1,374 related texts · 18 related myths · Page 28 of 29
Take this one: "His hands are rods of gold set with beryl; his belly is a slab of ivory covered with sapphires." (Song of Songs 5:14). Beautiful imagery, but what does it mean? Wel...
Take this verse from (Song of Songs 5:15): "His calves are pillars of marble, set on sockets of fine gold; his appearance is like Lebanon, choice like cedars.” What does any of tha...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this, too. And in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a fascinating story that touches on ...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Sixty Righteous Souls Under the Tree of Life in Eden. What's truly astonishing is the sheer scale described. It's taught that the Tree of Life itself ...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Sixty Queens and Eighty Concubines - An Exodus Allegory. It doesn't stop there! "And eighty concubines," the verse continues. According to this interp...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, and unpacking just such a verse. Get ready for a journey through noble lineage, the power of brit milah (circumcision), a...
A beautiful analogy, connecting the "vineyard" mentioned in Song of Songs to the Sanhedrin, the ancient Jewish high court. Why a vineyard? Because, as we learned in Mishna Eduyot, ...
It all starts with a verse from (Song of Songs 8:13): “The one who dwells in the gardens, companions listen to your voice; let me hear it.” Rabbi Natan, quoting Rabbi Aḥa, uses a p...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Vayikra Rabbah, that treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations, offers us some beautiful insights. Rabbi Yehoshua ben ...
The prophet Isaiah offers a powerful message of hope in such moments: "Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts" (Isaiah 55:7). But what does that actual...
Jewish tradition certainly does, especially when it comes to oaths. In fact, the Rabbis saw the misuse of oaths as so serious that it could literally bring down the house! Vayikra ...
The Torah tells us of an agreement, a covenant, between God and the Israelites. But the details, as explored in Vayikra Rabbah, are far more intricate and, frankly, a little . Rabb...
The Vayikra Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, dives into the idea that even our innermost thoughts have significance. In Vayikra Rabbah 7, we fin...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Aaron's Daily Offering of Fine Flour That Never Ceased. Then the story really takes off.. A noblewoman, clearly not lacking in confidence, challenges Rabbi ...
It happens. But sometimes those moments can teach us something profound about ourselves and the world. Let me tell you a story from Vayikra Rabbah that really hit home for me. It s...
Bar Kappara starts with a verse from Proverbs: “Wisdom has built her house” (Proverbs 9:1). He equates this house with the Torah itself. Makes sense. The Torah is our foundation, t...
Not just Torah as in, "read the text." More like, experience the Torah. The passage begins with a verse from Psalms (19:9): "The precepts of the Lord are upright, gladdening the he...
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 11:1). Seems straightforwa...
As Rav teaches us, the mitzvot (commandments) were given to Israel to refine us, to elevate us. Why? "He is a shield for all who rely on Him" (Proverbs 30:5). Because God protects ...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Skin Disease as Punishment and the Parallel to Job. The passage begins by drawing a parallel between the arrogance of a haughty person and the fate of a lep...
That’s because, often, it is! one such instance. We find ourselves in Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) 19, diving into a seemingly straightforward verse from (Leviticus 15:25), de...
These questions, It starts with a verse from Leviticus (23:10): “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When you come to the land that I am giving to you, and you reap i...
The verse from (Leviticus 23:24) sets the stage: "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first of the month, shall be a rest for you, a remembrance b...
The verse in Leviticus (23:40) instructs us: "You shall take for you on the first day the fruit of a pleasant tree, branches of date palms, and a bough of a leafy tree, and willows...
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:...
It uses the four species taken on Sukkot, the Festival of Tabernacles, as a metaphor for the Jewish people. It comes from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive comment...
When Israel Is Sold Into Exile God Goes With Them is the question behind this passage from Vayikra Rabbah. Heavy stuff. So, what’s the solution? Despair? Assimilation? Absolutely n...
Birth order, historical sequence. But what if there’s more to it than that? Vayikra Rabbah 36, a fascinating passage in the rabbinic commentary on Leviticus, flips that script on u...
“Pay them retribution, Lord, according to their handiwork” (Lamentations 3:64).“Pay them retribution” – Jeremiah said: “Pay them retribution.” Asaf said: “Pay our neighbors retribu...
Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “But you did not call Me, Jacob, for you wearied of Me, Israel” (Isaiah 43:22). Rabbi Yoḥanan understood it [the verse in (Isaiah 43:22)] from this, as it is w...
Rabbi Berekhya said: The Holy one blessed be He recorded the redemption of Israel in the Torah, as it is written: “If a stranger who is a resident among you shall prosper…” (Leviti...
Esther Rabbah turns (Psalm 66:3) into a map of reversal: "Say to God: How awesome are Your works." The midrash reads the verse through the story of Esther. Those marked for killing...
The rabbis of Esther Rabbah made a stunning claim: every time the Hebrew word vayhi ("it was") appears in the Torah, it signals disaster. Rabbi Tanhuma, Rabbi Berekhya, and Rabbi H...
Isn't it fascinating how often we confront the line between respect and worship? Where do we draw that boundary? It's a question that goes right to the heart of Jewish thought. the...
Kissing is often remembered as a sign of affection, love, or respect. But in ancient times, it could also be a form of worship. Strange. The Bible itself gives us a glimpse into th...
That’s kind of the vibe I get from this passage. Someone (we don't know who, exactly) has just asked a question about prophecy. Now, the author of this text (also unnamed in this s...
Remember how we talked last time about the "Wars of God," those intellectual battles fought over the proper approach to divine wisdom? Well, buckle up, because the debate rages on!...
How do we know what's real, especially when it comes to something as immense as the Divine? How do we stay on the path, the derech, when so many voices clamor for our attention? Th...
a world where falsehood reigns and those who uphold Torah are scorned. It's a harsh indictment, a cry of pain from someone who feels that the very foundations of their community ar...
The esteemed Rabbi Tam, of blessed memory, as we learn, was deeply troubled by these developments. He saw these new approaches to Kabbalah as a breach, a violation of the very fenc...
The Wars of God turns to Shimon — Adam at the Dawn of Creation. Specifically, the passage points to (Genesis 1:26), "And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...
Jewish mysticism offers us a glimpse, a whisper of understanding, and some of the most fascinating insights come from the Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah. And within the Z...
This is a tricky concept, one that's tripped up even seasoned students of Kabbalah. The question at hand is: why doesn't Adam Kadmon – the primordial man, a concept representing th...
The Jewish tradition grapples with this very question, and it's a fascinating journey to explore. Rabbi Tzadok ben Yechiel, in the book "Ravid HaZahav," makes a crucial distinction...
When Genesis says, "when they were created," it's almost teasing us. It's like saying, "Yeah, things were created, but when exactly? for a second. Why the ambiguity? Why not say, "...
Genesis doesn't waste words, so when it seems to ramble, the rabbis lean in. Look at (Genesis 2:14). It's not just that the Euphrates river is mentioned. Oh no, we also get that th...
The Midrash of Philo turns to Philo's Hidden Meaning in Adam's Garments of Skin. A reader can dismiss this detail. So, God makes clothes. Big deal. But, as Philo of Alexandria, a J...
The familiar story is this: Cain's offering wasn't accepted, Abel's was, jealousy flared, and tragedy struck. But what about the consequences? Why a mark of protection, instead of ...
