759 related texts · Page 7 of 16
Sometimes, digging into the details reveals a surprisingly beautiful logic. a little puzzle from the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar – and see what we can uncover. Our focus is on the L...
The haunting wail of the shofar, for instance. It's more than just a noise; it's a call, a cry, a connection to something ancient and profound. But have you ever wondered why it so...
It turns out, the ancient rabbis wrestled with that very question, especially when it came to things "devoted" to the Temple in Jerusalem. Our starting point is a verse from Bamidb...
Today, let's unpack a passage from Sifrei Bamidbar, specifically focusing on (Numbers 18:30-32), which deals with the Levites and their portion of the tithes. The verse states, "An...
Our story today explores just that, a cautionary tale woven from the threads of ancient Israel. We find ourselves in Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, specifically chapter 25, verse 1...
And that's where today’s little gem from Sifrei Bamidbar (a legal commentary on the Book of Numbers) comes in. The verse we're focusing on is from Bamidbar (Numbers) 28:24: "As the...
That’s the vibe I get from a beautiful passage in Sifrei Devarim (a rabbinic commentary on the book of Deuteronomy). It’s all about understanding the gift of the Land of Israel. Th...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, presents us with a fascinating paradox. It cites (Deuteronomy 11:12), which says, "Always the ...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, delves into this very question. Specifically, it looks at the verse that promises blessings "f...
The ancient sages understood that yearning, and they left us clues, breadcrumbs on a path. And according to Sifrei Devarim, an early rabbinic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
It's not just about hygiene, my friends. It's a fascinating glimpse into their spiritual world, and it all boils down to avoiding confusion. to Sifrei Devarim 75 to uncover this id...
In Judaism, that feeling extends to the sacred commands, the mitzvot (commandments). How closely do we need to follow them? Can we embellish a little? Maybe cut a corner or two? We...
It's not like you can just bring any old animal to the Temple. There are rules, of course, meticulously detailed in the Torah. And within those rules are layers upon layers of inte...
Sometimes, digging into the details reveals the beautiful, intricate reasoning behind even the seemingly simplest rules. Take this passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of lega...
The ancient rabbis certainly considered the importance of order, especially when it came to sacred rituals. to a fascinating little corner of Jewish law, specifically from Sifrei D...
We often think of judges as these impartial figures, robed and removed, but Jewish tradition delves into the nitty-gritty of who sits on the beth din (court of law) and what makes ...
Specifically, we're looking at section 156. It's a short passage, but packed with insights into how Jewish law was understood and adapted. The text starts with the phrase, "or to t...
to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations related to the Book of Deuteronomy. The text poses a question about priestly gifts, specifically, whether ch...
The ancient rabbis certainly considered this when they interpreted the Torah. to a fascinating little corner of the book of Sifrei Devarim, specifically section 168, which explores...
The Torah, in the Book of Deuteronomy, actually makes provision for that. It speaks of cities of refuge, places of safety for those who have committed unintentional manslaughter. B...
Jewish tradition definitely thinks so, especially when it comes to matters of communal responsibility, like war. to a fascinating passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early...
That’s the heart of bikkurim (בִּכּוּרִים), the first fruits offering, and Sifrei Devarim sheds light on its beautiful simplicity. The passage from Sifrei Devarim 297 opens with a ...
It’s a question as old as… well, as old as humanity itself! And, wouldn’t you know it, our tradition has something pretty interesting to say about it. Sifrei Devarim 311 gives us a...
Leviticus 24 tells the story of a man who blasphemed God's Name and was stoned. The Targum Jonathan turns this brief account into a full courtroom drama with backstory, legal philo...
In ancient Israel, a person who killed someone by accident did not go free. Neither was he executed. He ran for his life to one of six cities of refuge, and the roads that led ther...
The Hebrew Bible says God will "pass through" Egypt on the night of the Passover (Exodus 12:12). Targum Onkelos changes this to God will "become revealed in" Egypt. God does not tr...
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...
(3) (Fol. 10b) We have been taught that R. Eliezer says: "In the month of Tishri the world was created; in the month of Tishri the Patriarchs [Abraham and Jacob], were born, and in...
(4) R. Joshua, however, says: "Whence do we know that the Patriarchs were born in the month of Nissan? It is said (I Kings 6, 1) In the fourth year, in the month Ziv (glory), which...
(9) We are taught in a Baraitha: R. Juda taught in the name of R. Akiba: "Why does the Torah command (Lev. 23, 10) a sheaf of the first fruits to be brought on the Passover? Becaus...
(11) R. Kruspedai said in the name of R. Jochanan: "Three books are opened on New Year's Day: one for the grossly wicked, one for the perfectly righteous, and one for the intermedi...
(17) R. Jochanan said: "Repentance, is a great thing, for it tears (cancels) the [evil] decree against man; as it is said (Isa. 6, 10) Obdurate will remain the heart of this people...
(18) R. Samuel b. lnya said in the name of Rab: "Whence do we know that a decree against a community is not confirmed." Is that true? Behold, it is written (Jer. 2, 22) The stain o...
The destruction of Jerusalem did not end when the Temple burned. In the years that followed, the Romans hunted down the children of the sages, enslaving some, executing others, sca...
A woman came before Rabbi Akiba with a question that touched on ritual purity. She had found a blemish on her body and feared that it rendered her impure, which would separate her ...
High Priest Simeon & Alexander. Taanit, f. 7 b, 88 b. Meg. Taanit, ch. 9, 21 st Kislev. Yoma, f. 69 a. cf. 61 a. cf. J. Berakhot, IV, 1. cf. Pesikta, Parah. Pesikta Zutta to Exod. ...
We find it in (Numbers 3:4): "Nadav and Avihu died before the Lord when they offered alien fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai, and they had no children. Elazar and Ita...
Today, we’re diving deep into the Priestly Blessing, also known as Nesi’at Kapayim, the Lifting of the Hands, found in the Book of Numbers (6:22-27) and explored in Bamidbar Rabbah...
Bamidbar Rabbah, in section 15, tackles this very question, and the answers are surprisingly profound. "Toward the front of the candelabrum, the seven lamps shall illuminate," the ...
It’s a tale of ambition, delusion, and a very dangerous offering. The scene is set: Moses, leading the Israelites. And then comes Koraḥ, a Levite, challenging Moses’s leadership, s...
We're looking at Chapter 42, which grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Twelve years they served Kedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled" (Genesis 14:4). It sound...
The book of Genesis tells us, almost in passing, "Jacob traveled to Sukot, and built him a house, and established booths [sukot] for his livestock. Therefore, he called the name of...
And it's a question that the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, wrestles with head-on. The verse in question, from (Ecclesiastes 1:11), states, "There is no memory of the former one...
Her story, found in Kohelet Rabbah, the commentary on Ecclesiastes, is a stark reminder that joy and sorrow can be two sides of the same coin. The verse we're looking at is from (E...
It's a reminder that divinity can work through anything. Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, puts it this way: "The ad...
to a fascinating discussion from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, about the appointment of Aaron as the High Priest. The Rabbis...
One minute you're soaring, the next you're... well, not. Jewish tradition understands this ebb and flow, this dance between joy and sorrow, and offers wisdom on how to navigate it....
Jewish tradition is rich with answers to these questions, and Shemot Rabbah, a classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text, offers a fascinating glimpse into the Di...
