938 related texts · 25 related myths · Page 19 of 20
"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the land," it says, "and if the tree falls in the south, or in the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it sh...
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...
The book of Exodus tells us that Moses fled Pharaoh after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:15). But Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretati...
That feeling isn't new. It goes all the way back to Moses and Aaron facing down Pharaoh in the book of Exodus. They’re walking into the lion's den, asking the most powerful ruler o...
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...
The Book of Exodus tells us, "Moses extended his staff toward the heavens and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the lan...
The verse in question: "Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth" (Exod...
Jewish tradition recognizes that very tension within us, and even within the relationship between God and Israel. Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
Shemot Rabbah, a rich collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a powerful reading of the verse "Then Moses…sang [thi...
Rabbi Yehuda tells us that the Israelites reasoned, "The Holy One, blessed be He, only took us out of Egypt for five things!" What were those five things? First, to give us the plu...
Take the story of the war against Amalek in (Exodus 17:9). Moses tells Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out and wage war with Amalek; tomorrow I will be standing on top of the hil...
Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of interpretations on the Book of Exodus, brings us a powerful insight through a teaching connected to the verse, "These are the ordinances" (Exodus...
Shemot Rabbah 30 begins by stating that "the punishment that is prepared for the wicked is plentiful," drawing on the fiery imagery of (Psalms 11:6), "He will rain burning coal upo...
Jewish tradition teaches us that our actions, especially those involving money and compassion, carry immense weight. to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of ra...
The congregation of Israel itself has felt that way! Our passage opens with a fascinating connection between the verse "They shall take Me a gift" (Exodus 25:2), which refers to th...
The book of Exodus and the sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explore this very idea. In (Exodus 32:7), we read, "The Lord spoke to Moses: Go descend; for your...
He was trying to save the Israelites from destruction, and the story goes something like this… God, seeing the Israelites’ transgressions, essentially challenges Moses. "Find me te...
It reveals a surprising strategy employed by the righteous when approaching the Divine. " Now, don't misunderstand that word – it doesn't mean deception. Instead, it signifies a st...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They explored every facet of joy, dissecting its many shades and flavors. And in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, they g...
They saw echoes of that very struggle in the beautiful, often enigmatic, Song of Songs – Shir HaShirim in Hebrew. Specifically, they found a powerful metaphor in the verse, "For, b...
The verse Now, Rabbi Azarya raises a pretty good question: Isn't "speaking" the same as "saying?" What’s the difference? His answer? God answered [ana] through Moses, and said [ve’...
That’s kind of what happens when we dive into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs. a passage that takes the beautiful imagery of springtime and transforms it ...
The verse The rabbis ask, who is speaking, and what are they saying? They suggest that God answers us "by means of Elijah and..the messianic king." What does He say? “Rise up, my l...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling, and they used powerful stories to explore it. The Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song o...
The ancient rabbis certainly knew that feeling. And they found it mirrored in one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah: the splitting of the Red Sea. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, ...
Rabbi Akiva, that brilliant sage, offers us a breathtaking interpretation of the verse, "My dove, in the clefts of the rock." He connects it directly to the moment when the Israeli...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah connects Solomon's judgment to the places where Israel learned to seek God's presence. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a classical rabbinic commentary on the Song of Son...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a fascinating discussion about these pesky creatures and what they represent. Rabbi ...
Jewish tradition has a beautiful answer for that feeling, a welcoming embrace for those who choose to join the community. It's all about gerim, or proselytes – converts to Judaism....
Bar Kappara starts with a verse from Proverbs: “Wisdom has built her house” (Proverbs 9:1). He equates this house with the Torah itself. Makes sense. The Torah is our foundation, t...
Stick with me. In Vayikra, Leviticus, chapter 14, we find a curious passage about a plague that can afflict houses. Now, Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a beautiful and surprisingly resilient answer, all wrapped up in the image of a lily. Rabbi A...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Moses the Lawgiver of Israelites. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection, quotes Job (37:21), "Now they do no...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very question. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, they explore a fascinating connection between ho...
Rabbi Aḥa ben Elyashiv, in Vayikra Rabbah 35, offers a powerful answer, drawing on the words of Isaiah: "It will be that he that is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem sh...
Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Leviticus, gives us a glimpse into that idyllic vision. Specifically, it discusses the verse “I ...
It's a metaphor, a living, breathing symbol of the Jewish people themselves. We find this beautiful idea elaborated on in Vayikra Rabbah 36, a section of the Midrash (rabbinic inte...
“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 ...
“How the Lord has clouded the daughter of Zion in His wrath. He cast the splendor of Israel from the heavens to the earth, and did not remember His footstool on the day of His wrat...
“Lad and elder lay on the ground in the streets, my young women and my young men fell by the sword. You killed on the day of Your wrath, You slaughtered, had no compassion” (Lament...
“The iniquity of the daughter of my people exceeded the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and no hands seized it” (Lamentations 4:6).“The iniquity of the daughter of ...
“It was due to the sins of her prophets, the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst” (Lamentations 4:13).“It was due to the sins of her prophet...
“Remember, Lord, what befell us; look, and see our disgrace” (Lamentations 5:1).“Remember, Lord, what befell us.” Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “The greyhound, or the goat” (Proverbs 30:31)...
“Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our houses to foreigners” (Lamentations 5:2).“Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers.” What type of turning? It is “l...
“We extended a hand to Egypt, Assyria, to be sated with bread” (Lamentations 5:6).“We extended a hand to Egypt, Assyria, to be sated with bread.” What would the Ten Tribes do? They...
“We bring our bread at the peril of our lives due to the sword of the wilderness” (Lamentations 5:9).“We bring our bread at the peril of our lives.” Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said:...
The fool vents all his spirit, and the wise will soothe it, restraining it” (Proverbs 29:11). “The fool vents all his spirit” – this is Aḥashverosh; “and the wise will soothe it, k...
It is written: “You have seen, for You behold mischief and spite; to requite is in Your hand: the helpless man commits himself to You; You are the helper of the orphans” (Psalms 10...
