2,028 related texts · Page 33 of 43
And it's all wrapped up in… well, in letters. The Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a later and more esoteric expansion on the Zohar itself, that foundational text of Kabbalah, un...
The Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a truly fascinating part of the Zohar itself, touches on this very feeling. Specifically, Tikkunei Zohar 116 uses imagery from the story of N...
Sometimes, they're more than just commandments; they're glimpses into a cosmic battle between good and… well, not-so-good. to a fascinating, and slightly strange, passage from Tikk...
When God told Abraham, "Go to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1), He was deliberately vague. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev reads this vagueness as a divine instructi...
"Jacob left Beer Sheva" (Genesis 28:10). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev connects this verse to a surprising topic: Chanukah. The word Chanukah (חנוכה) derives from chinukh (חנוך...
The confrontation between Judah and Joseph in Egypt was not simply a family dispute. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev reads it as a cosmic collision between two forms of kingship....
"And Jacob settled in the land where his father dwelled" (Genesis 37:1). Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk opens his commentary on Parashat Vayeshev not with Joseph's coat or his brother...
"And Judah approached him" (Genesis 44:18). The verse says Judah "approached him"—but does not specify whom. Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk takes the ambiguity and runs with it: the t...
Jewish tradition has a powerful way of visualizing that feeling, especially when it comes to exile and redemption. It involves the Shekhinah (the Divine Presence). The Shekhinah (ש...
(Exodus 12:6) "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Why does the taking of the Pesach (Passover) precede its slaughtering by four days? R. Matia b. Charash says: It is written (E...
The Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, takes up a question about the Israelites' first stop after leaving Egypt: a place called Succoth. "And they traveled from Rameses to ...
The name of Yitzchak was not changed, for he was thus (originally) called by the Holy One Blessed be He. There are three who were named by the Holy One Blessed be He—Yitzchak, Shlo...
Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah, one of the most prominent Tannaitic sages, made a bold claim about why God chose to liberate Israel from Egypt. It was not because of anything the enslave...
(Exodus 13:5) speaks of the land "which He swore to your forefathers." The Mekhilta asks a direct question: where exactly in the Torah did God swear this oath to each of the patria...
"by way of the land of the Philistines, for it was near": Near (i.e., "close") is the thing of which the Holy One Blessed be He spoke to Moses (Exodus 2:12): "When you take the peo...
(Exodus 13:19) "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him": This apprises us of the wisdom and saintliness of Moses. All of Israel were occupying themselves with the spoils (of E...
And, what is more, with (the casket of) Jacob there went up the servants of Pharaoh and the elders of his household, while with Joseph there went up the ark and the Shechinah and t...
(Exodus, Ibid. 21) "And the L–rd went before them by day": We are hereby taught that as one metes it out to others, so is it meted out to him. Abraham accompanied the ministering a...
Four "harnessed" with joy: Abraham—(Genesis 22:3) "And Abraham rose early in the morning (for the binding of Isaac), and he saddled his ass." Now did he not have many servants?—(He...
Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah taught that God split the Red Sea for the Israelites in the merit of their forefather Abraham. His proof comes from a sweeping passage in (Psalms 105:42-43...
Great is the faith wherein Israel believed in Him who spoke and brought the world into being; for in reward for Israel's belief in the L–rd, the Shechinah reposed upon them and the...
The tenth (song) in time to come, viz. (Isaiah 42;10) "Sing to the L–rd a new song, His praise from the end of the earth (Ibid. 48:42) "Say: The L–rd has redeemed His servant Jacob...
When God responded to the Israelites' hunger in the wilderness, He used a single Hebrew word that two rabbis read in completely different ways. (Exodus 16:4) records God telling Mo...
The Mekhilta decodes every word of Moses' declaration before the battle with Amalek. "The top of the hill" is not just a geographic feature — it is a spiritual map. "Top" represent...
"and his hands were steadfast until the sun set": We are hereby apprised that he was (occupied with prayer and) fasting (until sunset). These are the words of R. Yehoshua. R. Eliez...
The Mekhilta extends its analysis of conditional versus unconditional covenants to two more foundational gifts: the Torah scroll and the priesthood of Aaron. Whence is it derived t...
R. Eliezer b. Yaakov says: If you come to My house, I will come to your house. And if you do not come to My house, I will not come to your house. The place that My heart loves, the...
Rabbi Yitzchak examined a verse concerning the laws of Hebrew servants and declared that the verse, strictly speaking, was not necessary. The legal principle it teaches could alrea...
"if the thief is found, he pays double": A thief (one who steals by stealth) pays kefel, but not a robber (one who steals openly). Why did Scripture see fit to be more severe with ...
Beloved are the strangers, for by every epithet that Israel is called, the strangers are called. Israelites are called "servants," as it is written (Leviticus 25:55) "For unto Me t...
The prophet Isaiah did. And his vision, described in the Book of Isaiah (6:1-8), has shaped Jewish understandings of God, heaven, and the very nature of holiness for millennia. Ima...
The Torah actually grapples with this very question, and the answer, as you might expect, is layered and fascinating. : Moses, standing before the burning bush, is tasked with lead...
Jewish tradition offers a powerful, heart-wrenching image: Mother Zion. The image of Mother Zion comes from a deep well of sorrow and longing, born from the exiles and devastations...
We all know the story: Abraham, his faith tested to the absolute limit, is commanded to sacrifice his beloved son. But what about the ram, the creature that ultimately takes Isaac'...
Jewish tradition, while often speaking of seven heavens, hints at something even beyond that: an eighth heaven, a realm of ultimate mystery. Now, we’re pretty familiar with the con...
Jewish mystical tradition speaks of something called the Pargod, and it's more fascinating than you might imagine. The Pargod (פרגוד) is described as an extraordinary curtain, a co...
We often think of it as a place of eternal rest, but Jewish tradition paints a far more dynamic picture, especially when it comes to the Celestial Academy. Imagine a place where Go...
Jewish tradition offers some fascinating, and surprisingly detailed, glimpses into that great unknown. Imagine this: the moment your soul separates from your body. According to the...
There's a beautiful story, a whispered secret really, that suggests the fragrance of Shabbat (the Sabbath) comes from a very special spice. In fact, some say it’s actually called S...
Jewish tradition has some pretty profound, even answers. One of the most powerful is this idea: the entire universe, everything in it, was created for the sake of Israel. All the g...
It all starts with a command. A voice. God says to Abram (that's Abraham's name before it was changed, much like his wife was originally Sarai, not Sarah), "Lekh Lekha" – "Go forth...
Our tale begins with Abram, a skilled astrologer. Now, picture this: Abram gazes up at the night sky, charting the constellations, mapping the movements of the planets. But what he...
Was Sarah truly barren? Genesis tells us plainly that she "had no children" (Gen. 16:1). But what if I told you that she gave birth in a way that defied conventional understanding?...
The Binding of Isaac, or Akedat Yitzhak as it's known in Hebrew, is one of those stories. It’s right there in the book of Genesis, chapter 22, verses 1 through 19. It's a cornersto...
Jewish tradition offers some fascinating glimpses into those final moments, and the stories are often breathtaking. The story goes that on the day Abraham was to die, he received a...
Let’s talk about Jacob and Esau, and a bowl of… lentil stew. Genesis tells us that the twins were different from the start. "When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a...
The knife is raised. His father, Abraham, is about to fulfill what he believes is God's command. Terror? Certainly. But according to some traditions, something else happened to Isa...
That’s kind of the vibe around Jacob's famous vision. We all know the story: Jacob, on the run from his brother Esau, is trekking from Beersheva to Haran. (Genesis 28:11) simply sa...
