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There exists a soul in every generation through whom Torah insights are revealed to the world. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov describes this soul as one burdened with suffering: "Bread w...
What is written of Moses? (Numbers 20:14-16) "And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom … And our fathers went down to Egypt … and He hearkened to our voice." He (t...
We know the big picture: the Exodus, the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments. But what about the nitty-gritty, the day-to-day struggles and fears? Let’s zoom in on one particular moment,...
In Jewish tradition, the battles against Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, loom incredibly large. The sages even equated these triumphs to the monumental victory over Pharao...
And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses. [Betai Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ot Third Chamber] Our rabbis taught: Brothers who are partners and who increased ...
And their grumbling had some pretty fiery consequences. We find ourselves in the book of Numbers (Bamidbar in Hebrew, meaning "in the wilderness") chapter 21. The Israelites are tr...
Berurya, one of the sharpest minds in all of Talmudic literature, once caught a student studying Torah in a whisper. She kicked him and said: Scripture teaches that Torah must be "...
"Many peoples have afflicted me from my youth" (Psalm 129:1). The Assembly of Israel — the collective voice of the nation — says this as a Song of Ascents, sung while ascending to ...
Our tale centers on Sihon, king of the Amorites, and his clash with Moses and the Israelites. Now, this wasn't just any skirmish. This was war. And it ended, as the story goes, in ...
(Numb. 20:22:) “Then setting out from Kadesh, the whole congregation [of the Children of Israel came to Mount Hor].” This text is related (to II Chron. 20:37), “Because you have jo...
(Numb. 21:4:) “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Reed Sea in order to go around the Land of Edom, but the people grew restive on the journey.” But is it not written ...
(Numb. 21:21:) “Then Israel sent messengers.” All the words of Torah are necessary to each other, for what one covers over the other opens up.146Numb. R. 19:28. It is stated here (...
(Numb. 21:25:) “Israel took all these towns….” This text is related (to Is. 61:8), “Because I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery with a burnt offering.”152Numb. R. 19:30. The Ho...
It's not just about freedom from slavery; it's about the cosmic battle between belief and denial, played out through plagues and miracles. to the second plague, the plague of the f...
The ancient stories wrestle with these questions, too. Take the story of Pharaoh and the plagues in Egypt. We all know the story: Moses demands freedom for the Israelites, Pharaoh ...
(Exodus, Ibid.) "All the inhabitants of Canaan melted ('namogu')": When the inhabitants of Canaan heard that the Holy One Blessed be He had said to Moses (Devarim 20:16-17) "But fr...
We might swat them away without a second thought, but according to the Rabbis, even these creatures have a purpose. As we find in Bereshit Rabbah, even these so-called "superfluous...
We often hear about brilliant strategies and mighty armies. But what if sheer, unbelievable size played a bigger role than we think? Let's talk giants. Not just any giants, but the...
Jewish tradition grapples with this very feeling, especially when we delve into the mystical depths of the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar. Specifically, Tikkunei Zohar 95 offers...
In (Deuteronomy 1:4), we read about Moses recounting how God helped them defeat Sichon, king of the Amorites. But what does that seemingly simple historical detail really tell us? ...
A donkey saw an angel before the greatest prophet of the ancient Near East did. That detail alone tells you everything about the story of Balaam. Balak, the king of Moab, was terri...
(Exodus 12:43) "And the L–rd said to Moses and Aaron": There are some sections (in the Torah) which are generic in the beginning and specific after, and some which are specific in ...
The Mekhilta draws a parallel that cuts both ways. In the previous passage, the rabbis established that believing in Moses equals believing in God. Now they demonstrate the reverse...
The Mekhilta draws a direct parallel between Moses' raised hands and another puzzling episode: the bronze serpent in the wilderness. When poisonous snakes attacked the Israelites, ...
The Hebrew Bible says God opened the mouth of Balaam's donkey, and it spoke (Numbers 22:28). Targum Onkelos translates this miracle without flinching. The donkey talks. No metaphor...
Joseph was brought down to Egypt (Genesis 39:1). Lamentations gives the frame: "Good is the man who sits alone and is silent, for he will bear the yoke upon himself. He will put hi...
“They heard that I sigh; there is no comforter for me; all my enemies heard of my misfortune, were glad because You acted. May You bring the day that You proclaimed, and they will ...
(Exodus 15:1) "Az yashir Mosheh": Az ("then") sometimes signals the past and sometimes signals the future. The past: (Genesis 4:26) "Az men began", (Exodus 4:26) "Az she said", (Ex...
Pharaoh's daughter did not accidentally find Moses. According to Sotah 12b, she came to the river to immerse herself—not for bathing, but to wash away the spiritual impurity of her...
The Torah isn't just a text; it’s a living conversation, a dialogue that echoes through generations and, some say, even between God and Moses himself. Rabbi Aḥa, quoting Rabbi Ḥani...
The sun beats down, and the horizon shimmers with heat. But our journey isn't just a physical one; it's a journey into the heart of Jewish tradition. We're heading to a very specia...
It's older than you might think. to a story about Moses, negotiation, and a bit of divine debate. So, picture this: Moses is gearing up for war against Sihon, king of the Amorites....
Ever hear a story so wild, so larger-than-life, that you just have to lean in and ask, "Wait, really?" Well, buckle up, because we're diving into one of those tales today, straight...
Take, for example, the story of sending messengers. In one place, it says Israel sent them. In another, it says Moses did. So, which is it? Did the whole nation get together and wr...
And it's a theme that resonates deeply within Jewish tradition, especially when we talk about redemption. One fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpr...
R. Hanan bar Pazzi opened [his discourse] with the verse in [the context of] the parashah of the [red] heifer, which contains seven [references to] seven things:57Numb. R. 19:2, co...
(Numb. 19:2, cont:) “That they bring unto you [a red heifer without blemish].” R. Jose bar Hanina said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses. ‘To you I am revealing the reas...
(Numb. 20:14:) “Then Moses sent messengers [from Kadesh unto the king of Edom], ‘Thus says your brother Israel….’” This text is related (to Ps. 15:3), “nor takes up a reproach agai...
We know the big story: the plagues, the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the nitty-gritty details of those first few days of freedom? The Book of Jasher, a text m...
It's easy to think of them as just escalating horrors, but sometimes the sequence itself holds a clue. Let's look at the plague of the frogs, the second of the ten, and see what we...
But according to tradition, getting the coffin out of Egypt in the first place was a whole adventure in itself. See, according to Legends of the Jews, retold by Louis Ginzberg, Egy...
It’s easy to imagine him as this larger-than-life figure, divinely guided, but sometimes he acted with remarkable prudence, almost bordering on… politeness. We find an example of t...
The Torah tells us of Aaron's death atop Mount Hor (Numbers 20:22-29), but it leaves out some fascinating details that our tradition fills in. Specifically, what happened when Mose...
We all know the story: the Israelites, wandering in the desert, grumbling (as they were wont to do!). And as a result, God sends serpents amongst them (Numbers 21:4-9). But here's ...
The story of Haman, the villain of the Purim story, is full of them. And according to the Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Bible, Haman's plot to annihil...
It turns out, even ancient texts grapple with these questions, offering surprising insights into universal ethics. to Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 8. This isn't your typic...
The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearni...
This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19 that touches on exactly that feeling, exploring a moment of high diplomacy – or rather, a diplomatic bric...
