12,014 related texts · Page 39 of 251
The Mekhilta notices something extraordinary in the Song at the Sea: the phrase "Your right hand, O Lord" appears twice in (Exodus 15:6). Why the repetition? Because the right hand...
The Mekhilta pauses on two words from (Exodus 15:10) — "mighty waters" — and asks a deceptively simple question: who in scripture is called "mighty"? The answer reveals a fourfold ...
The Mekhilta notices something unusual about the verse "And Moses made Israel journey from the Red Sea" (Exodus 15:22). Rabbi Yehoshua points out that this particular journey was i...
The Mekhilta records an alternative explanation for why Israel went three days without water. According to this view, the problem was not the desert at all. The problem was their c...
R. Yossi says: Israel ate the manna for fifty-four years, forty years in the lifetime of Moses and fourteen years after his death, it being written "And the children of Israel ate ...
When God told Moses to take the staff that had struck the Nile, the Mekhilta explains the reason: it was because of Israel's "murmurings." The people had been complaining, and now ...
The Mekhilta draws a direct parallel between Moses' raised hands and another puzzling episode: the bronze serpent in the wilderness. When poisonous snakes attacked the Israelites, ...
They said: Rachav the harlot was ten years old when Israel left Egypt, and all forty years that Israel was in the desert, she plied her trade. At the end of fifty years, she conver...
Moses carried God's message to the people of Israel. He delivered the divine offer: accept the Torah, become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. The people responded with unani...
Before God ever asked Israel to accept His kingship, He proved Himself through action. The Mekhilta lays out the sequence with deliberate precision, and the order matters. First, G...
Rabbi Eliezer, one of the greatest sages of the Mishnaic period, fell gravely ill. Four distinguished elders came to visit him at his bedside: Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi E...
We’re talking about the hayyot (חַיּוֹת), the “living creatures,” also sometimes called the heavenly creatures. These aren't your average angels. According to the lore, they're som...
On Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, something extraordinary is said to happen. While Jews gather at the Kotel...
The Torah tells us God instructed Abraham: "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of t...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Psalms, offers a pretty powerful image to explain it. It starts with the question: "Why did the nations rage?" Th...
Jewish tradition is filled with stories of hardship, exile, and longing for redemption. But within those stories, like hidden sparks, are glimmers of hope, resilience, and profound...
It’s not just about remembering a historical event; it’s about something far more profound. Midrash Tehillim 8, a commentary on the Book of Psalms, delves into the very heart of th...
The 15th chapter of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating exploration of just that. It's not a simple checklist, but a ta...
He interprets the verse, "I will bless the Lord who counsels me" (Psalm 16:7) with regard to Abraham. But Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai takes it a step further. He says that God Himself ...
Isn't it funny how sometimes we just know something is valuable, but we can't quite put our finger on why? That’s kind of the question posed at the beginning of Midrash Tehillim 19...
He's not just a character in a story; he's a blueprint, a model for living a life of faith and devotion. But how do we even begin to grasp the depth of his significance? Midrash Te...
Midrash Tehillim, in its commentary on Psalm 36, offers a fascinating insight. It all boils down to fear – or rather, the lack of it, in the right place. The psalm begins, "To the ...
Specifically, we're looking at Midrash Tehillim 45. The verse we're focusing on is "Your children shall be under your fathers." Now, on the surface, that might seem straightforward...
And the story of its origins, as told in Midrash Tehillim, is quite fascinating. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teaches us that these prayer times – evening, mornin...
That feeling, that raw, desperate plea, echoes in the words of Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its interpretation of Psalm 71. Imagine the people of Israel, the Knesset Yisrael, ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, grapples with just that idea. In Psalm 74, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explores how the ...
Today's story from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, is all about how seemingly small acts of courage and confession can have enormo...
The Midrash Tehillim, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, wrestles with this very idea. Rabbi Yitzchak points to (Deuteronomy 33:27), which ...
Midrash Tehillim 94, a beautiful exploration of Psalm 94, grapples with this very feeling. It tells us, "For until righteousness returns, judgment will turn back, and after it all ...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so, observing the Israelites’ cyclical relationship with God in the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Ps...
The Psalms, those ancient songs of the soul, speak to this feeling with raw honesty. Psalm 107, in particular, sings of God's goodness, even – or especially – when we're scattered ...
That image, that feeling of utter powerlessness, resonates deeply in Jewish tradition. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, uses it to describe ...
Our tradition is full of stories that remind us that even the most unexpected journeys can lead to greatness. Take David, for example. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic i...
That feeling of a long, hard journey – that's exactly what's captured in the Psalm of Ascents. But it's not just about the struggle; it's about the song that rises with each step. ...
The ancient Rabbis grappled with these very questions, and their answers, found within the Midrash Tehillim (a collection of homiletical interpretations on the Book of Psalms), are...
The mystics did, and they connected it directly to the Divine. : how do we respond to new beginnings? With joy, with song, with dance! And according to the Midrash Tehillim, a coll...
There's this story in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early collection of Jewish stories and traditions, that gives us a glimpse into his life and the esteem in which he was ...
In chapter 9, we find a surprisingly vivid image comparing rivers to the people of Israel. : rivers, in their natural course, are a blessing. As the text says, "All rivers flowing ...
We often think about the legal agreements, the ketubah, and the ceremony itself. But what about the party? The celebration? The text we're looking at is from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer...
Our sages certainly thought so, and they had some amazing stories to illustrate just that. to one, found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapter 16. It tells of Eliezer, Ab...
Take (Psalm 60:8), for instance: "Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver; Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe;...
Lead with something positive before diving into the difficult stuff. It turns out, this isn't just good manners; it's a lesson we learn from God Himself! Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a ...
Tradition tells us that Abraham faced not just a few challenges, but ten major trials throughout his life. Ten! Can you imagine? The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, an early medieval colle...
His life was practically a masterclass in overcoming adversity. We often think of Abraham's trials, his nisyonot, as being primarily about faith – being asked to sacrifice Isaac, f...
Talk about trials! And the tenth, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, that's the one that really takes the cake. "And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove Abraha...
We're talking about Abraham, and the agonizing moment when he was commanded to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Now, we all know the basic story. But the beauty of Jewish tradition lies i...
Our story today, drawn from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations of the Torah, touches on just such a moment in the life of Abraham. The ...
We read about the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, every year, but the details… they can be truly chilling. One of the most striking accounts comes from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fas...
