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And the Talmud, specifically Bava Batra 73b, offers a startling, almost unbelievable answer through a story featuring the sage Rabbah bar Bar Hannah. Rabbah, a well-known figure in...
It’s one of those enduring mysteries that captures the imagination. They were carried away, prisoners in their own land, and exiled beyond the mysterious river Sambatyon. But what ...
Jewish tradition has some pretty vivid ideas about that, especially when it comes to the resurrection of the dead. It’s not just a "poof" and everyone’s back. It's a process, a cos...
The Jewish tradition has a lot to say about the Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come. And some of it might surprise you. One image, found in Eliyahu Rabbah, paints a pretty cozy picture. ...
That's the image we get when we delve into some of the descriptions of the World to Come, the Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come). In these visions of the future, we're told that God Hi...
We often think of messianic times in grand, sweeping terms – peace on earth, the end of suffering, justice for all. But sometimes, the most beautiful visions are the most intimate....
Jewish tradition has a pretty wild idea about that very thing: a brand-new Torah, delivered by the Messiah himself! The notion of a Torah Chadashah, a new Torah, pops up in some fa...
Midrash Mishlei, an ancient collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Proverbs, tackles that very question. It all starts with (Proverbs 1:3): "To receive the instructi...
Oh no, it’s right out in the open, making a joyful noise! (Proverbs 1:20) tells us, "Wisdom calls aloud in the street." But what does that mean? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive ...
Midrash Mishlei, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Proverbs, unpacks this verse in some truly fascinating ways. First off, it equates "Wisdom" with the Torah....
Turns out, it does! And like any good friend, it’s got some warnings mixed in with the… well, potential for celebration. This all comes to light in a fascinating passage from Midra...
It all starts with the words, "Happy is the man" (Psalm 1:1). But what makes a person truly happy? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) offers several beautiful interpret...
to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, and see what it has to say about the path we walk. The very first verse of Psalms – "Who did no...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, opens by exploring this very idea. It begins with the verse, "For they delight in the Torah of the...
Specifically, it grapples with the verse, "Ask of me and I will give you the nations." Seems pretty straightforward. Except… isn't the whole world already promised to God? As (Psal...
That’s the question that echoes in the opening of the third section of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings that beautifully unpack the Psalms. It begins by looking...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. And they found echoes of this idea even in the seemingly simple words of the Psalms. Specifically, in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rab...
It’s a question humanity has grappled with for millennia. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, tackles this very question head-on in it...
King David knew that feeling well. Psalm 13, a cry for help, is raw with that vulnerability: "Lord, my God, look upon me and enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death..." ...
Like the rules just... don't apply the same way? That's a question King David wrestles with in a powerful passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations o...
This feeling isn’t new. King David wrestled with it, too. Midrash Tehillim, a beautiful collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, gives us a glimpse into his struggle, a...
Yet, praise is central to Jewish tradition. Why? to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletical interpretations on the Book of Psalms, and see what we ...
No clocks, no sunrise, no sunset as we know it. So, how did he know when it was day and when it was night? The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psal...
And the story of how he approached God for forgiveness, as told in Midrash Tehillim 19, is both surprising and deeply human. The Midrash, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on t...
It’s a question that’s been wrestled with for centuries, and Jewish tradition offers some surprising answers. Let’s delve into a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collec...
The prophet Malachi tells us, "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard." (Malachi 3:16). But what does that mean, really? What kind of ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Psalms, offers a fascinating perspective, suggesting that everything, absolutely everything, has its perfect, div...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. They explored it deeply in their interpretations of the Psalms, particularly in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of stories and ...
to a passage from Midrash Tehillim 36 that speaks directly to this feeling. The verse we're focusing on is a prayer: "Draw your kindness towards your devotees." Simple enough. But ...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, grapples with this very issue. It opens with the verse, "Trust in the Lord and do good" (Psalm...
The ancient sages did. They saw words as potent forces, capable of building worlds or tearing them down. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of P...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, hits us with a pretty stark idea: "Together, rich and poor... they all descend to Gehenna." Gehen...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms, grapples with that very feeling, using the story of Sodom and Abraham to explore themes of corruption...
This idea – the power of partnership, the strength in numbers – echoes throughout Jewish tradition. And it’s right there at the heart of Midrash Tehillim 59. The verse from Ecclesi...
Take, for instance, this fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, Psalm 59. It wrestles with a question that's been around since, well, the beginning: What's the deal with marria...
I've got a story for you, tucked away in Midrash Tehillim 59, that’s a real head-scratcher. It involves Rabbi Akiva, his son, and a rather unusual wedding night. The tale begins wi...
That feeling isn't new. In fact, according to Midrash Tehillim 60, it goes way back. This particular midrash (a method of interpreting biblical stories beyond their literal meaning...
Midrash Tehillim 62, a beautiful exploration from the world of midrash (Jewish biblical interpretation), gives us some fascinating – and maybe even comforting – food for thought. T...
You're not alone. It seems to be a deeply human thing, this turning to the Divine in moments of crisis. But is that… okay? Is it somehow "less than" if we only remember to call out...
It’s more than just nostalgia, more than just remembering the "good old days." It's about survival. Spiritual survival. And that's exactly what Midrash Tehillim, a collection of ra...
Take (Psalm 81:2), for example: "Raise a song, strike the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp." But then it continues, "Sound the shofar at the New Moon, at the full moon for ...
Psalm 82 opens with a powerful image: "A Psalm of Asaph. God stands in the congregation of God; He judges among the gods." It's a verse that speaks volumes about justice, responsib...
The prophet Jeremiah, in the name of God, tells us no. "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom...but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am t...
The mystics certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim (a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Psalms) that explores just that, focusing on Psa...
The verse we're looking at is "Let a thousand fall from your side." Now, what does that even mean? Rabbi Yitzhak offers a compelling idea: He connects this verse to the mitzvah (co...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, uses the image of the palm tree in Psalm 92 to unlock a fascinating perspective on the righteous,...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, explores this idea in a truly fascinating way. Rabbi Abbahu offers a parable: Imagine a king conqu...
Jewish tradition has been wrestling with that very tension for centuries, especially when it comes to serving God. One verse tells us plainly: "Serve the Lord with joy." Simple eno...