1,374 related texts · 18 related myths · Page 25 of 29
The verse sets the scene: "The man shall bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring her offering on her behalf, one-tenth of an ephah of barley flour; he shall not pour oil u...
Consider 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, glimpse ...
There’s a fascinating passage in Bamidbar Rabbah – that's the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers – that dives right into this, focusing on the case of th...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teachings on the Book of Numbers, gives us a fascinating peek into just that. It takes a passa...
What does it all mean? , drawing on the tradition of Jewish tradition to unravel this mystery. The Torah tells us, "The priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and erase it in...
(Numbers 6:24). It’s more than just a nice sentiment. It’s a layered blessing, packed with meaning and implications. Bamidbar Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretatio...
It’s a story rich with symbolism, divine presence, and, In Bamidbar Rabbah, 13, it all began on the 23rd of Adar, and culminated on the first of Nisan. Rabbi Yosei tells us that fo...
They saw hidden depths and endless possibilities in the very fabric of the Hebrew language, and one fascinating example of this is their discussion of the words vayhi and vehaya. T...
The Torah portion describes the offerings brought by the leaders of the tribes of Israel at the dedication of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Each day, a different leader brought the ...
the dedication offerings brought by the princes of the tribes. "On the third day, prince of the children of Zebulun, Eliav son of Ḥelon" (Numbers 7:24). Why, the Rabbis ask, is the...
It's like peeling back the layers of an onion – the deeper you go, the more you discover. Bamidbar Rabbah 14, a section of the Bamidbar Rabbah, which itself is a Midrash, a collect...
The verse Now, three tribes were left to offer: Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. So, why Dan first? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) suggests it's all about Jacob's blessing...
The Torah gives us hints, scattered like precious gems, and the Rabbis, masters of interpretation, piece them together for us. Take (Numbers 7:89): "And when Moses came into the Te...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Until When Will This People Provoke Me in the Desert. The verse in question is (Numbers 14:11): "The Lord said to Moses: Until when will this people provok...
When Gentile Nations Showed More Respect Than Israel is the question behind this passage from Bamidbar Rabbah. Ouch. The text goes on to illustrate this point with a fascinating st...
Our stories are woven into our lineage, and sometimes, those threads get tangled. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of N...
This week, It centers on Moses, and a particularly frustrating episode with Datan and Aviram. Get ready, because this is a masterclass in ingratitude! So, the scene: Moses, ever th...
This week, The scene is set in (Numbers 20:14). The Israelites, after decades of wandering, are trying to pass through Edom. Moses sends messengers, saying, "So said your brother I...
Consider the story of sending messengers. In one place, it says Israel sent them. In another, it says Moses did. So, which is it? Did the whole nation get together and write a stro...
The Torah tells us, "When you besiege a city…you shall not destroy its trees" (Deuteronomy 20:19). Seems Protect the environment, even in wartime. Then we read, "Assail the Midiani...
It's not about being stingy, but about creating a sense of progression, a journey. Why, it asks, did God command a diminishing number of bulls to be sacrificed each day? What did H...
The rabbis of old certainly did. In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, they wrestle with the details of creation, offering us...
The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a classical collection of Rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dives deep into this very idea, and it’s wild. Our entry point is a seemingly minor deta...
Our sages teach that renewal touches everything. We find this idea beautifully illustrated in Bereshit Rabbah (13), a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of ...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those collections of rabbinic commentaries and stories that expand on the Hebrew Bible, often offer surprising perspectives. Here, i...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to One Flesh and the Laws of Marriage in Genesis. It all starts with the famous verse from (Genesis 2:24): “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mot...
The verse: "And thorns and thistles it will grow for you, and you shall eat the vegetation of the field." So, what exactly are these "thorns and thistles," or kotz and dardar in He...
The story of Cain and Abel, as explored in Bereshit Rabbah, the ancient rabbinic commentary on Genesis, offers some pretty profound insights. The familiar version gives us the basi...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Was Cain Complaining or Confessing Before God. The Torah tells us Cain says to God, "Is my iniquity too great to bear?" (Genesis 4:13). Now, The first read...
It’s a breathtaking thought, isn't it? Where do they get this idea? They point to the verse in (Isaiah 44:11), “And craftsmen, they are me’adam”—literally, "from Adam." The implica...
Take Noah, for instance. The familiar story is this: the ark, the flood, the animals two-by-two. But what about Noah before the flood? What kind of person was he? Well, the book of...
This week, The verse at the heart of our discussion is (Genesis 6:3): “The Lord said: My spirit will not abide in man for eternity, for he too is flesh and his days will be one hun...
Ever read something in the Bible that just makes you stop and say, "Wait, what?" I get that feeling every time I stumble upon (Genesis 6:4): "The Nefilim were on the earth in those...
The verse in Genesis (6:14) states: "Craft for you an ark of cypress wood; you shall craft the ark with compartments, and you shall coat it within and without with pitch." Now, Rab...
Because sometimes, the universe has a funny way of showing us that insight isn't exclusive to the scholars and sages. We find a perfect example in Bereshit Rabbah, specifically sec...
The rabbis of old grappled with this very question. How high did the water actually get? The Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dives int...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to The Double Command of Lekh Lekha to Abraham. Our source is Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. In sec...
What in the world is going on here? The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, were just as captivated by this verse as ...
The rabbis of the Midrash loved finding secrets inside the first letters of things. Bereshit Rabbah 46 preserves one of those moments, the rabbis puzzling over something quite prof...
In Bereshit Rabbah, that foundational midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, the rabbis unpack layers of meaning from even a single word. The verse uses the Hebrew word...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Covenant of Ishmael. So, who gets what blessing? That's where the rabbinic interpretations come in, offering multiple readings. Rabbi Yoḥanan, quoting Rabb...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Covenant of Circumcision of Abraham. (Genesis 17:26) tells us, “On that very day, Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.” Simple. But that “very day...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Did Hagar Speak Directly to God or an Angel. He points to the story of Hagar, who, after encountering an angel, "called the name of the Lord who spoke with...
How do you BECOME ready? Our exploration starts in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Here, in section 49, we find a fascinat...
That’s kind of the vibe we get from a fascinating passage in Bereshit Rabbah (49), a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. It centers around the verse in (...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Why the Angel Swore an Oath After the Binding. (Genesis 22:15) tells us, "The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from the heavens." And then...
Rabbi Akiva knew the feeling well! The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us he was once teaching, and noticed his audience starting to nod off. So, being the quick-w...
Sometimes, those signs came from the most unexpected places… even from barking dogs. I know, it sounds a little out there. But bear with me. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive comm...
