10,602 related texts · Page 161 of 221
The Prophet Elijah, who never died but was taken up to Heaven in a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:11), was known to appear to the righteous in moments of great need. One such visit was...
The Talmud (Bava Batra 75a) records a breathtaking vision of the future Jerusalem: its gates would be made of single pearls, each pearl so enormous that it could be carved into a g...
King Shapur of Persia once asked the sage Shmuel: "Tell me what I will see in my dream tonight." It was a test — could a Jewish sage truly predict what a foreign king would dream? ...
The Leviathan — the great sea creature that God created on the fifth day — was so enormous that the sages struggled to find words adequate to describe it. The Talmud (Bava Batra 74...
The martyrdom of Rabbi Hananya ben Teradyon is among the most harrowing passages in all of rabbinic literature. The Talmud (Avodah Zarah 17b-18a) describes his execution with the k...
When the Romans decreed that teaching Torah was punishable by death, Rabbi Hananya ben Teradyon did not stop. He gathered his students in the open, placed a Torah scroll in his lap...
The rabbis spoke often of two invisible forces that shape every human encounter: the good eye and the evil eye. The Maase Buch (No. 196) preserves a tale that illustrates the diffe...
Mar Ukba's generosity was legendary, but it was a woman named Hannah who embodied the even higher virtue of righteous silence. The Talmud (Shabbat 56b, Sanhedrin 31b) preserves her...
Abraham ibn Ezra and Yehuda Halevi were two of the greatest Jewish minds of medieval Spain — but their partnership was as unlikely as it was legendary. Ibn Ezra was a wandering poe...
A man was accused of a crime he did not commit. He faced execution, disgrace, and the destruction of his family's name. His friend, knowing the truth — knowing the accused man was ...
A miraculous apple from Paradise — a single fruit carrying the fragrance and power of the Garden of Eden — is the subject of this tale, preserved in medieval Jewish and comparative...
The sages taught that God is nearer to His people than any earthly king is to his subjects. The Midrash (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 9:1, Mekhilta to Jethro) develops this idea throu...
In the distant lands of Persia, where fire altars burned day and night in honor of the elements, the Jewish communities faced a peculiar danger that was not from human persecutors ...
Angelology constitutes the theological branch examining "superhuman beings dwelling in heaven, who, on occasion, reveal to man God's will and execute His commands." This doctrine d...
Lilith is described as a female demon in Jewish tradition. The name appears in (Isaiah 34:14) and derives from Assyrian demon mythology, though scholars debate whether it connects ...
The forecasting of the future by certain signs or movements of external things, or by visions in certain ecstatic states of the soul (see Dreams and Prophecy). Divination rests on ...
King Solomon stood before God and prayed at the dedication of the Temple. "Master of the Universe," he said, "let everything else be set aside and focus on my prayer and supplicati...
After two full years in prison, Pharaoh dreamed (Genesis 41:1). The midrash reads this through Psalm 73: "As an endless dream, the Lord despised their form." God does not reveal Hi...
"Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us?" (Malachi 2:10). Judah approaches Joseph — who is not yet revealed as his brother — and identifies his family: "We, your twe...
Like everyone else has a partner, a purpose, a connection that you're just... outside of? Well, according to some beautiful old stories, even the Sabbath felt that way. The Sabbath...
Our tradition teaches us that the world itself was once like that, a desolate and empty space, until something truly remarkable happened. Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic ...
But Midrash Rabbah, specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 2, reveals a fascinating layer of meaning beneath the surface. "The children of Israel did in accordance with everything that the L...
Their answer is both clever and chilling: The wilderness of Sinai was where they received their death sentence. How could that be? The key, it seems, lies in (Exodus 24:11): “Again...
Sometimes the pieces don’t quite fit at first glance. Take, for instance, the tribe of Levi. In the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar in Hebrew – we find two seemingly opposing instructio...
The verse we're focusing on is from the Book of Numbers (3:17): "These [eleh] were the sons of Levi by their names…" Now, Rabbi Abbahu makes a crucial observation about the word el...
We find ourselves in just such a situation in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. Specifically, in Bamidbar Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic compilation ...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, touches upon this very feeling when describing the Levites. We find in (Numbers 3:46), "All the counted, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of ...
Jewish tradition offers a powerful and comforting message: that those who choose righteousness are deeply loved and cherished by God. In fact, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive co...
Today, we’re diving into a fascinating, and frankly, a little unsettling, passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 9 that tackles this very idea, exploring the consequences of hidden sins, spe...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings on the Book of Numbers, gives us a fascinating peek into just that. It takes a passa...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into the prophet Amos's rebuke of those who are "tranquil in Zion" (Amos 6:1). Who are these ...
It's astonishing, really. Take, for example, the laws of the nazir, the one who takes a vow of separation, a path of heightened holiness. The Book of Numbers lays out some very spe...
The verse in question, (Numbers 6:15), describes the offerings brought by a Nazirite upon completing their term: “And a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of high quality flour mix...
It's easy to imagine the grand sweep of sacrifice, the smoke rising to the heavens, the priests in their sacred garments. But what about the minute details, the exact sequence of e...
And it seems even the leaders of ancient Israel weren't immune. We find a fascinating story in Bamidbar Rabbah 12, a section of the great collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpreti...
It’s a fascinating glimpse into ancient ritual and devotion. Today, we're diving into some of the details, specifically as recorded in Bamidbar Rabbah 13, a section of the great co...
Specifically, we're looking at Chapter 14, where we find ourselves pondering a list of sacrifices offered by the leaders of the tribes. The verse in (Numbers 7:87) states: “All the...
It uses the comparison between Moses and Bilam to highlight just how utterly unique Moses was. (Deuteronomy 34:10) tells us, “There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Mo...
Strike a match, touch it to the wick, and boom – light. But in Jewish tradition, even something as seemingly mundane as lighting a lamp can be filled with profound meaning. Take, f...
Even the tribe of Levi felt that way once, and their story, preserved in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 15, is a powerful reminder of how God sees and values each of us, even whe...
Our ancestors felt that way, too. The ancient rabbis understood this, and that's why we find so much human drama, even in the most sacred texts. Take this story from Bamidbar Rabba...
The ancient rabbis wrestled with this feeling too, especially when thinking about how we, as humans, could possibly offer anything to God. Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic...
The book of Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, sheds light on this very question. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the Israelites' ...
The verse from Proverbs (26:6) sets the stage: “One who sends things by the hand of a fool cuts off his feet and drinks rancor.” Ouch. Strong words. But here's the puzzle: were the...
The story of the spies sent to scout the Land of Canaan in the Book of Numbers is a powerful example of how fear and negative speech can derail even the most promising journeys. Th...
Even in the Bible, the order in which things are presented can tell a whole story. Take the story of the spies sent by Moses to scout out the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, bef...
Remember him? He was the guy who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) connects the "treacherous brother" – nifs...
Who was Korah? We find him in the Book of Numbers, leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He challenged their authority, questioning why they held such power. A dangerous mov...
