1,423 related texts · Page 1 of 30
"Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17). God remembers the righteous for good and the wicked for destruction. When He recalled Abraham, He spoke with affection: "Shal...
When God looks down at a wicked generation, the rabbis said, He searches for one righteous person to carry the weight of atonement for all the rest. This is the reading Aggadat Ber...
The core of the discussion revolves around a complex scenario: a woman is divorced (receives a get) from her husband, but as part of the divorce agreement, a condition is set – let...
“The adversary extended his hand over all her delights; for she saw the nations entering her Sanctuary, whom You had commanded that they should not enter Your assembly” (Lamentatio...
Today, we're diving into one of those intriguing corners of Jewish law, specifically a passage from Sifrei Devarim 288. It’s all about brothers, inheritance, and a rather complex s...
Why travel to see a tzaddik (a righteous person) in person when you can read their teachings in a book? Rabbi Nachman of Breslov answered this question directly: there is an immeas...
Each prophet saw God differently. Amos saw Him standing — "I saw the Lord standing beside the altar" (Amos 9:1). Isaiah saw Him sitting — "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high ...
“Judah was exiled due to affliction and great enslavement. She settled among the nations, did not find rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her within the straits” (Lamentations 1...
“Also, Vashti the queen made a women’s banquet in the royal palace of King Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:9). Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “My people, its oppressors are babes an...
Jewish tradition understands that feeling, especially when it comes to family obligations. Today, we're diving into a fascinating corner of Jewish law, a ritual known as chalitzah,...
When Amalek attacked Israel in the wilderness, Moses did not simply organize a military response. He turned to God with an argument that struck at the heart of the divine project i...
Hand to hand, transaction complete. But as with so much in Jewish law, scratching the surface reveals layers of fascinating complexity. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collecti...
The goal? To continue the deceased brother's lineage. But what happens if things get complicated? What if the brother isn't exactly… careful in his intentions? The Sifrei Devarim, ...
We're talking about yibum, often translated as levirate marriage. It's a fascinating, and sometimes perplexing, practice outlined in the Book of Deuteronomy (Sefer Devarim). Imagin...
Like you stumble across something in the Torah that makes you stop and say, "Wait, what?" Well, buckle up, because we're about to dive into one of those moments, straight from the ...
R. Levi opened [his discourse] (with Ps. 9:6), “You have rebuked the nations; you have destroyed the wicked one”: “You have rebuked the nations.” This refers to Amalek, of which it...
(Deut. 25:19:) “And it shall come to pass when the Lord your God grants you rest [… you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek].” R. Azariah and R. Judah bar Simon said in the na...
This isn't just another name in the Bible; it represents something deeper. A persistent, almost archetypal force of opposition. The story of Amalek isn't just a historical account;...
Ever hear a law and think, "Wow, that's… specific?" Well, buckle up, because we're about to dive into one of those laws from the Torah. It’s a concept called yibum, or levirate mar...
Today, we're going to untangle a particularly fascinating knot from Sifrei Devarim 288, dealing with the laws of yibum and chalitzah – levirate marriage and its alternative. So, wh...
Sometimes, diving into the nitty-gritty of old texts reveals surprisingly human stories and concerns. Let's take a peek at a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal inte...
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...
(Deut. 25:17:) “Remember what Amalek did to you.” R. Tanhum bar Hanila'i opened [his discourse] (with (Job 13:1)2), “Your remembrances are proverbs of ashes; your responses are res...
A Tale of Rabbi Kahana [From Batei Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ot, Volume 4] (Published by S. A. Wetheimer, 1897) A Tale of Rabbi Kahana: Rabbi Kahana and his wife we...
“May You pursue them in wrath and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord” (Lamentations 3:66).“May You pursue them in wrath and destroy them” – Jeremiah said: “May you pur...
“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)...
The ancient Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, thought they had that… but then Amalek came along. The story of Amalek is more than just a battle; it's a clash between faith and doubt,...
Rabbi Elazar Hamodai reveals a chilling detail about Amalek's attack. The Israelites were protected by the Clouds of Glory — miraculous formations that surrounded the camp on all s...
Did you ever think about the exile from Eden as… a divorce? It sounds a little strange, I know. We tend to think of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden as a punishment, a seve...
The ancient rabbis wrestled with these questions too, especially when interpreting some of the trickier passages in the Torah. to a fascinating corner of Jewish law, specifically f...
This passage from Sifrei Devarim – that's the book of Deuteronomy in the Talmudic literature – touches on something that still resonates today: who gets to speak, and whose voice c...
It’s far more than just signing some papers. Imagine this: Rabbi Akiva, a towering figure of Jewish law, weighs in on the matter. He states a husband can divorce his wife "even if ...
We often take for granted the materials we use – the pen, the paper, the ink. But Jewish tradition teaches us that even these details are pregnant with meaning. to a fascinating pa...
It’s a question that echoes through Jewish law, and today we're going to peek into one very specific corner of it. We're diving into a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of ...
We find it in Sifrei Devarim 290, part of the legal commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. The passage deals with a very specific situation: a man who refuses to go through with a ...
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 ...
Amalek's attack on Israel at Rephidim is only a few verses in (Exodus 17). The Targum Jonathan expands it into an epic confrontation with backstory, supernatural geography, and a w...
They tell a story. They hint at something deeper. Take Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japhet. You'd think their order would be consistent. But it's not! Isn't that peculiar? Sometimes...
(Deut. 25:18, cont.:) And he cut off (rt.: znb) all who were lagging behind you. He smote them with a blow to the tail (rt.: znb).51The word can also denote the penis. See PR 7:3; ...
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught that the pursuit of honor is a spiritual trap, and the only escape is through silence in the face of humiliation. When a person chases honor, they n...
That feeling, that raw, unfair sting, is at the heart of the story of Jacob and Esau, and the stolen blessing. The scene is set: Isaac, now old and with failing eyesight, calls for...
“Mordekhai told him everything that had befallen him [karahu]” (Esther 4:7). He said to Hatakh: ‘Tell her that the descendant of karahu6Amalek, the subject of the verse in (Deutero...
The Jewish mystical tradition, particularly within Hasidism, grapples with this idea constantly, often personifying temptation in the figure of Lilith. There's a tale told about Ra...
A person trapped on a low spiritual level might assume that deep Torah understanding is beyond their reach. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov says the opposite is true: the pathway from the...
You cannot receive complete divine providence until you shatter your desire for money. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov taught this as a direct spiritual mechanism, not a moral platitude. ...
... Another reading: “Comfort, oh comfort My people” (Isaiah 40:1) Said the Holy Blessed One: Who needs to be comforted? For one whose wife died, not the husband? Thus was Zion ana...
Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years (Judges 9:22). Aggadat Bereshit uses this strange opening — about a king in the book of Judges — to arrive at the first murder. The path...
“I remember my song in the night; I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches” (Psalms 77:7). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Aivu.58The text of the midrash (rabbinic i...
