1,037 related texts · 4 related myths · Page 21 of 22
Those passages are easy to skim place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Consider the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up i...
The story starts with a grumble. "The entire congregation of the children of Israel complained" (Exodus 16:2). They were wandering in the desert, fresh out of Egypt, and their port...
The Israelites certainly did. In the book of Exodus, right after the incredible miracle of being freed from Egypt, they find themselves wandering in the desert, thirsty and complai...
A collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Exodus, the answer might surprise you. It all goes back to Mount Sinai. Rabbi Yitzḥak makes a bold claim: Everything the prophets w...
It all starts with a seemingly straightforward verse from (Exodus 21:37): “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five cattle for the ox and f...
"Endow the king with Your justice, God…May he judge Your people with righteousness" (Psalms 72:1–2). Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, a key figure in the compilation of the Mishnah (the earlie...
Our story begins after the devastating sin of the Golden Calf. Can you imagine the scene? Moses is up on Mount Sinai, receiving the very word of God, while down below, the Israelit...
These questions bubble to the surface when we explore a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus. It centers on a vers...
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 story begins with the verse, "They shall take Me a gift" (Exodus 25:2). But where does this gift come from? Shemot Rabbah dives into this, connecting it to a verse in Psalms: "...
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes preparations for this monumental task. It a...
It wasn't just about aesthetics or availability. According to Shemot Rabbah, it was a symbolic statement about history, power, and ultimately, redemption. We read in (Exodus 25:3),...
We find one of those moments in the story of the Golden Calf, and how Aaron, brother of Moses, reacted to it. The scene: Moses is descending from Mount Sinai, clutching the tablets...
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 aftermath of the Golden Calf. Moses is up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Torah, while the Israelites down below are, well, not exactly holding the faith. When God tells Moses to...
The Book of Exodus, Shemot in Hebrew, tells the story of the Israelites' journey from slavery to freedom, a story punctuated by moments of incredible faith and… well, moments of pr...
You remember the story. Moses is up on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah, and the Israelites, feeling abandoned, panic and create a golden idol to worship. Big mistake. Shemot Rabbah...
Like, "Why does this even exist?" The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. And in Shemot Rabbah (a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Exodus), we find a fascinating e...
That’s kind of the situation Moses found himself in after the incident of the Golden Calf. The people had strayed, big time, and God was understandably furious. But Moses, ever the...
It’s a moment of intense frustration, but also a evidence of Moses's unwavering advocacy for his people. How does he possibly defend the indefensible? to the story as illuminated i...
The Book of Exodus (34:1) tells us that after the Golden Calf incident, God instructs Moses: "Carve for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablet...
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 ...
Take Betzalel, for example, the master craftsman of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. We read in (Exodus 31:2), "See, the Lord has called by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Ḥur…” But ...
It involves the story of Betzalel, the artisan chosen to build the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. The verse says, "See, the Lord has called by name Betzalel" (Exodus 35:30). But Shemot R...
It goes all the way back to Mount Sinai, according to the ancient Rabbis. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, dives into a fascinating interpretation of the ...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) commentary on the Song of Songs, dives deep into the verse where God tells Abraham, “Go you from your land, fro...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found ways to see even the most epic struggles, like the Exodus from Egypt, through a deeply human lens. They weren't just interested in ...
It’s an allegory, a conversation between God and the people of Israel. Rabbi Berekhya paints a powerful picture. He says the congregation of Israel is speaking directly to God, say...
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 ...
It might sound strange, but even the type of tree can hold a profound lesson. to a passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs,...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs, the apple tree becomes a potent symbol, a lens through which we can understand the relation...
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...
The Song of Songs, that beautiful, evocative poem, begins with the line: "The sound of my beloved! Behold, he approaches, he leaps over the mountains and bounds over the hills" (So...
The ancient rabbis certainly knew that feeling. And they found it mirrored in one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah: the splitting of the Red Sea. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, ...
Rabbi Akiva, that brilliant sage, offers us a breathtaking interpretation of the verse, "My dove, in the clefts of the rock." He connects it directly to the moment when the Israeli...
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...
How the Rabbis Connected Doves to the Sanhedrin Court is the question behind this passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah. The first reading, it's a beautiful compliment. Poetic, even. B...
Song of Songs is already pretty heady stuff – love, longing, metaphor piled upon metaphor. But the Rabbah, the commentary, takes it to a whole new level, interpreting the poem as a...
Our sages pondered just such a return, a return from exile so profound it would reshape the world. This vision is beautifully captured in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on th...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Shir HaShirim Rabbah, unpacks this verse, revealing layers of meaning. The text begins by clarifying some of the terms. "Nerd and ka...
There's a fascinating little snippet in Shir HaShirim Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs – that touches on exactly that. The proof text? (Genesi...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah centers this passage on Angels Attend to Tatenai. The commentary first connects this verse to the rebuilding of the Second Temple. Who are these "sentries patr...
Jewish tradition often uses metaphors to help us understand our place in the world, our relationship with God, and the destinies of nations. Take this story, as told by Rabbi Shmue...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah centers this passage on Sixty Queens and Eighty Concubines - An Exodus Allegory. It doesn't stop there! "And eighty concubines," the verse continues. According...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah (Song of Songs Rabbah), a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a verse being unpacked with layers of meaning. The verse spea...
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...
Song of Songs, that beautiful, sensual, often enigmatic book of the Bible, gives us a clue. Chapter 8, verse 8, poses a curious question: “We have a little sister, and she has no b...
Our Rabbis certainly did. They grappled with this very question, especially when comparing the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the Rabbis explore th...
