4,670 related texts · Page 2 of 98
It's not as simple as "everyone," that's for sure. to what the ancient texts tell us about who’s in, who’s out, and why. The verse we’re unpacking is from Sifrei Devarim, a collect...
That’s kind of the vibe we get right at the very beginning of Bereshit Rabbah, the classic rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis. The text opens with a powerful, almost fierce...
The verse that really gets us thinking is (Ecclesiastes 9:6): "Even their love, even their hatred and even their envy, have already perished; they will never again have a portion i...
The Torah is full of stories that grapple with these very questions, and one passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, really dives ...
(Lev. 19:2:) “Speak unto the [whole congregation] of the Children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘You shall be holy.’” This text is related (to Is. 5:16), “The Lord of hosts has bee...
(Lev. 19:2:) “Speak unto the whole congregation of the Children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘You shall be holy.’” What reason did He have to speak this parashah in an assembly?5 ...
(Lev. 19:23:) “When you come into the land.” Solomon said (in Prov. 31:16), “She sets her mind on a field and acquires it.” Come and see. Whatever Abraham thought about in his hear...
(Lev. 20:9:) “For anyone whatever who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” So too is it stated (Exod. 21:17), “He who curses his father or his mother shal...
The Torah's treatment of adultery presents a puzzle that the Mekhilta refuses to ignore. In one verse, the commandment thunders from Sinai: "You shall not commit adultery." In anot...
The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, touches on some specific examples of legal “disputes” that might arise. It mentions the ordeal of the sotah, the wom...
Bamidbar Rabbah (5) dives deep into this, using the verse "Do not rob the impoverished as he is impoverished..." (Proverbs 22:22) as a springboard for profound ethical reflection. ...
Let’s journey for a moment into the world described in the book of Ben Sira, also known as Sirach or the Wisdom of Yeshua ben Sira. It's part of the Apocrypha, writings associated ...
Ben Sira, in his wisdom, reminds us of the immense task Aaron undertook. He says, "And who, in his nobility, his heart, atoned for the children of Israel." Aaron atoned. Think abou...
The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the second century BCE, offers a glimpse into just that. It paints a picture of a world teeming with angels, a world where the ...
Like one wrong step and… well, you know. In the Book of Jubilees, we find this intense father-to-son talk that feels exactly like that—a guide to staying on that path. It’s like a ...
We all know about the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. But what about the details that fill in the cracks, the "behind-the-scenes" momen...
The Letter of Aristeas gives us a glimpse into such a world, or at least, the ideal of one. It's a fascinating text, purportedly written by Aristeas, an official in the court of Pt...
The followers of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, knew a thing or two about joy. Every year, they celebrated Simhat Torah – the culmination of Sukkot (the Festiv...
It wasn’t just carpentry; it was cosmic-level engineering! Turns out, according to some fascinating legends, he had a little help… in the form of a very special book. This wasn’t j...
The Bible is full of them, but sometimes the stories between the lines are even more fascinating. to the tale of Jacob and his father-in-law, Laban, a story ripe with tension, accu...
According to Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, as the time approached for the Israelites' redemption from Egyptian slavery, a dilemma arose. They hadn't accumulated enough goo...
Abraham knew that feeling well. Before he was Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham, before the brit bein ha-betarim—the covenant of the pieces—he was just a man with a promise and a p...
That’s kind of what happened to Laban after Jacob left Haran. The story goes that Jacob, after his... let's call it a complicated stay with Laban, finally packed up and headed towa...
We all know Jacob. Grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac, and a central figure in the Torah. And Laban? Well, let’s just say he wasn't winning any "Father-in-Law of the Year" awards. R...
Jacob, nearing the end of his days, yearned to bestow a blessing upon Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He called them close, showering them with kisses and embraces. Why? He ho...
Our story begins with messengers. The messengers of Agnias, to be precise, hurrying back from Kittim (often associated with Cyprus or sometimes Rome) with good news. They carry the...
Take Aaron, for instance, Moses' brother. We know Moses as the lawgiver, the one who spoke to God face-to-face. But Aaron... well, the people loved Aaron. And that’s saying somethi...
We’re talking about a group of sinners – their specific sins aren't detailed here, but trust me, they were bad enough to warrant divine attention. At God’s command, these individua...
Even after all the miracles, all the divine interventions, the people of Israel… well, they just weren't getting it. They were still caught up in idolatry. According to Legends of ...
The Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, reportedly did just that. The story goes that on Rosh ha-Shanah – the Jewish New Year, a day of judgment and profound spiritual signifi...
The text explodes with frustration and defensiveness. After all his hard work, "a foolish, silly, and wicked person" – a "son of a worthless one," no less! – criticized his work. T...
It’s a question that has plagued philosophers and mystics for centuries. And in the Kabbalistic text, Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah (Wisdom), we get a glimpse into a truly profound answe...
The Jewish mystical tradition, particularly the Zohar, offers some pretty ideas about that. Today, we're diving into a small but potent passage from Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zoh...
The Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a mystical companion to the Zohar, certainly thinks so. It's all about unlocking those secrets, revealing the deeper connections between seem...
Jewish mysticism teaches that everything we do, every choice we make, impacts not just ourselves but the very fabric of the universe. And when it comes to our relationship with the...
It speaks of a state where, metaphorically, even the Holy One, blessed be He, is "poor," existing outside His proper place. What does that even mean? And who is this "Her" that the...
The Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a truly fascinating part of the Zohar itself, touches on this very feeling. Specifically, Tikkunei Zohar 116 uses imagery from the story of N...
Specifically, Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar 121 calls out to the very foundations of our faith, the patriarchs themselves. "Rise O Patriarchs, Masters of the Covenant!" the tex...
R. b. R. Ilai says: Because they were scorched by the sun above them, the Holy One Blessed be He said to the clouds of glory: Drip the dew of life upon My children, etc. (Psalms, I...
Rabbi Meir draws a remarkable theological lesson from one of the most unlikely sources: the Torah's laws of livestock theft. His observation reveals how deeply God values honest la...
Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai asked a beautiful question: why does the Torah require a five-fold payment for stealing an ox but only a four-fold payment for stealing a lamb? His answer...
The Torah commands that three times a year, "all your males shall be seen" before God. The Mekhilta systematically identifies who is excluded from this obligation through a series ...
Jewish tradition has a powerful and beautiful answer: the Ruah ha-Kodesh, the Holy Spirit. According to tradition, before the Throne of Glory, before angels, before even the stars ...
Take Psalm 113, which begins with "Hallelujah, praise the servants of the Lord." Sounds straightforward. But the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the ...
King David did. And his feelings echo across the millennia to us. (Psalm 119:19) says, "I am a stranger in the land; do not hide your commandments from me." It’s a powerful line, f...
Our sages pondered these questions for centuries, and their answers, preserved in texts like Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, might surprise you. It's not just about grand pronouncements or...
That’s precisely the situation Joshua faced after the Israelites' initial defeat at Ai. The story, as we find it in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 38, begins with Joshua in anguis...
Our tradition grapples with this question constantly. Take the story of Isaac and Esau, for example. It’s a family drama, a theological debate, and a reminder of the power – and li...
