2,302 related texts · 12 related myths · Page 47 of 48
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...
It might seem like just a simple Hebrew word meaning "was," but in the world of Jewish thought, it can unlock hidden meanings, destinies, and connections. Shemot Rabbah, a collecti...
In the book of Exodus, Moses has that very experience. But it's not quite what you might expect. The verse reads, "He said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Who Am I That I Should Go to Pharaoh. In (Exodus 3:11), Moses cries out to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should take the children o...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Moses and Creation of Israelites. The story begins, as we know, with God commanding Moses to go to the Israelites in Egypt. But Moses, ever the reluctant lea...
A reader can see them as just divine punishment, but Jewish tradition often digs deeper, searching for layers of meaning. one fascinating idea from Shemot Rabbah, a classic collect...
It is often remembered as being solely for the sake of the Israelites, to free them from slavery. But what if there was another, deeper reason? Shemot Rabbah, the collection of Mid...
There's a fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah that uses the moon as a metaphor to explain just that. It's a brilliant, poetic, and surprisingly practical way to look at history. "...
The familiar reading treats these epic stories in the Torah and just accept that things happened at the right moment. But what if there's a hidden layer of incredible detail beneat...
The story starts with a seemingly simple commandment: "This is the statute of the paschal offering." Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta paints a vivid picture: God, blessed be He, instructs ...
The book of Exodus tells us, “God did not lead them via the land [derekh eretz]” (Exodus 13:17). But what exactly does that mean? Well, Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbi...
The Israelites are trapped. The sea is before them, Pharaoh's army is closing in from behind. Panic is in the air. They cry out to God, as we read in (Exodus 14:10): "The children ...
The Israelites certainly did at the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s army was bearing down on them, and the sea was, well, a sea. So what were they supposed to do? Pray? Act? Just give up? The B...
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 ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...
He appears in the narrative, offers Moses some crucial advice, and then… well, what do we really know about him? The Book of Exodus tells us, “Yitro heard…” (Exodus 18:1). But hear...
That sparks a whole chain of thought, linking it to the verse, "Heed the word of the Lord, house of Jacob" (Jeremiah 2:4). So, what’s the connection? Well, Rabbi Nechemya, as quote...
In Jewish tradition, even a single letter can unlock hidden depths." It's a difference that, according to some rabbinic interpretations, can tell us what's being included and what'...
It's justice. That’s why, as Shemot Rabbah tells us, God gave us laws after the Ten Commandments. If justice is perverted, everything crumbles. God, in his ultimate justice, brings...
Shemot Rabbah turns to Yours O Lord Is the Greatness and the Might. It's a mirror, of sorts. Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, created above, He also created below. the ...
The familiar story is this: Moses ascends Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, and the Israelites, impatient and fearful, build a golden idol. But what happens behind the scenes, in t...
That, in a nutshell, is the tragedy of the Golden Calf. But how quickly did things really fall apart after the revelation at Sinai? The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive...
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating perspective on this, likening the people of Israel to a vine. Rabbi Tanhuma bar ...
In fact, they found an answer – a surprising one – in the power of remembering the righteous dead. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, ex...
Take, for instance, this powerful moment described in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. We find Moses, pleading with God. The Israelite...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this question, particularly when considering moments where Moses, arguably the greatest prophet, interceded on behalf of the Israelites. In Shemot ...
Good intentions, maybe, but with a track record that's... well, let's just say "mixed"? That's the feeling at the heart of a beautiful passage in Shemot Rabbah 49, a collection of ...
That feeling, that struggle, is something deeply human, and surprisingly, it echoes in the story of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretat...
It's like overhearing a conversation in the beit midrash, the study hall, centuries ago. Rabbi Azarya, or perhaps Rabbi Elazar, along with Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina, and other R...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah – that’s the collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs – we find a beautiful exploration of just that. It's all about unpacking the verse ...
They found ways to see even those challenging forces as a path towards the Divine. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse from Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, explored in Shi...
Moses knew that feeling all too well. As he approached the end of his time, he had one burning question for God: "Who will lead Your people after I'm gone?" This question forms the...
He’s practically the cornerstone of our faith. But why him? What was so special about this one man that he earned that title? Well, the source enters a beautiful interpretation fro...
The verse Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina equates this to the offspring of a hind. But where is this fawn, this fragile new life? "Behold, he is standing behind our wall," the text says, "b...
It's filled with poetic imagery, and One thousand bucklers are hung upon it, all the shields of the mighty." What does it all mean? Well, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a classic Midrashic ...
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...
It turns out, the ancient rabbis thought about this a lot, especially when it came to the relationship between humanity and God.” In Shir HaShirim Rabbah 6, a midrashic (rabbinic i...
The collection of rabbinic homiletic interpretations of Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, dives deep into this very question. Rabbi Berekhya offers a surprising take: how can ho...
Beautiful. But what's it really saying? The verse begins, "His cheeks are like a bed of spices." Rabbi Yannai offers a fascinating interpretation. He recalls his youth when he and ...
Take this verse from (Song of Songs 5:15): "His calves are pillars of marble, set on sockets of fine gold; his appearance is like Lebanon, choice like cedars.” What does any of tha...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Sixty Queens and Eighty Concubines - An Exodus Allegory. It doesn't stop there! "And eighty concubines," the verse continues. According to this interp...
It's filled with metaphors, and some of them are truly striking. Take this one: "Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon." What does that even mean? Well, the Rabbis of Shir HaShiri...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Nebuchadnezzar and Creation of Fall. Rabbi Ḥiyya offers a compelling interpretation. Imagine a king, angry with his son, entrusting him to a servant. ...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Vayikra Rabbah, that treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations, offers us some beautiful insights. Rabbi Yehoshua ben ...
It all starts with the verse: “Take Aaron, and his sons with him, and the vestments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of un...
It’s a powerful idea, and it’s one that our sages explored deeply. There's a fascinating passage in Vayikra Rabbah 11 that tackles just this – the idea that God interacts with us i...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found profound metaphors in the everyday to explain the divine orchestration of it all. We find a fascinating exploration of this in Vayi...
After all, it's not exactly a flattering name given Canaan's, shall we say, complicated backstory. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Lev...
