1,879 related texts · 4 related myths · Page 6 of 40
In the book of Bamidbar, also known as Numbers, we find a fascinating discussion about vows, and particularly, the power a father and husband have to either uphold them or, to use ...
It can get pretty fascinating, trust me! The verse states, "And if she be to a man, and her vows be upon her..." Now, who exactly is "she"? Rabbi Yoshiyah says this refers to a wom...
It's not always golden, especially when it comes to a wife's vows in Jewish law. to a fascinating little corner of the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), specifically chapter 30, verse 8,...
In Jewish law, specifically concerning vows made by a woman, a husband’s silence could be more powerful than words themselves. to a fascinating passage from Sifrei Bamidbar, a lega...
It's a window into a world where relationships, words, and intentions intertwine in complex ways. Our starting point is Bamidbar (Numbers) 30:14: "Every vow and every oath of bindi...
Sifrei Bamidbar turns to A Husband's Power to Annul His Wife's Vows. That's the question the Sifrei Bamidbar wrestles with. Does it mean literally after he hears the vow? Well, no,...
The ancient rabbis pondered this very human feeling, but they turned it on its head. What if, even in our darkest moments, in our deepest exiles, we are never truly alone? What if ...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Why Moses Rebuked All of Israel at the Same Time. The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, gives us a fascinating glimpse into Moses’...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, touches on just that feeling. It warns, in a powerful verse, about the potential of being "los...
It’s a short passage, but it speaks volumes about how seriously our ancestors took the responsibility of caring for the poor. The passage begins with a fascinating thought experime...
Like winning the lottery. But what if there's more to it? What if we have a role to play? The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal Midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, tackles this...
Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the book of Deuteronomy, tackles this head-on. It emphasizes the importance of unwavering commitment to mitzvot (commandments). And it's not just...
A reader can get lost in the big stories, the sweeping narratives of creation and exodus. But sometimes, the real wisdom lies in the seemingly small print. a tiny corner of the boo...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Bilaam Remembered. The passage focuses on (Deuteronomy 23:4), which states that descendants of Ammon and Moab, even to the tenth generation, shall not be ad...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Esau Remembered. The passage begins by referencing (Deuteronomy 23:17), which says, "..where it is good for him (an escaped servant); you shall not oppress ...
We all have. But what happens when that promise is to the Almighty? What kind of weight does that hold? A commitment. It’s a mitzvah, a commanded act, to fulfill the promises we ma...
The verse states, "and he shall send her away from his house." Seems straightforward. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw layers of meaning. Sifrei Devarim hones in on th...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Rabbi Akiva Remembered. The text dives right in. It suggests that it first appears this verse is just telling you not to own a whole set of different measur...
In Jewish tradition, especially when it comes to fulfilling mitzvot (commandments), the answer is a resounding yes.It’s a fascinating glimpse into the meticulous nature of ancient ...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, points out this fascinating characteristic of the prophets. "And this is the bl...
Our ancestors wrestled with these questions, and their answers, preserved in ancient texts, still resonate today. to a fascinating passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of earl...
The grain offering described in Leviticus 2 seems straightforward, flour, oil, frankincense, baked into cakes or wafers. But the Targum Jonathan adds a theological bombshell hidden...
The Torah's promise of return from exile in (Deuteronomy 30) is hopeful. Targum Jonathan makes it messianic. Where the Hebrew says God will gather the scattered, the Targum says: "...
The Hebrew Bible says God told Abraham, "Fear not, I am your shield" (Genesis 15:1). Targum Onkelos renders this as "My Word is your strength." The shield becomes a Word. The prote...
Jacob's deathbed blessings (Genesis 49) are among the most obscure passages in the Torah. Targum Onkelos does not merely translate them, he decodes them, turning cryptic poetry int...
Translation: What is the law regarding the blessings of a non-Jew, whether he is a Torah scholar or not? Rabbi says: "If he blesses with enthusiasm, he is a Torah scholar, and if n...
A Matrona asked R. Jose b. Halafta why the covenant of Abraham was not mentioned in the ten commandments and the reply was: "The proselyte mentioned therein implies to the covenant...
The flood waters had covered everything. Noah had been sealed in the ark for months, the rain, the silence, the slow recession of the water, the waiting. Then the text says simply:...
Why does the world hold together? Jeremiah gives the unlikely answer: "If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have established the fixed order of heaven and earth" (Jere...
Hannah was barren for years. Her husband loved her and her rival taunted her and the priest Eli misread her prayer as drunkenness. The whole story is about a woman whose deepest lo...
Hannah vowed at Shiloh, if God gives her a son, she will give him back (1 Samuel 1:11). Rabbi Berachiah used this verse to address four theological objections that people raise aga...
When Abraham asked for confirmation of the promise, the Lord did not give him a speech. He gave him a butchery list. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 15:9) preserves it exactly. ...
When the Lord frames the covenant in (Genesis 17:7), Targum Pseudo-Jonathan slips in one of its most telling technical terms. The covenant is established between My Word and thee. ...
The eighth day is the answer to a careful question: how soon can a newborn be brought under the covenant? Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 17:12) settles the timing and then push...
(Genesis 17:13) in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan turns a one-way sacrament into a chain. He who is circumcised shall circumcise him, the one already inside the covenant brings the next on...
Verse 14 is the hardest word in this chapter, and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan does not round its edges. The uncircumcised male, unless he have someone to circumcise him, shall be cut of...
When Joseph told his father the dream of the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars, Jacob rebuked him. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 37:10) reports the rebuke: What dream is thi...
The instant they bowed, he remembered. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 42:9) reports it without fanfare: "Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed of them." The sheaves and t...
(Genesis 49:10) is the verse that launched a thousand Jewish hopes. The Hebrew is cryptic: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah.. until Shiloh come." Targum Pseudo-Jonathan wil...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Exodus 13:3) records the speech Moses gave on the morning after the Exodus. The Aramaic phrase from the house of the bondage of slaves stacks up two word...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Exodus 16:32) gives us one of the great commandments of Israel's memory: a jar of manna, set aside and preserved, so that later, less fortunate generatio...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 24:8) describes the most solemn act of the covenant ceremony: Mosheh took half of the blood which was in the basins, and sprinkled upon the...
Moses pressed further. How will it be known, he asked, that Israel has truly found favor before God? Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, the Aramaic paraphrase of the Torah, gives his answer a...
In the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, we read about how the Kehatites, a family within the tribe of Levi, had the unique and profoundly important task of carrying the Ark of the Covena...
Leprosy, for example, wasn't just a disease. According to some Jewish traditions, it could be a sign of something deeper, a consequence of wrongdoing. But what wrongdoing specifica...
It's a powerful and surprisingly relevant text for our times. " But the Rabbis, in their insightful way, interpret this verse as a reference to exile. Why? Because, they argue, the...
What about the power of words, the weight of oaths, and the ripple effect of our actions, intended or not? The ancient rabbis wrestled with these questions, and their insights, pre...
Take, for instance, the ritual of the sotah, the suspected adulteress, described in the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar). It’s… complicated. The priest writes curses on a scroll and then...
