1,613 related texts · Page 15 of 34
Jacob, our patriarch, certainly did. In (Genesis 32:11), after years of wandering and working, facing down tricksters and building a family, Jacob cries out, "I am unworthy of all ...
The passage begins by quoting (Psalm 24:3-5): “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand…? He who has clean hands…. He will receive the blessing from the Lord…” The Ra...
The Torah tells us, "All his sons and all his daughters arose to console him, but he refused to be consoled; he said: For I will descend mourning to the grave, to my son. His fathe...
We're looking at Chapter 85, which tackles the complex story of Judah and Tamar. Remember the story? Judah, grieving the loss of his wife, encounters Tamar, disguised as a prostitu...
The verse in Isaiah (11:13) says, "The jealousy of Ephraim will cease." Now, Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, sees a connection h...
It all goes back to Jacob's blessings to his sons on his deathbed, a scene fraught with emotion and anticipation. And within that scene, the blessing to Judah stands out, packed wi...
Take this passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. It all starts with a verse: "It will be, because you heed these ordinances, an...
We all know the story of the first set, shattered in anger at the sight of the Golden Calf. But why two in the first place? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of ...
We often think of it as the absence of conflict, but Jewish tradition elevates peace – shalom – to something far more profound and active. It’s not just a nice idea; it's a force t...
The Jewish tradition certainly does. In fact, it links our speech directly to our relationship with the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it? Yet, according to Devarim Rabbah, this is precisely the monumental struggle Moses faced at the end of his life. Rabbi Yoḥanan tells us th...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, grapples with this very question. And in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of Rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, we find some fasc...
And it's a question that the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, wrestles with head-on. The verse in question, from (Ecclesiastes 1:11), states, "There is no memory of the former one...
You're dropped right into the action, and you wonder, "Wait, shouldn't this have been explained earlier?" Well, the ancient rabbis grappled with a similar feeling about the Book of...
It turns out, that feeling has deep roots in Jewish thought. We find it beautifully expressed in (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12): “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward fo...
The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 7:8): "The end of a matter is better than its beginning; one of patient spirit is better than one of proud spirit." The rabbis, as they often...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very question. And it’s a question that hits at the heart of how we live ou...
Sometimes, the answer isn’t just in swords and shields. Sometimes, it's in something far more powerful: wisdom. Our story comes from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interp...
It seems Kohelet Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, thought so too. It uses that very image – "Dead flies spoil and froth a perfumer's oil" ...
It might seem like just a simple Hebrew word meaning "was," but in the world of Jewish thought, it can unlock hidden meanings, destinies, and connections. Shemot Rabbah, a collecti...
The passage we're looking at begins with God instructing Moses: "Go and gather the elders of Israel, and say to them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, of Isaac, a...
We all know the story, but Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im – interpretations and expansions – on the Book of Exodus, offers a fa...
It wasn't just about remembering the events, but about understanding the deeper meaning behind them. The Torah tells us, "And so that you will relate in the ears of your son, and o...
The passage opens with a seemingly simple phrase: "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2). But it's more than just a calendar note. It's a declaration. The text connects it to ...
We're looking at section 15, which delves into the very first commandment given to the Israelites as they stood on the cusp of freedom: "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2)....
Our tradition suggests he did, and in a fascinating way: it reveals moments where Moses' own reasoning aligned perfectly with the divine will. The Shemot Rabbah, a collection of ra...
The story starts with a seemingly simple commandment: "This is the statute of the paschal offering." Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta paints a vivid picture: God, blessed be He, instructs ...
We often gloss over place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Take, for example, the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up in ...
It all begins with the phrase, “these are [ve’eleh] the ordinances.” But it's not just about the laws themselves; it's about the dedication behind them. The Rabbis of the Midrash (...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, points this out explicitly. "Come and see," it urges, "how excellent this portion is!" What's so ex...
According to Rabbi Elazar, it's justice. That’s why, as Shemot Rabbah tells us, God gave us laws after the Ten Commandments. If justice is perverted, everything crumbles. God, in h...
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...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. This week, we're diving into a passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, specifically Shemot Rab...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous exodus from Egypt, had already broken their covenant with God. And God, understandably, was furious. But Moses, ever the advocate, stepp...
The answer, according to the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), is a fascinating blend of divine foresight and, well, a little bit of divine concern! Our story begins, as ...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw the world – our world, and all the worlds beyond – as hanging in the balance, dependent on something surprisingly simple: our commitment ...
The Torah portion of Terumah introduces us to Betzalel, the artisan chosen to construct the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. But where did he get all that skill? Shemot Rabbah, a classical...
It’s more than just a physical structure. According to Shemot Rabbah, it’s deeply connected to the very essence of Jewish survival and destiny. The name itself hints at its purpose...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating glimpse. Specifically, Shemot Rabbah 51 dives into the idea that the Israelite...
It’s a deeply human experience, and it’s one that our ancestors grappled with too, especially at Sinai. The ancient collection of rabbinic teachings known as Shir HaShirim Rabbah, ...
But in Shir HaShirim Rabbah – that’s the collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs – we find a beautiful exploration of just that. It's all about unpacking the ve...
Rabbi Yanai had a similar thought. He pointed out that the Torah truly needed to begin only with the verse "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), marking the start of the Jew...
That’s the feeling at the heart of a beautiful passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs. It starts with the line, "I am a rose of Sharon, a l...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah 7, the Rabbis unpack a seemingly simple verse – (Song of Songs 2:7): “I administer an oath to you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the hinds...
Today, we're diving into the Book of Daniel and a fascinating interpretation found in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs. We’re foc...
The ancient rabbis did, and they found clues in the most unexpected places, even in the love poetry of the Song of Songs! We're diving into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a rabbinic comment...
The collection of rabbinic homiletic interpretations of Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, dives deep into this very question. Rabbi Berekhya offers a surprising take: how can ho...
We're looking at verse 8:12: “My vineyard is before me; the thousand is for you, Solomon, and two hundred for those who guard its fruit.” What does this seemingly simple verse real...
