Greater Than Ours. How do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory ideas? Bamidbar Rabbah offers a beautiful exp...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They found that very human feeling reflected in the Torah itself, specifically in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. And they explore it in ...
The verse This is right before the Israelites are about to wage war against the Midianites. Now, God tells Moses, "Take the vengeance" (Numbers 31:2). So why doesn't Moses lead the...
A powerful image. "The power of His deeds He told to His people" (Psalms 111:6). According to Bamidbar Rabbah, God could have simply created a new land for the Israelites. But inst...
The story of Cain and Abel, right at the beginning of Genesis, gives us a clue, but also raises some fascinating questions about sacrifice itself. "Cain brought an offering of the ...
” What does it mean to be a "wild man?" The Rabbis of old certainly wrestled with this very question. The ancient commentary, Bereshit Rabbah, explores this verse, offering various...
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." The familiar version gives us the famous line from Ecclesiastes (3:1). But have you ever stopped to c...
It's right there in (Genesis 17:17): "Abraham fell upon his face, and he laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, ...
Our story begins with the seemingly simple phrase, “After these matters [devarim]…”. The Hebrew word devarim can mean both "matters" and "words," and as we explore Bereshit Rabbah ...
The story of Abraham and the binding of Isaac, the Akeidah, is a powerful lens through which to explore this idea. Our text today comes from Bereshit Rabbah 55, a collection of rab...
This story, found in Bereshit Rabbah 61, takes us right into the middle of just such a scene. The verse that sparks this whole episode is from (Genesis 25:6): "But to the sons of t...
