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That’s the sense I get reading Bereshit Rabbah 98, a beautiful passage from the ancient midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection, which interprets a verse from (Psal...
(Psalm 100:3) declares, "Know that the Lord is God." But it's the next part that really sparked their interest: "He made us, and we are His" (Psalm 100:3). Or is it? See, the Hebre...
Take mourning rituals, for example. The familiar seven-day period of intense mourning, the shivah. Where did that come from? The Rabbis of old grappled with this very question. "Th...
Like the amazing thing you have to offer just isn't... quite good enough?It touches on exactly that feeling. Rabbi Tanhuma, a well-known sage, tells a story. Imagine a merchant haw...
The verse we're looking at is from (Deuteronomy 1:11): "May the Lord, God of your fathers, add to you one thousand times as you are, and He will bless you, as He spoke to you." Sou...
And it’s a feeling that even Moses, our great leader, experienced. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, explores this very idea through th...
The passage opens with the phrase, "At that time." But what time are we talking about? The Rabbis tell us it's the moment Joshua is appointed as Moses' successor. As (Deuteronomy 3...
It starts with a verse from Deuteronomy (4:25): "When you will beget children, and children’s children, and you will have been long in the land, and you will act corruptly and craf...
We often hear about the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the mighty hand of God... But what about the internal processes, the spiritual shifts that paved the way for that monum...
The passage centers on the most core of Jewish declarations: “Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad” – "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:...
Take this passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. It all starts with a verse: "It will be, because you heed these ordinances, an...
That’s what I want to talk about today, by diving into a powerful story from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings and interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. This...
The story revolves around Miriam's affliction with tzara'at, often translated as leprosy, after she and Aaron speak critically of Moses. When Moses witnesses his sister's suffering...
The Torah touches on this very human struggle. In (Deuteronomy 29:3), Moses says to the Israelites, "But the Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to he...
And in Jewish tradition, the answer might surprise you: it's the Torah. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful idea: God says that i...
In (Deuteronomy 30:12-14), we find the verse, "It is not in the heavens… It is not beyond the sea… Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you...
to a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah that explores this very idea, using the example of Moses himself. The passage opens with a question drawn from the Psalms (24:3): “Who ...
The verse in question comes from (Proverbs 31:29): "Many women have performed valiantly, but you have surpassed them all." But who is the "you" being referred to here? According to...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, gives us a glimpse into that incredible scene, a cosmic struggle between life and death, between Mose...
The answer, according to Devarim Rabbah, isn't what you might immediately think. It's not just about Moses being a great prophet; it's about a specific act of kindness and dedicati...
You're dropped right into the action, and you wonder, "Wait, shouldn't this have been explained earlier?" Well, the ancient rabbis grappled with a similar feeling about the Book of...
And the rabbinic commentary on it, Kohelet Rabbah, digs even deeper. It all starts with the question: "What is the advantage of one who works, in that he toils?" (Ecclesiastes 3:9)...
In fact, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Kohelet Rabbah, connects them to something much deeper: the consequences of our actions and, specifically, our...
The story begins with a loss. When Rabbi Bon ben Rabbi Ḥiyya passed away, Rabbi Zeira rose to eulogize him, choosing the verse: “Sweet is the sleep of the laborer.” (Ecclesiastes 5...
These questions, and more, bubble to the surface as we delve into a fascinating passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. O...
Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, takes on this very question, diving deep into the meaning of the verse: "Wisdom will bolster the wise more than ten rulers ...
Sometimes, the explanations seem… unexpected, even poetic. to a passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, where we explore ...
There’s a fascinating story in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes, that tackles this very question. It involves a sharp-tongued rabbi...
It tells us: “Go, eat your bread joyfully, and drink your wine goodheartedly, as God has already accepted your actions” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). But what does that mean? Kohelet Rabbah,...
It's part of the human condition. But have you ever considered that this struggle might be… a cosmic drama playing out on a miniature scale, right inside of you? That’s the kind of...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with that very idea. It's a book of wisdom, attributed to King Solomon, but some of its verses have sparked d...
"He said to his people: Behold, the nation of the children of Israel is more numerous and mighty than us" (Exodus 1:9). This is Pharaoh, setting the stage for oppression. But Shemo...
We all know the story of Pharaoh, the archetypal oppressor of the Israelites. But Shemot Rabbah delves into the why behind his horrific decree to cast newborn sons into the Nile (E...
to that, drawing from the ancient wisdom of Shemot Rabbah, a classic rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus. In (Exodus 3:20), God says, "I will extend My hand, and smite Egypt ...
Something that makes you think, "Surely, there's someone better suited for this!" Well, you're not alone. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, had a moment of reluctance. to a f...
The Torah tells us, "Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord that He had sent him, and all the signs that He had charged him" (Exodus 4:28). Seems straightforward. But Shemot Ra...
We all know the story, but Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im – interpretations and expansions – on the Book of Exodus, offers a fa...
That feeling, that frustration, it's ancient. It's woven into the very fabric of our stories. Think about Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh, demanding freedom for the Israeli...
That feeling... well, it's not new. It echoes all the way back to ancient Egypt, to the very dawn of the Israelite nation. We find ourselves in the book of Exodus, Shemot in Hebrew...
It’s a moment of raw honesty from Moses himself. The story begins after Moses relays God's message to Pharaoh – the one demanding freedom for the Israelites. Instead of freedom, Ph...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt that way. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers us a fascinating glimpse into a moment where Mo...
This particular passage, Shemot Rabbah 6, uses a parable to illuminate a fascinating aspect of Moses' relationship with God. Rabbi Meir offers a vivid analogy. Imagine a king marry...
We're not just talking about names and dates; these genealogies are packed with meaning, offering insights into character, destiny, and even how to choose a spouse! Take, for insta...
Jewish tradition has some pretty strong opinions on that. And, spoiler alert: it doesn't end well. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (interpretive stories) on the Book...
It's not just about historical record; it's about understanding the nature of arrogance and divine justice. The book of Exodus tells us, "Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he did n...
(Besides driving us crazy, of course!) Well, Jewish tradition has a fascinating answer, one that goes all the way back to the plagues in Egypt. The Book of Exodus recounts God's co...
In the Book of Exodus, we read, "The Lord said to Moses: Say to Aaron: Extend your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to asc...
We read the story of the plagues, and it can feel like a foregone conclusion, like Pharaoh was just cartoonishly stubborn. But there were moments... moments where the pressure was ...
