1,037 related texts · 4 related myths · Page 20 of 22
The story of Joseph and his brothers, as told in Genesis, is a classic example. But what happens after the happy reunion, after Jacob's death and the grand funeral procession back ...
In Jewish tradition, it’s a profound act, potentially more valuable than empty praise. The source explores a fascinating interpretation of this idea from Devarim Rabbah, a collecti...
Did they really get away with it? The Book of Devarim. Deuteronomy, opens with the phrase, "These are the words that Moses spoke…" And the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary...
Like the amazing thing you have to offer just isn't... quite good enough?It touches on exactly that feeling. Rabbi Tanhuma, a well-known sage, tells a story. Imagine a merchant haw...
In the very first section, the rabbis confront the verse, "You have circled this mountain enough" (Deuteronomy 2:3). What does it mean to circle a mountain "enough?" They see in th...
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 ...
In (Deuteronomy 3:2), God tells Moses, "Do not fear him, as I have delivered him and his entire people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon, king of...
Take this tale, recounted in Devarim Rabbah. It’s a quick one, but it packs a punch. Rabbi Tanhuma shares a story about a ship. On this ship were a whole bunch of idolaters, and ju...
The familiar telling remembers the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the mighty hand of God... But what about the internal processes, the spiritual shifts that paved the way for...
Devarim Rabbah centers this passage on Moses and the Angels of Baruch. The Rabbis, delving into the mystical, tell us a fascinating story. When Moses ascended Mount Sinai, somethin...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, dives right into this thorny issue. It all starts with a verse from (Job 34:30): “He prevents a decei...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, opens a window into just such a possibility. It begins with the verse, "When you approach a city…" bu...
The Torah touches on this very human struggle. In (Deuteronomy 29:3), Moses says to the Israelites, "But the Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to he...
We've all been there. So, what do we do? How do we make sure we still fulfill our obligation to connect with the Divine? That's exactly what Devarim Rabbah 8 explores. It explores ...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, opens our eyes to just how deeply Torah can impact us. It starts with a verse from Proverbs (4:22): “...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt it. In Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a poignant moment where Moses pleads with God. He...
It’s about life itself. (Deuteronomy 32:1) begins, “Listen, heavens, and I will speak, and the earth will hear the sayings of my mouth.” A simple verse. But the Rabbis saw so much ...
Who will stand in His holy place?” The Rabbis, in their insightful way, see this verse as referring directly to Moses. Why? Because, as it says in Exodus (19:3), "Moses ascended to...
It kicks off by asking about the opening line: “The words of Kohelet, son of David.” The passage points out that three prophets – Kohelet, Amos, and Jeremiah – have their prophecie...
The sages of old certainly did. And they saw that natural flow as a parallel to something quite profound about conversion to Judaism. Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teach...
The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 2:6): “I made myself pools of water to irrigate from them a forest which grows trees.” Sounds straightforward enough. But what does it really...
It offers a powerful, poetic view on the very creation of life. In this teaching, when a fetus is formed, it's a partnership – a three-way collaboration, if you will. There's the H...
The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, take this even further, using stories and interpretations to examine the weight of those feelings. ...
Kohelet Rabbah, the commentary on Ecclesiastes, digs into this very question, offering some fascinating, and at times surprising, answers. The verse from Ecclesiastes, "Wisdom will...
King Solomon, wisest of all men, apparently felt that too. (Ecclesiastes 7:23) reads, "All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is far from me." What do...
The wisdom of a man illuminates his face, and the boldness of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1). Right away, the Rabbis ask: Who is this wise man? And their answer, in a move...
The verse at the heart of it all is (Ecclesiastes 8:4): "Since the king's word has power, and who will say to him: What are you doing?" But what does this really mean? Rabbi Bon, i...
The verse that really gets us thinking is (Ecclesiastes 9:6): "Even their love, even their hatred and even their envy, have already perished; they will never again have a portion i...
It's part of the human condition. But have you ever considered that this struggle might be… a cosmic drama playing out on a miniature scale, right inside of you? That’s the kind of...
Take the story of the Israelite enslavement in Egypt. The familiar version gives us the basics, but the details… well, that’s where things get interesting. The Torah tells us, "The...
The familiar version gives us about Moses, about the plagues, about the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the women who defied a king's cruel decree and saved countless Israel...
What exactly does that mean, "He made houses for them?" This teaching presents two perspectives, attributed to Rav and Levi. One suggests that God rewarded the midwives with priest...
The verse in question comes from (Exodus 3:15): "God said further to Moses: So shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Is...
(Exodus 4:20) tells us, "Moses took his wife and his sons, and mounted them on a donkey, and he returned to the land of Egypt. Moses took the staff of God in his hand." Simple enou...
The Torah tells us, "The Lord said to Moses: When you go back to Egypt, see all the wonders that I have placed in your hand and perform them before Pharaoh; but I will harden his h...
The Torah tells us, "Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord that He had sent him, and all the signs that He had charged him" (Exodus 4:28). Seems straightforward. But Shemot Ra...
The verse we're looking at is (Exodus 4:30): "Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and performed the signs before the eyes of the people." According to Shem...
That feeling isn't new. It goes all the way back to Moses and Aaron facing down Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. : They’re walking into the lion's den, asking the most powerful ruler...
The familiar story centers on the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the triumphant journey to freedom. But was it really the entire nation that crossed over? Pharaoh, in his...
Shemot Rabbah centers this passage on Moses and the Dreamer of Aminadav. Take, for instance, the passage in Exodus (6:14): "These are the heads of their fathers' houses; the sons o...
That agonizing tease of liberation is a feeling the Israelites knew all too well as they stood on the brink of freedom from Egypt. We find ourselves in the thick of it in (Exodus 1...
The verse "Draw, and take for yourselves lambs" (Exodus 12:21) might seem straightforward, but the Rabbis saw layers of meaning. They connect it to the verse "With stillness and pl...
Take the Exodus, for example. That final, earth-shattering plague, the death of the firstborn, struck at midnight. But why? Why not high noon? What’s so special about that inky bla...
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...
Shemot Rabbah centers this passage on Moses Sings and the Bond Between God and Israel Endures. ” Rabbi Levi offers a powerful image: Usually, a bride is adorned and perfumed before...
That feeling, that's what we're diving into today, looking at a passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The text immediately tel...
Shemot Rabbah centers this passage on Gift of Prophecy of Isaiah. The rabbis in Shemot Rabbah offer a beautiful image. Think of a woman, they say. She experiences pregnancy, childb...
It all starts with the verse, "For He is exalted." The Rabbis ask, what does that truly mean? Rabbi Pappos offers a beautiful and subtle reading of the verse from (Song of Songs 1:...
