808 related texts · Page 8 of 17
Jewish tradition recognizes this feeling, and even offers a powerful response: the idea of spreading a tabernacle of peace. Where does this idea come from? It appears in a seemingl...
We’re all running around, stressed, dealing with work, family, life’s endless to-do lists. But then comes Shabbat, the Sabbath. A moment to breathe. A moment to reconnect. But it's...
"These are the things that the Lord commanded to be done. For six days work shall be performed, but the seventh day shall be holy for you" (Exodus 35:1-2). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of B...
Once, the disciples spent a Sabbath in Yavneh, R. Yehoshua not among them. When they returned to him he asked them: "What novelty did you hear in Yavneh?" They answered: "After you...
Rabbi Yitzchak raised a pointed question about the relationship between two sacred "signs" in Judaism: the Sabbath and tefillin (leather phylacteries worn during prayer). Both are ...
Absalom, the handsome prince who rebelled against his own father King David, was famous throughout Israel for one thing above all else: his magnificent hair. The Mekhilta preserves...
Rabbi Elazar Hamodai expanded the promise of Sabbath observance far beyond three festivals. Where Rabbi Yehoshua linked Shabbat (the Sabbath) to Pesach (Passover), Shavuot, and Suc...
R. Yehoshua says: He said to Israel: If you keep this Sabbath the Holy One Blessed be He is destined to give you three festivals: the festival of Nissan (Pesach), the festival of S...
(Exodus 18:13) "And it was on the morrow that Moses sat to judge the people.": on the morrow of Yom Kippur (after Moses had descended with the second tablets.) "from morning to eve...
Rabbi Eliezer transmits a teaching in the name of Abba Yossi ben Dormaskith that exposes one of the most unsettling truths about God's relationship with Israel. The verse says: "An...
"For this the L–rd blessed the Sabbath day and He sanctified it": He blessed it with the manna (by providing a double portion on the sixth day), and he sanctified it with the manna...
It is written "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it," and, opposite it, "You shall not testify (falsely)," whereby Scripture apprises us that one who desecrates the Sabbath ther...
Issi ben Akiva noticed something peculiar about the cities of refuge described in the Torah. The verse says "then I shall make for you a place" — a place where an accidental killer...
The Torah says, "Six days shall you do your work" (Exodus 23:12), a commandment to labor for six days and rest on the seventh, the Shabbat (the Sabbath). But the Mekhilta noticed s...
(Exodus 31:13) commands: "But My Sabbaths shall you keep." The Mekhilta asks what this verse adds to (Exodus 20:10): "You shall not perform any labor." If labor is already prohibit...
The Torah commands: "And the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath for their generations" (Exodus 31:16). The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael connects this ve...
Rebbi — Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the compiler of the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law) — makes a staggering claim about the Sabbath. If a person keeps even one Shabbat (the ...
"It is a sign forever" — the Mekhilta derives from this phrase that the Sabbath will never be lost from Israel. No matter what happens — exile, persecution, assimilation pressures ...
"He rested and was restored" — the Torah says God rested on the seventh day. But from what did He rest? From labor, or from judgment? The Mekhilta uses the word "restored" to deter...
The Torah says "You may not light a fire in all of your dwellings" on the Sabbath. But what about executions ordered by a court? The judicial death penalty of burning requires fire...
A place of purification, and for some, punishment. Now, even in this fiery realm, the Sabbath casts its protective light. It's a concept that speaks volumes about the power and san...
It’s a question that might seem a little… out there. But Jewish tradition has always grappled with the mysteries of life, death, and what lies beyond. And when we delve into some o...
We've fasted, we've prayed, we've poured out our hearts. And then… one final, powerful blast of the shofar. But why? It's more than just a signal that the fast is over and bagels a...
Genesis tells us God spent six days creating the world. But what happened after that? The Book of Genesis tells us that God rested on the seventh day, but there's more to the story...
The idea of greeting the Sabbath Queen, or Shabbat Malkah, has captured the hearts and minds of Jewish mystics and everyday people for centuries. We find this beautiful custom echo...
According to some fascinating traditions, that first Sabbath wasn't just a day of rest, it was also the first Rosh ha-Shanah, the Jewish New Year! It fell on the first of Tishrei, ...
There's a beautiful story, a whispered secret really, that suggests the fragrance of Shabbat (the Sabbath) comes from a very special spice. In fact, some say it’s actually called S...
According to the Or Zaru'a and Geonica, the angels each have six wings, one for every day of the week, and each day they chant a unique song to God. A celestial choir, if you will!...
Our tradition tells a story about Adam, the very first human, that hits on just that feeling. Imagine this: Creation is fresh, the world is brand new, and Adam is experiencing ever...
It's one of those customs that's so familiar, so deeply woven into the fabric of Jewish home life, that we might not always stop to ask why. But the reasons, as you might guess, ar...
And it’s pretty funny. : in this world, you could theoretically wander into an orchard on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and pick a fig. The tree wouldn’t exactly yell at you. It just stand...
Jewish tradition has some fascinating ideas about the lifespan of the world, and what happens when it's time to, well, hit the cosmic reset button. One compelling idea, explored in...
David, millennia later, giving voice to the unspoken gratitude of humanity's dawn. Rabbi Samuel, whose teaching is recorded in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), ident...
to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, that grapples with this very issue. The midrash (interpretive storytelling) s...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretive teachings on the Book of Psalms, delves into this very feeling, using a verse from Proverbs to illuminate David's profound desire for...
He taught that if the Israelites—and by extension, maybe even us—were to observe just one Shabbat (the Sabbath), that day of rest, according to all its intricate laws, redemption w...
Midrash, the art of interpreting scripture through storytelling, gives us some fascinating ways to ponder that very question. to a passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of mi...
Jewish tradition, particularly through Midrash (interpretive storytelling), loves to unpack these mysteries. a tiny gem from Midrash Tehillim (commentary on the Book of Psalms), sp...
It wasn't always this way, you know. There's a fascinating story in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a collection of stories and interpretations from the Talmudic period, about a celestial ...
God rested. But what does that mean? The book of Genesis tells us, "And on the seventh day God finished his work" (Gen. 2:2). But according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating...
It's not just about the delicious challah or your Bubbe's famous brisket. It's about something far deeper, something woven into the very fabric of creation. the Torah tells us, "An...
The Torah tells us, "Ye shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy unto you" (Exodus 31:14). But what does that "keeping" actually look like? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating earl...
Jewish tradition teaches us that Shabbat, the Sabbath, isn't just for us down here. Rabbi Jehudah in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, kept Shabbat ...
The luchot, as they're known in Hebrew. The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations, paints a vivid picture of this moment. Initially, the t...
It's more than just a tradition; it's a sonic echo of a pivotal moment in our history, a chance to realign ourselves before the Days of Awe. Rabbi Joshua, son of Ḳorchah, gives us ...
We all know the basic plot: a beautiful Jewish woman becomes queen and saves her people from annihilation. But what about Vashti, the queen she replaced? Why was she deposed? The t...
Rabban Gamaliel, a sage from the first century, certainly thought so. He delved into the symbolic meanings behind the offerings brought in the Temple, revealing layers of connectio...
But the Rabbis of the Talmud never take anything at face value. They immediately ask: Why does the Torah even need to say this? Isn't it obvious? R. Yoshiyah starts with a powerful...
