13,298 related texts · Page 275 of 278
The rabbis of old grappled with this question, especially concerning the laws around building altars for sacrifice outside the designated Temple in Jerusalem. This wasn't some free...
It’s a fascinating idea, and one that Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah), specifically section 22, explores in a surprisingly beautiful way. The passage begins by quoting (Psalm 146...
And they used stories – beautiful, powerful stories – to make sense of it all. One of my favorites comes from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Levi...
We all do it. But have you ever wondered what it truly means to avert your gaze, to consciously choose kedushah (holiness), holiness? Rabbi Menashya, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua ben...
Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Levi, puts it so powerfully. He says that King David proclaimed, "You, Lord, are forever exalted" (Psalms 92:9). What does it mean to say God is alway...
That’s the kind of feeling we're going to explore today, but with a very specific location in mind: Zion. We find a fascinating passage in Vayikra Rabbah, a midrashic (rabbinic int...
Rabbi Ḥiyya taught that this specific portion, Kedoshim, was delivered in a grand assembly – "Speak to the entire congregation of the children of Israel..." (Leviticus 19:2). Why? ...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very question. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, they explore a fascinating connection between ho...
It's not just about cleanliness, friends. It’s about something far deeper: our relationship with the Divine. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on...
Surprisingly, the ancient Rabbis found clues in the most unexpected places – even in the words of the wicked Pharaoh himself! It's a fascinating idea, isn't it? That even through t...
The passage begins with a seemingly simple verse from Leviticus (19:24) about planting fruit trees: “When you will come into the land and plant any food tree, then you shall regard...
The book of Job asks, "Who set wisdom batuḥot?" (Job 38:36). The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Vayikra Rabbah, explores this, asking, what even is batuḥo...
Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, opens our eyes to this truth in a rather startlin...
It’s more than just a random rule. to Vayikra Rabbah 27 and see what wisdom we can uncover. "A bull, a sheep, or a goat, when it is born, shall be seven days under its mother." Why...
These questions, believe it or not, were being debated intensely by the ancient Rabbis, particularly in relation to the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it's known in Hebrew. L...
It's the idea that God, while ultimately one, expresses different attributes. And one of the most profound shifts happens when we, humanity, turn towards Him in sincere prayer. Rab...
It's more than just tradition; it's a cosmic reset button! to a fascinating interpretation from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, that she...
In Jewish tradition, the number seven is definitely one of those numbers. It’s not just a random figure; it's woven into the very fabric of our understanding of the world and our r...
The story begins with two prominent scholars, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, deep in discussion. They were grappling with a seemingly simple question: Should the shofar (ram's hor...
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:...
Take the four species we use on Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles: the etrog (citron), the lulav (palm branch), the hadass (myrtle), and the aravah (willow). We wave them, we rejoic...
It all starts with the phrase "Command the children of Israel" – which, on the surface, sounds like a divine order. But the Rabbis, masters of unpacking layers of meaning, saw some...
It’s a question that’s occupied Jewish thinkers for millennia, and today we're diving into a fascinating piece of that puzzle. Let's turn to Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 31...
It's not just about taste or culinary use; there's a deeper story, a narrative woven through our texts that elevates olive oil above all other oils. Rabbi Ḥiyya, in Vayikra Rabbah ...
The story begins with Rabbi Zeira. When he arrived in the Land of Israel, he was troubled. He kept hearing people call each other mamzer and mamzeret. Now, a mamzer (masculine) or ...
Today's story, drawn from Vayikra Rabbah 32, dives into just that: the plight of the mamzer. The mamzer. It's a loaded term. In Jewish law, it refers to a child born from certain f...
It’s a powerful thing to consider. The ancient sages certainly thought so. Our story today comes from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviti...
The passage begins with a verse from Leviticus (25:14): "If you sell a sale item…[you shall not wrong [tonu] one another]." The Hebrew word tonu speaks of exploitation, of taking u...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw the world as a delicate balance, and they understood that even seemingly small acts of injustice could have enormous consequences. In Vay...
The Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection on the Book of Leviticus, explores this very idea. It opens with the verse "If you follow ...
It’s a question our Sages grappled with, digging deep into scripture and tradition. The text we're diving into today, Vayikra Rabbah 35, wrestles with this very idea. How many rain...
An Athenian came to Jerusalem and encountered a certain child. He gave him coins and said to him: ‘Go and bring me something so that I can eat, be sated, and have leftovers to take...
An Athenian came to Jerusalem and found a discarded mortar. He took it and brought it to a tailor. He said to him: ‘Sew this broken mortar for me.’ [The tailor] took out a handful ...
A visitor from Athens arrived in Jerusalem with a trick question, certain he could stump the local priests. According to Eikhah Rabbah, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentar...
An Athenian came to Jerusalem. He devoted three and a half years to learn the language of wisdom,28Scholars would speak in riddles that could not be understood by the average perso...
An Athenian came to Jerusalem, and he greatly mocked the residents of Jerusalem. They said: ‘Who will go and bring him to us?’ One person said to them: ‘I will go and I will bring ...
“She weeps bitterly at night and her tears are on her cheeks; she has no comforter from all her lovers. All her allies have betrayed her, have become her enemies” (Lamentations 1:2...
“And her tears are on her cheeks [leḥya],” over her priests, just as it says: “He shall give to the priest the foreleg, the jaw [haleḥayayim], and the maw” (Deuteronomy 18:3). Alte...
“Jerusalem has committed a sin, therefore she has become a pariah. All who honored her demean her because they have seen her nakedness. She, too, sighed and turned back” (Lamentati...
There was an incident involving Miriam daughter of the baker, who was taken captive with her seven sons. The emperor took them and placed them behind seven partitions. He brought t...
“Zion spread her hands, there was no comforter for her; the Lord has commanded for Jacob that her adversaries surround her. Jerusalem has become like a pariah among them” (Lamentat...
“He stripped His shrine like a garden; He destroyed His place of assembly. The Lord caused festival and Shabbat (the Sabbath) to be forgotten in Zion and He scorned king and priest...
“The Lord resolved to destroy the wall of the daughter of Zion. He drew a line, did not withdraw His hand from demolishing. He caused the rampart and wall to mourn, together they l...
“Arise, cry out at night, at the beginning of the watches, pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift up your hands to Him for the life of your infants, who a...
“He wore away my flesh and my skin, broke my bones” (Lamentations 3:4).“He wore away my flesh” – this is the community. “And my skin” – this is the Sanhedrin (the supreme rabbinic ...
“He brought the contents of His quiver into my kidneys” (Lamentations 3:13).“He brought the contents of His quiver [benei ashpato] into my kidneys” – Rav and Shmuel: Rav said: His ...
“It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased, for His mercies have not ended” (Lamentations 3:22).“It is the Lord’s kindnesses that have not ceased” – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish ...
“The precious sons of Zion, who were valued in gold, how are they considered earthenware jugs, the handiwork of the hands of the potter?” (Lamentations 4:2).“The precious sons of Z...
