12,014 related texts · Page 17 of 251
We often think of great scholars, perhaps, or those who dedicate their lives to prayer. But Jewish tradition sometimes surprises us. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal inter...
These are the kinds of questions that ripple through the ancient text of Sifrei Devarim, a portion of Jewish legal and ethical thought that delves into the book of Deuteronomy. Let...
And it turns out, the seeds of their monumental freedom were sown not under the blazing sun, but under the cloak of night. We read in Sifrei Devarim – a collection of early Jewish ...
Because "you were a stranger in his land." It sounds simple enough, but Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah digs deeper. The Egyptians, let's be real, weren’t exactly acting out of pure altru...
Like you're just... toiling? The ancient Israelites certainly did, and their story, as told in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), resonates even today. But let's not just read the ...
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, in the Sifrei Devarim, hints at a pretty profound and maybe unsettling answer: yes, it kind of does. The text speaks of exacting a price "for the ...
It all starts with understanding the power of fulfilling God's will. In Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and ethical teachings supplementing the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a...
We know he gazed out at the Promised Land, the land he would never enter. But the Torah tells us he saw more than just hills and valleys. He saw everything. But what everything, ex...
It’s something the Sages of the Talmud were keenly aware of, and it pops up in the most unexpected places. Take the very end of Moses’ life. "And Moses was one hundred and twenty y...
Buried in Leviticus 22's rules about blemished offerings, the Targum Jonathan inserts one of the most beautiful passages in all of Targumic literature—a theology of sacrifice roote...
The Hebrew Bible says Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan. The Targum Jonathan says he sent "keen-sighted men"—then reveals how spectacularly their vision failed them. Moses dispat...
Adam was created in twelve hours. According to Sanhedrin 38b, Rabbi Yohanan bar Hanina mapped each hour of the first man's first day onto a specific stage of formation. In the firs...
It was said before Abraham was born. Nimrod was a heretic concerning the truth of the lord blessed be he. He was conceited and he said that he himself was a God. And the people of ...
"Orchot Tushiya": These are the paths that the angel Ezekiel conveyed to our forefather Abraham as part of the covenant traditions. They are cited in the book "HaPliyah", in the in...
Rabbi Johanan ben Matya gave his son a simple instruction: go and hire laborers, and make sure to feed them properly. The son went out, found workers, and promised them a meal. But...
Young Abraham did. And his confusion led him to a profound realization about the nature of… well, everything. Imagine being a kid, really seeing the world for the first time. Abrah...
The story of Abraham's negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, found in the book of Genesis, is a powerful exploration of justice, compassion, and the courage to ...
The passage in Bamidbar Rabbah 12 kicks off with a seemingly simple word: "Vayhi" – usually translated as "it was." But in the world of Jewish interpretation, nothing is ever just ...
The story of Abraham begins with just such a call. (Genesis 12:1)—a verse etched into the heart of Jewish tradition—tells us: "The Lord said to Abram: Go you, from your land, and f...
Bereshit Rabbah, a classic compilation of Rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, offers a stunningly beautiful image to explain Abraham’s rise to greatness. It all starts...
Our guide? The ancient Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at ...
Our ancestors certainly did. And in the story of Abraham, we find the ultimate tale of answering that call. : God speaks to Abraham, then still Abram, and says, "Lekh lekha" – "Go ...
Specifically, Bereshit Rabbah 39. Rabbi Azarya, quoting Rabbi Aḥa, starts with a verse from Psalms (45:8): "You love righteousness and abhor wickedness. Because of this, God, your ...
The passage opens with a verse from (Genesis 13:10): "Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was all watered, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomor...
The verse in question is (Genesis 14:19): "He blessed him, and he said: Blessed is Abram to God, the Most High, Maker of heavens and earth." But another way to read it is "Acquirer...
Turns out, even Abraham, our patriarch, felt that way. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. In this passage, the v...
We're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 44 here, and the central question revolves around God's promise to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield for you; your reward is very great" (Ge...
The text opens with God's reassurance to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram." But whom did Abraham fear? Rabbi Berekhya suggests it was none other than Shem himself. The passage then draws ...
Abraham, our patriarch, knew that feeling. In (Genesis 15:2), he cries out, "My Lord God, what will You give me, seeing that I go childless, and the one who has charge of my house ...
That's where our story begins, drawn from the ancient wisdom of Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. "The angel of the Lord found her i...
The sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explored this very human feeling when grappling with God's command to Abraham to be circumcised. In (Genesis 17:1), God ...
The Torah portion Lekh Lekha is full of such hidden power, especially when we look at the transformation of Sarai into Sarah, and how that reflects her changing role. "God said to ...
It's right there in (Genesis 17:17): "Abraham fell upon his face, and he laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, ...
Take the story of Abraham, for instance. We all know he was commanded to circumcise himself and his household. But did you ever stop to consider the details of that commandment, an...
But the Rabbis of Bereshit Rabbah – that amazing collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis – see so much more. First, that "butter and milk" bit. What kind of butter are we...
(Genesis 18:22) tells us, "The men turned from there and went to Sodom, and Abraham was still standing before the Lord.” Seems straightforward. But hold on... The opening phrase, "...
We all know the story: God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. But Abraham, ever the righteous advocate, steps in. He challenges God, asking, "Far b...
We'll be looking at Bereshit Rabbah 49, which unpacks Abraham's famous negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom. Remember the story? God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah b...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw echoes of legal proceedings in the very interactions between God and Abraham, and their interpretations offer us a fascinating glimpse in...
Seriously, imagine beings of pure light and energy, tasked with divine missions. Do they zip around at the speed of light? Or do they… well, dawdle a bit? Our story begins, as so m...
It's like a linguistic puzzle, where sometimes a single letter can shift the whole meaning of a word. And that brings us to a curious little detail in the Torah, one that our sages...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, gives us a glimpse into this very idea through the contrasting actions of Abraham and Lot. We find ourselves in Genesis chapter 19, where Lot enc...
The verse that kicks it all off: "Lot's two daughters conceived from their father" (Genesis 19:36). Simple enough on the surface. But immediately, the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbin...
The story, as you might recall, is…well, let’s just say it’s complicated. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters are living in a cave. The daughters, be...
That feeling isn't new. Our ancestors knew it well. Take Abraham, for instance. The Torah tells us, "Abraham traveled from there to the region of the south; he lived between Kadesh...
to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a classical rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis, to see how the ancients grappled with the unexpected. The story unfolds in Ge...
Specifically, we're diving into Bereshit Rabbah 52, which unpacks a tricky moment in Abraham's story. Remember when Abraham and Sarah are traveling, and Abraham introduces Sarah as...
The Torah tells us Sarah saw Ishmael "playing" (Genesis 21:9), and it was enough for her to demand, in no uncertain terms, that Hagar and Ishmael be banished. But what exactly did ...
