4,193 related texts · Page 5 of 88
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...
The Jewish tradition certainly does. In fact, it links our speech directly to our relationship with the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
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...
It seems so natural, so ingrained in Jewish practice, that we might not even stop to ask why. But the Rabbis of old, they were always asking. They wanted to know the source, the re...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, opens our eyes to just how deeply Torah can impact us. It starts with a verse from Proverbs (4:22): “...
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...
The Book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, opens with Moses preparing to bless the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic inter...
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...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, opens up this very question for us. It begins with the verse, "This is the blessing," and then delves...
Surprisingly, the ancient Rabbis found clues in the most unexpected places – even in the words of the wicked Pharaoh himself! It's a fascinating idea, isn't it? That even through t...
“The ways of Zion are in mourning, without Festival pilgrims; all her gates are desolate; her priests sigh; her maidens are forlorn, and she is embittered” (Lamentations 1:4).“The ...
There was an incident involving Doeg ben Yosef who died and left a young son to his mother. She would measure him in handbreadths and donate his weight in gold to the Temple182Lite...
“See, Lord, for I am in distress, my innards burn, my heart overturned within me, for I have been defiant. Outside the sword bereaves; in the house, it is like death” (Lamentations...
“Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” (Lamentations 3:37).“Who is it who said and it occurred, if the Lord did not command it?” – who did command? H...
It is written: “And set it in the ears of Joshua” (Exodus 17:14), this is one of four righteous people to whom a portent was given; two sensed it and two did not sense it. A porten...
The Book of Esther opens with a single verse that the rabbis of Esther Rabbah read as a cry of anguish: "It was during the days of Ahasuerus" (Esther 1:1). But to understand why th...
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 ...
Midrash on the death of Aaron "I lost the three shepherds in one month" (Zecharia 11:8); and thus, in one month, Aaron, Miriam, and Moses died. Miriam died on the 1st of the month ...
The Small Letters and their Purposes The ALEPH in ויקרא And He called (Leviticus 1:1) is small, to teach that the Holy Blessed One is only revealed to the nations of the earth thro...
Rabbi Yehuda said, "Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) before the Holy One, Blessed be He: One of wholly righteous people; and they are immediately writt...
When a lion roars, every animal in the forest freezes. Even the ones who have never been hunted. Even the ones too far away to be prey. The sound itself is the message: there is so...
Before the world was created, God hid the Torah. Not in a vault, not in a distant heaven — hidden in the fabric of things, waiting for the right person to find it. And then Abraham...
"The Lord says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand'" (Psalm 110:1). This verse launches one of the most complex readings in Aggadat Bereshit — about how the Holy One loves and exalts...
After Sodom's destruction, Abraham journeyed on. He left the ruined plain behind and moved — not fleeing, not grieving, just continuing. Job had the language for this: "The mountai...
“I remember my song in the night; I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches” (Psalms 77:7). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Aivu.58The text of the midrash (rabbinic i...
“He sent scrolls to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its script, and to each people in its language; for every man to be the ruler in his house, and speak the language...
“In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Aḥashverosh, he had cast a pur, that is, the lot, before Haman for each day and for each month, to the tw...
We hear so much about the other tribes, their portions of the land, their heroes and villains. But Dan? They seem to fade into the background. Well, according to the Legends of the...
We often think of them as a simple recap of the journey from Egypt, but the very first verse hints at something more. It begins by listing the places where Moses spoke to the Israe...
The Torah, our guide to living a meaningful life, offers a powerful antidote: immerse yourself in its teachings. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal commentaries on the Book ...
The text zeros in on the verse, "… that I command you to do" (Deuteronomy 11:22). Why this emphasis on doing? Well, it's because earlier it says, "And it shall be if you shall hear...
It's like eavesdropping on a divine conversation about where and how to live a righteous life. The text opens with a seemingly simple instruction: "But only before the L-rd your G-...
There's something deeper going on. Deuteronomy, or Devarim (דְּבָרִים) as it's known in Hebrew, really hammers this point home. And there's this one little verse, Devarim 13:8, tha...
We often prioritize, naturally. The urgent email over the thoughtful note. The looming deadline over the quiet moment of reflection. The text focuses on the phrase, "to observe to ...
Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, chapter 20 verse 8, gives us a glimpse into this often-overlooked role. It says, "Then the officers shall speak further to the people..." It soun...
The ancient text, Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, grapples with this very issue. It centers on a specific passage dealing with an unsolved murder. : a body...
Rabbi Yishmael, a sage whose words still resonate across centuries, puts it starkly: "Come and see what hatred causes." What does it cause? It leads to lashon hara—slander. As it s...
Adultery is wrong. But the Rabbis, masters of nuance and detail, saw layers upon layers within those words. What exactly does “cohabited with by a husband” really mean? The Sifrei ...
Take this little snippet from Sifrei Devarim (Deuteronomy) – it’s a perfect example. We're diving into a passage that deals with who can and cannot join the "congregation of the L-...
Ever stumble upon a seemingly minor detail in the Torah and think, "There HAS to be more to this?" I know I do! And sometimes, digging into those details unlocks a whole world of f...
What happens to those grapes? Who do they belong to? It seems like a simple question, but like so many things in Jewish tradition, it opens up a fascinating window into our values....
The ritual of bringing bikkurim, the first fruits, required every Israelite farmer to recite a specific formula—a declaration of gratitude and remembrance. The Sifrei Devarim, a co...
The Book of Deuteronomy, Sefer Devarim, explores just that. In (Deuteronomy 32:9), we read, "For the portion of the L-rd is His people." This verse sparks a fascinating midrash, a ...
Jewish tradition certainly acknowledges that precariousness, that sense of impending doom. It even has a word for it: lulei. Lulei. It means "were it not." But it carries so much m...
(Deuteronomy 32:29) says, "If they were wise, they would understand this." But understand what, exactly? The Sifrei Devarim (a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive co...
The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 2) adds a theological bombshell that the Hebrew text only hints at. God commands Israel not to touch the land of Esau—not because of a treaty or...
to a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that unpacks the importance of listening, humility, and the consequence...
