1,613 related texts · Page 2 of 34
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...
After the conquest of Canaan, God deliberately left certain nations in the land — not because He couldn't remove them, but to test Israel (Judges 3:1-2). The rabbis found this prac...
This week, we're diving into a powerful message about gratitude, using the ancient text of Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 1. It all starts with a verse: “The Lord sp...
Specifically, we're looking at section 47, which tackles the tricky subject of God's promises to both Ishmael and Isaac. The passage centers around (Genesis 17:20), where God says,...
The story of Esau and Jacob is a classic example, and the Rabbis in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, unpack it with incredible ...
And it all revolves around a seemingly simple question: how do we read the really tough parts of the Torah? Specifically, we're talking about the "rebukes," those stern warnings an...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Vayikra Rabbah 13 that explores just that. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them" (Leviticus 1...
He’s just received the earth-shattering news that he, in his old age, is going to have a son with Sarah. A son who will carry on the covenant with God. It's huge! But then comes th...
(Lev. 27:1-2:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto the Children of Israel [and say unto them], “When anyone explicitly vows to the Lord [the value (rt.: 'rk) of hu...
Another interpretation (of Lev. 27:2) “When anyone explicitly vows […]”: This text is related (to Prov. 11:30), “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but a wise person acq...
Another interpretation (of Lev. 27:2), “When anyone explicitly vows”: The nations say (in (Micah 6:6)-7), “With what shall I come before the Lord, bow myself before God on high, […...
This is the world Megillat Antiochus throws us into. The story begins with a chilling proposition, whispered amongst the advisors of King Antiochus. "Come now," they urged, "let us...
According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, God revealed Himself to Abraham shortly after, to ease his conscience about the spilling of innocent blood, a scruple that caused him g...
The Bible is full of them, but sometimes the stories between the lines are even more fascinating. to the tale of Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban, a story ripe with tension, accu...
The Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg's masterful compilation of rabbinic lore, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the deathbed confession of Dan, one of Jacob’s sons. It's a ra...
The story of Moses' birth is a powerful testament to that kind of bravery, laced with faith and a touch of the miraculous. It all begins with a decree from Pharaoh, ordering the de...
It's so much more than just a physical act; it’s a profound moment steeped in tradition, faith, and ancient promises. And at the heart of it all stands a powerful, unexpected figur...
It’s a concept that has pulsed through the heart of Jewish longing for centuries: the return of all scattered Jewish communities to the Holy Land. Jewish tradition paints a breatht...
The ancient rabbis grappled with these very questions, and their insights, preserved in texts like Midrash Tehillim (a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms), offer u...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a surprising answer. It starts with remembering God's wonders. According to the Midrash (rabbinic...
King David certainly did. In the ancient text Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah, we hear David, may his memory be a blessing, express this very sentiment: "My fear is within my joy, and m...
For millennia, people have sought guidance from… well, some pretty unusual places.This is a fascinating peek into the beliefs and practices that our ancestors wrestled with, trying...
It turns out Moses felt the same way as he prepared to leave the Israelites. He needed someone – or something – to vouch for the covenant, to make sure no one could later claim the...
The Torah, in the book of Numbers (30:2), grapples with this very idea: "Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the matter that the Lord ...
And wouldn't you know it, our sages wrestled with it too, finding fascinating answers hidden in the verses of Torah. Our journey begins with the story of Noah and the flood. (Genes...
Our sages certainly did. to a fascinating exploration from Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 42, where they dissect the phrase "vayhi bimei" (וַיְהִי בִּמֵי), "it was in the da...
Specifically, verse 17: “It happened when the sun had set, that there was extreme darkness, and, behold, there was a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between those ...
We find ourselves asking this question in Bereshit Rabbah 44, a midrash – a collection of rabbinic interpretations – on the book of Genesis. The verse in question: "On that day, th...
We read the stories, we know the milestones – but sometimes the weight of those moments gets lost. Take the act of circumcision, the brit milah, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine....
But how do you BECOME ready? Our exploration starts in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Here, in section 49, we find a fasc...
It all comes down to remembering, and more importantly, acting. to a story about just that, found in Bereshit Rabbah 53, a section of the ancient midrash (rabbinic interpretive com...
It all starts with the verse, “You shall know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God” (Deuteronomy 7:9). Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba uses a parable to unpack this idea. Imagi...
It’s a surprisingly ancient feeling. And it's at the heart of a fascinating passage in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs. The pass...
The Torah tells us of an agreement, a covenant, between God and the Israelites. But the details, as explored in Vayikra Rabbah, are far more intricate and, frankly, a little . Rabb...
In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a powerful exploration of peace. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai declares that "Great is peace, as all...
to a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, that wrestles with this very issue. The passage starts with a seemi...
“Remember, Lord, what befell us; look, and see our disgrace” (Lamentations 5:1).“Remember, Lord, what befell us.” Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “The greyhound, or the goat” (Proverbs 30:31)...
We're talking about a powerful statement made by none other than the prophet Balaam, a figure known for his ability to curse nations. He was hired to curse the Israelites, but some...
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...
"Vengeance shall be taken" — the Torah declares this regarding a master who kills his bondservant. But what does "vengeance" mean in legal terms? The Mekhilta identifies it as deat...
Rabbi Akiva specified that when the Torah requires the mued's owner to pay kofer — ransom — the amount is calculated based on the value of the ox owner, not the value of the victim...
It might sound audacious, but our tradition actually suggests there are times when the "lower court" – that's us, down here – and the Holy One, blessed be He, are in a bit of a… di...
But think about it: a well-aimed, honest rebuke can clear the air, address grievances, and ultimately lead to reconciliation. Our tradition teaches that rebuke, when delivered with...
Ten decrees were decreed upon Adam, ten upon Eve, ten upon the serpent, and ten upon the earth: Ten upon man: He was clothed in garments of splendor, but God stripped them from him...
The Assembly of Israel in exile cries out: "See, O Lord, the distress I am in! My heart is in anguish; outside the sword deals death; inside, the plague" (Lamentations 1:20). There...
"Listen to Me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am He — I am the first, and I am the last as well" (Isaiah 48:12). God speaks with the full weight of eternity — before everyt...
The story of Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, is a powerful illustration of just that – a tale of lost potential, impulsive actions, and the consequences that ripple through generations....
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...
