4,670 related texts · Page 26 of 98
In fact, Jewish tradition grapples with this idea of removing evil, of cleansing the community, in some pretty direct ways. We find this in the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of lega...
Jewish tradition wrestles with this tension all the time, and one particularly fascinating example comes from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of D...
Ever stumble upon something in the Torah that just makes you pause and wonder, "Wait, what’s the story here?" I mean, seriously. It’s easy to skim over seemingly small verses, but ...
But as we dig into the depths of Jewish tradition, we discover that even the most seemingly straightforward laws can hold profound ethical and spiritual insights. Our little puzzle...
But when you start digging into Jewish law, you quickly discover that things are rarely that straightforward. Take this passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpret...
We're going to dive into one of those today – the fascinating world of kilayim (כלאים), the laws forbidding the mixing of certain things. Specifically, we're talking about wool and...
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...
Our tradition teaches us that G-d, blessed be He, dwells within us, within our communities, within our very lives. Deuteronomy, in chapter 23, verse 15, puts it this way: "For the ...
We all do sometimes! a fascinating little corner of Jewish law from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im (interpretations) on the Book...
Sifrei Devarim 278, drawing on (Psalm 85:14), tells us, "His righteousness shall go before Him and shall set his steps on the path." In other words, our acts of tzedakah, of righte...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, understands that feeling intimately. to a seemingly simple verse in Devarim (Deuteronomy) and see what hidden depths it reveals about fairness, l...
Jewish law has a fascinating way of dealing with this very situation, particularly when it comes to the forgotten bounty of the harvest. It’s all rooted in the concept of shikchah ...
The kind of stuff that makes you scratch your head and think, "Wow, someone really thought of everything!" Well, today we’re diving into one of those corners: the laws of chalitzah...
It's a fascinating, slightly strange, and deeply human process. The Torah tells us, in (Deuteronomy 25:9), that if a man dies without children, his brother has a responsibility to ...
Sometimes, it’s not just the ancient Hebrew, but also the cultural context that can leave us scratching our heads. Take this little nugget from Sifrei Devarim 295, a commentary on ...
Our tradition has some surprisingly direct advice about that. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. We'...
This one, from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations and homilies related to the Book of Deuteronomy, really got to me. The story goes that Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakka...
Or is there something... more? There's a fascinating passage in Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, that explores just this question. It centers on the verse, ...
We rush through our days, blind to the incredible detail, the profound thoughtfulness woven into every corner of existence. But what if we paused, just for a moment, to consider th...
to a little gem from Sifrei Devarim, specifically section 307. It's a short passage, but it packs a punch, offering a powerful reflection on God's justice. The text states: "For al...
One particularly striking passage from Sifrei Devarim explores this very idea, starting with a poignant scene. Imagine Moses, descending from Mount Sinai, tablets in hand, after th...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. And they weren't afraid to address it head-on. In Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal commentaries on the Boo...
We find this idea nestled within Sifrei Devarim 309. Here, Moses is speaking directly to the Israelites, and what he says is surprisingly intimate. He proclaims, "You are beloved o...
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...
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 ...
One particularly evocative image is that of an eagle, caring for its young. This imagery appears in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)...
Sometimes, it feels that way to me. Take this little phrase from Sifrei Devarim. It's about how someone "abased the Rock of his salvation." Now, who is this "Rock," and what does i...
That feeling, that struggle… it’s ancient. And it’s right there in the Torah. Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, grapples with this very question. It's not ju...
It all starts with the verse: "And this is the blessing..." Now, what does that seemingly simple phrase actually mean? The text offers a couple of intriguing interpretations. The f...
You can almost feel his anticipation, his heart swelling with hope. But then… the hammer drops. "This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," God tells Moses, as we...
When the Flood ended, the Hebrew Bible says God sent a wind to dry the earth (Genesis 8:1). The Targum Jonathan says God sent "the wind of mercies." One word changes the theology. ...
The revelation at Sinai is awe-inspiring in the Hebrew Bible. The Targum Jonathan on (Exodus 19) makes it terrifying. It adds details about God physically uprooting the mountain, I...
The tribes of Reuben and Gad had enormous herds, and when they saw the conquered territory east of the Jordan, they wanted to stay. The Targum's version of (Numbers 32) captures Mo...
The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 15) contains a bleak prophecy hidden inside a law about debt forgiveness. The Hebrew says "the poor will never cease from the land." The Targum ...
The unsolved murder ritual in (Deuteronomy 21) is already strange in the Torah—elders break a heifer's neck in a barren valley. Targum Jonathan makes it stranger and more spectacul...
The Torah says write the law on plastered stones after crossing the Jordan. Targum Jonathan says write it "with writing deeply engraven and distinct, which shall be read in one lan...
Teach us, oh master – may one light a lamp for personal use from the Channukah lights? Our masters taught us – R’ Acha said in the name of Rav ‘it is forbidden to light a lamp to u...
Teach us oh, teacher: once the Ninth of Av has ended, is everything permitted? R’ Chiyah the Great taught like this: once the Ninth of Av has ended, one is permitted to do anything...
Teach us o teacher: toward where should one who prays orient his heart? This is what our Rabbis taught: one should orient his heart toward the place of the Holy of Holies (Berachot...
Another explanation. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion… And many nations shall join the Lord…” (Zechariah 2:14-15) R’ Chanina bar Papa said: this verse is only speaking of that...
Akabyah ben Mahalalel said: mark well three things and you will not come into the power of sin: know from where you come, and where you are going, and before whom you are destined ...
In ten articles the world was created, and what is meant to be said, and in one article he could recover, but heal the wicked who destroy the world created in ten sayings and give ...
When God appeared to Abram and commanded him to circumcise himself, the patriarch was already ninety-nine years old. According to the Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 80, God's words carrie...
and he lay down in that place – R’ Yehudah says ‘here he lay down, but all fourteen years that he was hidden away in the land serving Ever he never laid down.’ R’ Nechemia says ‘he...
R’ Yehoshua of Sachnin said in the name of R’ Levi: “And I placed My words into your mouth…” This refers to the Torah. “…and with the shadow of My hand I covered you…” (Isaiah 51:1...
When the Holy One came to give the Torah to Moshe, he said over the order of the Readings, the Mishna, the aggadah (non-legal rabbinic narrative) and the Talmud as it says "And God...
“Take the staff…” (Bamidbar 20:8) This is what the scripture says “The staff of your might the Lord will send from Zion…” (Psalms 110:2) This is the staff which was in the hand of ...
Three converts came to Shammai with impossible requests. All three were turned away. All three then went to Hillel, who accepted every one of them. The contrast, recorded in Shabba...
