639 related texts · Page 4 of 14
The Mekhilta asks yet another question about the verse "And if one curses his father and his mother." From (Leviticus 20:9), which says "every man who curses," we would know only t...
The phrase "if one curses his father and his mother" raises yet another question: with what name must the curse be spoken? Rabbi Achai taught that the offender is liable for the de...
The Mekhilta cites (Psalms 50:7-8) to illustrate God's unique relationship with Israel: "Hear, My people, and I will speak; Israel, and I will exhort you. I am God, your God. I wil...
And Jewish tradition offers a stunning, almost unbelievable, answer. We all know the story of Jacob's dream. Fleeing his brother Esau, he rests his head on a pile of stones and dre...
Can you feel the tension? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer elaborates on this already dramatic moment. Haman approaches Mordecai with the royal garments. “Arise,” he says, dripping with fals...
The verse we're looking at is from (Numbers 5:21): "Then the Cohein," the priest, "shall beswear the woman with the oath of the curse." Now, what exactly does that mean, "the oath ...
It turns out, this isn't just good manners – it might be ancient wisdom! The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early Jewish legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, teaches ...
According to Sifrei Devarim, before Jacob's passing, he gathered his sons. But it wasn’t just a sentimental family reunion. First, he rebuked them, each individually, and then he a...
I do, all the time. Take this one, from Sifrei Devarim (90), a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. It's about the seemingly simple act of stoning someone as punishment, but trus...
Like winning the lottery. But what if there's more to it? What if we have a role to play? The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal Midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, tackles this...
That tension, that very human struggle, is right at the heart of this little passage from Sifrei Devarim. It opens with a seemingly straightforward phrase: "that the L-rd your G-d ...
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...
The future Jerusalem will be built from precious stones so massive they defy imagination. According to Bava Batra 75a, God will take gems thirty cubits by thirty cubits, carve gate...
Translation: What is the law regarding the blessings of a non-Jew, whether he is a Torah scholar or not? Rabbi says: "If he blesses with enthusiasm, he is a Torah scholar, and if n...
Beruria — the brilliant, sharp-tongued wife of Rabbi Meir — encountered Rabbi Yose HaGelili on the road one day. He asked her a simple question, but he asked it in five words when ...
Rebuke not the wicked lest you make an enemy. Having thus spent all his money he went to another town. There a man asked a scribe to write a petition, offer- ding a small coin. The...
Take, for instance, the ritual of the sotah, the suspected adulteress, described in the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar). It’s… complicated. The priest writes curses on a scroll and then...
Take, for example, the strange and solemn ritual described in the Book of Numbers, chapter 5, concerning a woman suspected of infidelity. It’s a fascinating, and frankly unsettling...
The verse in question, (Numbers 6:15), describes the offerings brought by a Nazirite upon completing their term: “And a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of high quality flour mix...
It's easy to imagine everyone just carrying on, oblivious, but Jewish tradition suggests otherwise. The Torah tells us, "Noah was a righteous man [ish]" (Genesis 6:9). Seems simple...
We read the stories, we know the milestones – but sometimes the weight of those moments gets lost. Take the act of circumcision, the brit milah, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine....
Rabbi Ḥanina, quoting Rabbi Pinḥas, makes a striking observation in Bereshit Rabbah. He points out that the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – are mentioned eighteen times in...
The verse says, "He raised his voice in weeping…. And his brothers could not answer him" (Genesis 45:2-3). It's a powerful moment! But what does it really mean? Well, Abba Kohen (a...
The story of Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, is a powerful illustration of just that – a tale of lost potential, impulsive actions, and the consequences that ripple through generations....
It’s baked right into Jewish tradition. to a fascinating idea from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Deuteronomy. The very first verse of Deu...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with these very questions. And one particular verse, (Ecclesiastes 3:5), has sparked some fascinating interpr...
It’s a book known for its wisdom, but sometimes couched in rather…opaque language. Take this verse from (Ecclesiastes 10:9): "One who transports stones will be saddened by them; an...
The story of Ruth is all about that, about choosing a people, a faith, a destiny. And it begins with those famous words: "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God." (Rut...
Shemot Rabbah, a rich collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a powerful reading of the verse "Then Moses…sang [thi...
It’s a question that delves into the very heart of our tradition, and Shemot Rabbah (Exodus Rabbah) offers some pretty powerful insights. Let's unpack it. The verse in question is ...
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, citing Rabbi Natan, makes a rather astonishing claim. He says that the 18 commands mentioned in the portion of the Tabernacle actually correspond to the 18...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Vayikra Rabbah 13 that explores just that. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them" (Leviticus 1...
Rabbi Levi, in Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) 15, cuts right to the heart of it. He teaches that blessed actions – acts of kindness, of justice, of integrity – bring blessing ri...
King David certainly did. In Vayikra Rabbah 30, we find a fascinating exploration of just that – David's quest for the "way of life" and "abundant joy," as he puts it in (Psalm 16:...
We often think of blessings as straightforward – good health, wealth, maybe a loving family. But what if there's a deeper layer to unpack? What if the blessings themselves aren’t e...
And it shall be if you truly listen (Deuteronomy 28:1): This is that which was stated in the verse (Song of Songs 1:3), "Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance, your name is like f...
After Abram's bold declaration against idol worship (in the previous chapter), King Nimrod isn't too pleased. According to the Book of Jasher, Nimrod had Abram thrown into prison f...
We all know the story of his dramatic rescue as a baby, floating down the Nile in a basket. But what happened next, after he was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter? The Book of Jasher, ...
Even the great prophet Elijah, the fiery champion of God, reached that point. Imagine this: Elijah, fresh from his triumph over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18), i...
We often hear about the wickedness of humankind, but some fascinating stories lurk beneath the surface, involving fallen angels, giants, and divine justice. According to Legends of...
But imagine the weight of a vow to the Almighty, left unfulfilled. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, Jacob found himself in just such a predicament. He'd mad...
What would you say? Would you offer blessings, warnings, or maybe even a bit of both? That's what happened with Jacob, also known as Israel, as he lay dying in Egypt, surrounded by...
The traditional texts give us some fascinating, and sometimes surprising, details. So, picture this: Jacob, having blessed each of his sons individually, gathers them all together ...
Today, we get a glimpse into such a moment, as we explore the final words of Judah, son of Jacob, before his death. According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, these were Judah's...
Pharaoh has decreed that all Hebrew baby boys must be killed. What's a mother to do? As Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) tells us, she takes matters into her own hands. She builds an...
It’s a fascinating exercise, and sometimes, you stumble upon something truly surprising. Like this: who was the most righteous of Esau's sons? You might be surprised to learn it wa...
They're prophecies, warnings, glimpses into the future, and sometimes, even clues about the fate of nations! Remember the story of Joseph in Egypt? He's not just interpreting dream...
Take the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. : accepting Judaism isn't just a declaration; it's a process. A transformational journey. According to tradition, a convert must und...
