808 related texts · Page 16 of 17
It all starts with the verse: “Moses took the carts and the bulls, and gave them to the Levites” (Numbers 7:6). Simple enough. But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) ne...
That holiest of objects, containing the tablets of the Ten Commandments. Now, you might assume everyone always knew exactly how it was supposed to be handled. But, as we learn from...
Jewish tradition suggests that success isn't just handed out; it’s earned through trials, through proving ourselves worthy. Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on t...
It all starts with a seemingly simple instruction: "Send you men that they may scout the land of Canaan that I am giving to the children of Israel" (Numbers 13:2). But before we di...
It’s a question that echoes throughout Jewish tradition, and one place we find it wrestled with is in Bamidbar Rabbah – specifically, in section 16. Bamidbar Rabbah, if you're not ...
His story, recounted in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 18, is a wild ride of ambition, rebellion, and some seriously bad consequences. So, "Korah took…" That's how the story begi...
In Jewish tradition, we find striking examples of this idea, particularly in the story of Korah and his rebellion against Moses and Aaron. Our story comes from Bamidbar Rabbah, a M...
The story of the daughters of Tzelofḥad challenges that assumption in a profound way. It all starts in (Numbers 27:1): “The daughters of Tzelofḥad, son of Ḥefer, son of Gilad, son ...
And they all seem to stem from one little verse in Genesis (1:17): “God set them in the firmament of the heavens to illuminate upon the earth.” Rabbi Yoḥanan sees something special...
It’s more than just a day off. It's a taste of paradise, a hint of the World to Come, a weekly reset button for the soul. And according to our sages, even the food tastes better! R...
The scene: Rabbi Akiva, a towering figure of Jewish wisdom, is being interrogated by the wicked governor, Tinneus Rufus. Rufus, dripping with imperial arrogance, poses a deceptivel...
The Torah tells us, "The Lord God said: Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now, he might extend his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and ...
It all starts with Joseph, the favored son, and a couple of very fateful dreams. "His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers…" This line from (Genesis ...
The Bible is full of them, and the story of Joseph and his brothers is no exception. It's a tale of betrayal, forgiveness, and ultimately, reconciliation. But what about the subtle...
Our ancestors certainly did. And in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a beautiful explanation of why Moses chose the stars as a...
to a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, that touches on this very dilemma and much more. The verse that k...
to a story from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that really brings this to life. The story picks up right after the Exodus. Imagine t...
It’s a question that has echoed through generations, a yearning to understand the divine timing of the universe. And while there’s no simple formula, our Sages offer some fascinati...
It might seem like a niche legal issue, but within it lies a profound understanding of justice, forgiveness, and even the nature of hope itself. In Deuteronomy, we read, "Then, Mos...
And it seems Devarim Rabbah, in its own unique way, grapples with this very idea. The passage starts with a verse from Deuteronomy: “Hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today...
There’s a fascinating passage in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that sheds light on this very concept. It all starts with a verse we...
We've all been there. So, what do we do? How do we make sure we still fulfill our obligation to connect with the Divine? That's exactly what Devarim Rabbah 8 explores. It delves in...
It's not just about being polite! It’s about life itself. (Deuteronomy 32:1) begins, “Listen, heavens, and I will speak, and the earth will hear the sayings of my mouth.” A simple ...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, touches on this very feeling. It asks: "Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! This is new'? It has already existed long ago, before o...
Today, we’re diving into a story from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, where we see just such a situation unfold. The story cen...
(Ecclesiastes 8:16) says, "When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the matters that are performed on the earth, as both during the day and during the night, one does not...
Get out as fast as possible! But (Exodus 13:17) tells us, "It was when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them via the land of the Philistines, although it was near, as Go...
Jewish tradition recognizes that very tension within us, and even within the relationship between God and Israel. Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary...
The Torah tells us in Exodus (16:29), "See that the Lord has given you the Shabbat (the Sabbath); therefore, He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Remain each man where...
Rabbi Levi makes a staggering claim in Shemot Rabbah: a single, perfectly observed Shabbat (the Sabbath) could bring about the Messiah. He says, “If Israel observes Shabbat properl...
We all know the story, but the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, delve into the details, revealing layers of meanin...
It’s a question that takes us to the heart of Jewish thought, and to a fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The pas...
Rabbi Abahu tells us that for all forty days Moses spent up on the mountain, he was studying Torah… and forgetting it just as quickly. Can you imagine the frustration? "Master of t...
That feeling, that sense of unfair ostracism, resonates deeply within a fascinating interpretation of the Torah portion Ki Tissa in Shemot Rabbah (Exodus Rabbah). We often read the...
That, in a nutshell, is the tragedy of the Golden Calf. But how quickly did things really fall apart after the revelation at Sinai? The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive...
Like, "Why does this even exist?" The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. And in Shemot Rabbah (a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Exodus), we find a fascinating e...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating, even audacious, story from Shemot Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It's a story about Moses, the ult...
It seems even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, felt that way at one point. to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ex...
The text in Shemot Rabbah (a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus) gives us a fascinating image. It notes the repeated phrases: "The Lord spoke with Moses," "Th...
The Torah tells us, "He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, ...
The Torah tells us that when Moses descended from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony – the luchot ha-brit (לוחות הברית) – he didn't realize his face was radiating li...
We often admire great artists and inventors, attributing their brilliance to natural talent or relentless hard work. But what if there’s something more? What if God Himself plays a...
Jewish tradition offers some profound insights, and a fascinating one is tucked away in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It involves t...
Who do we trust? Why do we trust them? And what happens when that trust is broken? In Jewish tradition, the concept of trust, of being a ne'eman, a trustworthy person, is incredibl...
Our story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It centers on a seemingly simple verse: “The Tabernacle of the Testimony, as the...
That’s what we’re diving into today, exploring a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs. Specifically, we're l...
Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Ilai, a sage of the 2nd century, offers a beautiful analogy. He interprets the verse in Song of Songs (3:9), "Palanquin," as referring to the Ark. Now, what's ...
It's a story about perspective, gratitude, and maybe even a missed opportunity to usher in... the Messiah! The passage begins with a verse from Song of Songs, "Look from the peak o...
