1,879 related texts · 4 related myths · Page 38 of 40
Shemot Rabbah turns to A Woman Betrayed Her Lover and So Did Israel. Imagine, he says, all the miracles, all the mighty acts that God performed for the Israelites in the desert. Bu...
It quickly jumps to a seemingly unrelated verse from Psalms: "I had said: You are divine beings, celestial beings, all of you" (Psalms 82:6). What's the connection? Shemot Rabbah e...
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...
A collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, there are four specific things that God longs for from His creation. The passage begins with the verse, "And you sha...
In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exchange. God tells Moses, "And you, draw near to you." Now, Moses isn't exa...
It's like tossing a pebble into a pond, the ripples go far beyond what you can see. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, explores this ver...
God is often remembered as all-powerful, distant, maybe even a little intimidating. But what if I told you that Jewish tradition also emphasizes God's incredible humility? Shemot R...
In Shemot Rabbah, the great midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection on the Book of Exodus, we find a story about just that, and it hits right at the heart of the re...
Shemot Rabbah notices the repeated phrases that shape Moses' life: "The Lord spoke with Moses," "The Lord said to Moses," "Moses said to the Lord," and "Moses spoke to the Lord." T...
The prophet Isaiah cries out, "But now, Lord, You are our Father" (Isaiah 64:7). But God, it seems, isn't so quick to embrace this sudden familial affection. He essentially asks, "...
The Torah tells us, "He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, ...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Betzalel and the Lawgiver of Behold. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Shemot Rabbah, offers a fascinating perspective on this que...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. We find this idea beautifully illustrated in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It uses a verse...
Ever read Song of Songs and wondered, "Where on earth did this passionate love poem even come from?" It's a question that's occupied Jewish thought for centuries, and the Rabbis of...
That feeling, that sting of inner circle treachery, echoes through the ancient words of Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the collection of Rabbinic teachings on the Song of Songs. Shir HaShir...
We see it everywhere, from synagogue art to holiday decorations. But have you ever stopped to consider why? Well, the source enters a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah ...
That image, that feeling, is captured beautifully in the ancient interpretations of the Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs. Rabbi Huna uses the image of a lily among thorns to descri...
The apple tree in Shir HaShirim Rabbah is not decoration. It is Sinai in bloom. Rabbi Aḥa ben Rabbi Ze'eira notices the order of the tree: blossom first, leaves after. Israel, he s...
In the beautiful, multi-layered world of Jewish interpretation, this verse opens up into a world of meaning far beyond the literal. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbi...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Messiah — Moses at the Dawn of Creation. What kind of mountains? Well, sometimes they represent legal hurdles. The text equates "mountains" with court...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to God as a Gazelle Leaping Between the Patriarchs. Think about a gazelle, leaping effortlessly across the landscape. That's how the Holy One, blessed be...
That’s kind of what happens when we dive into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs. a passage that takes the beautiful imagery of springtime and transforms it ...
It turns out, our ancestors were asking these questions too. to a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs. The ...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a fascinating discussion about these pesky creatures and what they represent. Rabbi ...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to My Beloved Is Mine and the Bond Between God and Israel. "My beloved is mine, and I am his," the commentary states. He is God for me, and I am a nation...
A passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, that explores just that feeling. Specifically, What does it all mean? The Rabbis...
Take this one: "His hands are rods of gold set with beryl; his belly is a slab of ivory covered with sapphires." (Song of Songs 5:14). Beautiful imagery, but what does it mean? Wel...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, and unpacking just such a verse. Get ready for a journey through noble lineage, the power of brit milah (circumcision), a...
I know, it sounds random. But stick with me. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs, that very grain becomes a powerful symbol for t...
It’s like a tiny seed containing an entire orchard. Take, for instance, the verse from (Song of Songs 7:5): "Your neck is like an ivory tower; your eyes are pools in Ḥeshbon, by th...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Slaughtering the Bull to the North Before the Lord. The Sages in Vayikra Rabbah make a profound connection. They see these instructions as deeply intertwine...
The Rabbis certainly did. one fascinating interpretation from Vayikra Rabbah, specifically Vayikra Rabbah 4, that unlocks layers of meaning in King David's timeless words. Rabbi Yo...
The Rabbis in Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection on the Book of Leviticus, tackle this very question head-on. Rabbi Idi kicks things off with...
It all starts with the verse: “Take Aaron, and his sons with him, and the vestments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of un...
The familiar story is this: from Exodus 32 – the Israelites, impatient for Moses to return from the mountain, pressure Aaron to create a god for them. He obliges, a golden calf is ...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very question, particularly the roles of repentance (teshuva) and prayer in shaping our destinies. We find a fascinating debate in Vayikra Rab...
It all starts with a rather clinical verse: "A man, if he will have on the skin of his flesh a spot, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it will become a mark of leprosy on the skin o...
Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 16, dives deep into this, starting with the verse, "This shall be the law of the leper." (Leviticus 14:2). Seems strange. What does leprosy hav...
In the rabbinic imagination, as we see in Vayikra Rabbah 17, tzara'at becomes a physical manifestation of spiritual failings. It's a fascinating, if unsettling, idea. Vayikra Rabba...
After all, it's not exactly a flattering name given Canaan's, shall we say, complicated backstory. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Lev...
The ancient rabbis certainly did! They saw profound symbolism woven into every thread, especially when it came to the garments of the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest. the High Priest ...
Take the sacrifices described in the Torah. Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Leviticus, sees them not just as offerings, but as embodiments of our ...
The rabbis of old grappled with this question, especially concerning the laws around building altars for sacrifice outside the designated Temple in Jerusalem. This wasn't some free...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very question. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, they explore a fascinating connection between ho...
Sometimes, the answer lies in the most unexpected places, like, say, a close reading of the book of Ezekiel and a bit of ancient commentary. In Vayikra Rabbah 25, we find a fascina...
For the sages, repeated words are clues that lead deeper into the verse. Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash on the book of Leviticus, dedicates itself to uncovering these hidden layers. And...
Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Yirmeya, opens a window onto this very idea. He starts with a verse from Proverbs (15:24): "The path of life goes upward for the intelligent." But wha...
King David certainly did. In Vayikra Rabbah 30, we find a fascinating exploration of just that – David's quest for the "way of life" and "abundant joy," as he puts it in (Psalm 16:...
