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Jewish tradition has some pretty strong opinions on that. And, spoiler alert: it doesn't end well. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (interpretive stories) on the Book...
Unthinkable. Yet, that's precisely the level of focus the Sages expected during prayer. The Mishna Berakhot (5:1) tells us that even if a king greets you, or a serpent wraps around...
The verse in (Exodus 9:10) tells us, "They took soot of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it heavenward; and it became boils erupting into blisters upon man an...
In (Exodus 10:21), God tells Moses to stretch out his hand, and the text says, "there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, and the darkness will be tangible." Tangible! What do...
He says that God declares "I am the Lord your God" precisely because He took us out of Egypt. It's the foundation. He freed us so that we would, in turn, accept His divinity upon o...
Today, we're diving into a story from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, that tackles just that feeling. It’s a story of courage, ...
The Rabbis pondered this very question. And their answer, surprisingly, might be simpler than you think. Rabbi Pinḥas, Rabbi Levi, and Rabbi Yoḥanan, all citing Rabbi Menaḥem of Ga...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Vayikra Rabbah 13 that explores just that. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them" (Leviticus 1...
It turns out, these two seemingly unrelated topics are deeply intertwined in some fascinating rabbinic discussions. , shall we? We find a compelling debate in Vayikra Rabbah 14, a ...
In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, we find this very idea explored. It all starts with the seemingly simple phrase, "to set calib...
Take the story of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu. Their sudden, tragic deaths after offering "alien fire" before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2) is one of the most jarring moments in th...
This feeling isn’t new. In fact, the ancient rabbis grappled with it, too, and found profound meaning in it. Rav Ḥanan of Tzippori offers a beautiful interpretation of doing acts o...
Vayikra Rabbah 26, a section of the Midrash Rabbah on Leviticus, invites us to do just that. It starts with the familiar verse, "The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, sons ...
We often take these things for granted, but Jewish tradition suggests there's a deeper, more profound answer than just physics. It's all about ḥukim (חקים), statutes. But not just ...
Jeremiah wrote the Book of Lamentations as an alphabetical curse — each verse beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a devastation so systematic it marched from Ale...
“To their mothers they say: Where is grain and wine? While fainting like corpses in the city squares, while their souls are poured into their mothers' bosoms” (Lamentations 2:12).“...
“I called Your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit” (Lamentations 3:55).“I called Your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit” – this is Joseph, this is Jeremiah, this is Daniel...
“Her nazirites were purer than snow, whiter than milk; their appearance was ruddier than gems, their form, a sapphire” (Lamentations 4:7).“Her nazirites were purer than snow,” for ...
“Their countenance is blacker than coal, they are not recognized in the streets; their skin is shriveled on their bones, it has become dry as wood” (Lamentations 4:8).“Their counte...
“Our water we drank for money; our wood comes at a price” (Lamentations 5:4).“Our water we drank for money.” One time, the tormentors entered and took their bread, their wine, thei...
“To our necks we have been pursued; we are exhausted, and we have no respite” (Lamentations 5:5).“To our necks we have been pursued.” Hadrian, may his bones be crushed, commanded a...
“Our fathers have sinned, and are no more; and we have suffered their iniquities” (Lamentations 5:7).“Our fathers have sinned, and are no more.” The Holy One blessed be He said to ...
“Upon the completion of [uvimlot] those days” – it is written uvimlot [plene, with the extra vav],8It is not clear if this is merely a textual note or somehow related to the follow...
“In the courtyard of the garden of the king's palace” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: The garden was on the outside and the courtyard on the inside. Rabbi Neḥe...
“Hangings of white [ḥur], green [karpas] and blue [tekhelet], fastened with cords of fine linen and purple wool on silver rods and marble pillars, couches of gold and silver, on a ...
Rav began: “Woe! He gives drink to his neighbor, amplifies your wrath, and intoxicates him, so that you may look upon their nakedness” (Habakkuk 2:15). “Woe! He gives drink” – that...
Another interpretation: “From people by Your hand, O Lord” – how mighty are they who took dominion from under the hand of God. Who is that? That is Nebuchadnezzar. “From people fro...
“The king said to Haman: Hurry, take the garments and the horse; as you have said, do so to Mordekhai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Do not omit anything that you spoke of. H...
“Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate and Haman hastened home, mourning and covering his head” (Esther 6:12). Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate; [this phrase] teaches that he ...
That is what is written: “Say to God: How awesome are Your works” (Psalms 66:3). How terrifying are Your wonders. [Those slated to be] killed, kill those who would be their killers...
Take those verses that seem to hint at a divine “we.” The big one, of course, is (Genesis 1:26): "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Seems pretty clear-cut. A plura...
This is precisely the puzzle posed in The Midrash of Philo. It's a beautiful, thought-provoking exploration of the early chapters of Genesis, attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a J...
But our sages saw layers of meaning in every word, every phrase. And when we slow down and look closer, we can too. Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, certainly did...
Where’s the headwaters for such majesty? (Genesis 2:10) tells us, "And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." But...
Yet, when we delve into ancient Jewish thought, we find just that kind of imaginative, symbolic thinking. Let's take a journey to explore one such fascinating idea, found in the Mi...
But…they eat the fruit, and they don't drop dead right then and there. So, what gives? What does "Ye shall surely die" really mean? That's a question that has kept Jewish thinkers ...
Our starting point here is a fascinating text referred to as "The Midrash of Philo." Now, when we say "Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)," we're talking about a particular...
It wasn't just about the lush vegetation or the talking animals, although I’m sure those were According to this Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Adam and Eve weren't ash...
It's easy to see him as just a sneaky snake, but Jewish tradition, especially in the writings we call midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), often sees things on a deeper, sym...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria in the first century CE, grappled with this idea. He saw that virtue, that inner goodness, could actually make someone "older" in a...
Philo's writings, sometimes called "The Midrash of Philo," offer a unique blend of Jewish tradition and Greek philosophy. They delve into the deeper meanings behind the Torah, expl...
We often skim past the stark pronouncements in the Torah, like "And all flesh capable of motion perished" (Genesis 7:21), without truly grasping the implications. But what exactly ...
He saw the world – and especially our inner world – as a kind of living midrash, a constant interpretation of the Torah and reality itself. And in his unique way, he understood the...
"I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of the Chaldaeans to give thee this land for an inheritance" (Genesis 15:7). It's not just a generic "Hey, I'm God!" introdu...
Take the writings attributed to Philo of Alexandria, for example. Now, there’s some debate about whether these are actually from Philo himself, but the collection known as “The Mid...
The ancient sages certainly did. to a fascinating interpretation from the Midrash of Philo that uses geography to explain the pursuit of happiness itself. Philo, a Jewish philosoph...
It’s a question that takes us to the heart of how we understand ourselves in relation to the world, and even to God. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher living in Roman Egypt...
to a fascinating interpretation from the Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations attributed to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria. The passage in question revolve...
