975 related texts · 16 related myths · Page 19 of 21
A seemingly straightforward instruction: "The Lord said to Moses: Count every firstborn male of the children of Israel from one month old and above, and take the number of their na...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Rabbi Abbahu and the Torah. So, what did this belief mean in practical terms? Well, according to the Tosefta (supplementary teachings to the Mishnah), Shab...
It all goes back to a fascinating swap, a divine exchange, that re-shaped the spiritual landscape of ancient Israel. We find the seeds of this story in Bamidbar Rabbah, specificall...
The ones that make you tilt your head and ask, "Wait, what? (Numbers 3:46) tells us about redeeming the 273 firstborn Israelites who were "over and above the number of Levites." Ok...
The Book of Numbers, or Bamidbar in Hebrew, gives us some fascinating insights into this very question, particularly in the fourth chapter, as explored in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classi...
It wasn't just packing up and hitting the road. Every aspect, down to who touched what and in what order, was meticulously planned and imbued with deep meaning. to just one small p...
That feeling isn't new. In fact, the ancient Israelites grappled with it too, as we learn from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers. Our story...
It’s a midrash, a rabbinic interpretation, on a verse from the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar in Hebrew, which gives the whole book its name. The verse in question mentions "the tribe ...
It was a meticulously orchestrated operation, each family of Levites having a specific, divinely appointed task. to some of the details, as revealed in Bamidbar Rabbah 6. One of th...
The Torah tells us in (Numbers 4:29), “The sons of Merari, by their families, by their patrilineal house, you shall count them.” Now, it first appears all Levites were treated equa...
Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 7, gives us a fascinating peek into their thinking. It uses a series of comparisons to illustrate God's, well, "royal" attributes, if you will...
Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah 7 explores the verse in (Numbers 5:2), "Command the children of Israel, that they send out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, ...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Aaron Beyond the Firmament. They ask, what if this isn't just about a husband and wife? What if it’s an allegory for the relationship between God and Israe...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to The Law of Jealousy Leaps to a Cosmic Perspective. The passage starts with a verse about the law of jealousy, specifically concerning a woman suspected of ...
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...
The Torah portion Naso, particularly in Bamidbar Rabbah 13, explores this very concept, using the offerings of the princes as a springboard. It's a fascinating exploration of Israe...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into this very idea. It starts with a seemingly simple verse: "Take the Levites" (Numbers 8:1...
What does sailing have to do with spies? Well, stick with me. The Rabbis debated this, concluding you shouldn't set out on a long voyage so close to the Sabbath. But, there's alway...
Bamidbar Rabbah, if you're not familiar, is a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection, meaning it's a compilation of rabbinic interpretations and expansions on the ...
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 ...
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 in ...
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! Rabbi Elazar, quoting Rabbi Yose...
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 ...
Rabbi Azarya opens with a striking verse from Jeremiah (51:9): “We sought to heal Babylon, but it was not healed; forsake it, and let us go, each to his land, as its judgment reach...
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...
Specifically, The verse sets the scene: "The men took that gift, and they took in their hand double the silver, and Benjamin, and they arose, and they went down to Egypt, and stood...
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...
The verse that kicks it all off is from (Deuteronomy 2:31): “The Lord said to me: See, I have begun delivering before you Siḥon and his land; begin taking possession of his land.” ...
The story picks up right after the Exodus. Imagine the scene: The Israelites have just walked out of Egypt, witnessed incredible miracles, and word is spreading like wildfire. As R...
While there’s no simple formula, our Sages offer some fascinating perspectives in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. The text asks, what...
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...
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" (D...
There’s a fascinating passage in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that illuminates this very concept. It all starts with a verse we kn...
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 explores ...
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 verse. But the Rabbis saw so much ...
Who will stand in His holy place?” The Rabbis, in their insightful way, see this verse as referring directly to Moses. Why? Because, as it says in Exodus (19:3), "Moses ascended to...
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...
Kohelet Rabbah turns to The Advantage of Cultivated Land Is in Every Way. Well, according to Rabbi Nehemya, "The advantage of land is in every way." Now, what does that even mean? ...
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 centers around Yaakov, from ...
(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 midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
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...
