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(Exodus 23:10) commands: "Six years shall you sow your land." Rabbi Eliezer taught that this verse reveals two different agricultural realities, depending on Israel's spiritual sta...
The Shema — "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4) — is the most foundational declaration in all of Judaism. But the Mekhilta noticed something odd a...
Jewish tradition has a powerful and beautiful answer: the Ruah ha-Kodesh, the Holy Spirit. According to tradition, before the Throne of Glory, before angels, before even the stars ...
Jewish tradition offers a powerful, heart-wrenching image: Mother Zion. The image of Mother Zion comes from a deep well of sorrow and longing, born from the exiles and devastations...
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...
"Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad" – "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deut. 6:4). We say it every day, often multiple times a day. But where did it ...
It might seem arbitrary, a blip on the calendar. But according to Jewish tradition, the month of Tishrei isn't just any month. It's the month of beginnings, endings, and profound t...
That’s the Ninth of Av, or Tisha B’Av. We remember the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem on this day. Not just that, but a whole string of tragedies that seem to have c...
The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron is one of those places, a site revered for millennia. But the story of how it became so sacred is even more fascinating than you might imagine. It a...
The Torah tells us that Isaac eventually married Rebecca. But did you know that, according to some traditions, they faced a long period of infertility? Twenty-two years, to be exac...
Take the tale of Jacob and Esau, for instance. We all know the basic outline: Jacob, aided by his mother Rebecca, deceives his blind father Isaac to steal the blessing meant for hi...
It all begins with Abraham. God Himself entrusted him with a profound secret, "the secret of the mystery of the Redeemer," as Howard Schwartz puts it in Tree of Souls. A heavy burd...
The Jewish mystical tradition has some pretty answers, especially when it comes to King David. There's a wild idea that David wasn't just crowned here, but also in heaven! Accordin...
That’s the feeling this ancient story evokes. Imagine Jerusalem, poised on the brink of annihilation. God, in his wrath, sends an angel to destroy it. Can you picture it? A city ab...
The story goes that after the Temple was torn down and Jerusalem was ablaze, God, in His infinite compassion, sought to soothe the city’s pain. As Pesikta Rabbati 30:3 tells us, Go...
It all starts with a bit of divine disappointment. According to tradition, when the generation of the Flood went astray, God, in a moment of regret, wondered about creating humans ...
Jewish tradition has some pretty vivid ideas about that, especially when it comes to the resurrection of the dead. It’s not just a "poof" and everyone’s back. It's a process, a cos...
Jewish tradition is rich with imagery of the End of Days, and one particularly potent symbol keeps popping up: a gate. Not just any gate, but the Golden Gate of Jerusalem. Now, Jer...
According to Jewish tradition, it's not just about who gets in, but who gets to wake up first. Why are our patriarchs, the Avot – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – said to be buried in t...
It’s a question that’s captivated Jewish thinkers for centuries. And Jewish tradition actually gives us a glimpse, a stunning vision of just such an encounter. Imagine this: it's t...
Turns out, it does! And like any good friend, it’s got some warnings mixed in with the… well, potential for celebration. This all comes to light in a fascinating passage from Midra...
Instead, it sees these tiny creatures as symbols – powerful metaphors for…empires. Yes, empires! Buckle up. First, we have the ant: "Ants are a folk without power, and yet they pre...
The story of King Solomon and the Daughter of Pharaoh, as told in Midrash Mishlei, is a potent reminder. It's a tale of celebration, misdirection, and a temple almost lost. Rabbi I...
It all starts with the words, "Happy is the man" (Psalm 1:1). But what makes a person truly happy? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) offers several beautiful interpret...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating perspective. It points to the tribe of Levi, specifically those who resisted ...
It’s a question that’s haunted humanity for millennia. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, wrestles with this very idea, pulling in ve...
In fact, it's a theme that echoes through Jewish tradition, especially when we talk about the relationship between God, Moshiach (the Messiah), and the enemies of Israel. The Midra...
Psalm 2, verse 12, gives us pause: "Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." It's a pot...
King David knew that feeling. He poured his heart into the Psalms, and within those verses, the ancient rabbis found layers upon layers of meaning – not just for David, but for all...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. And they found echoes of this idea even in the seemingly simple words of the Psalms. Specifically, in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rab...
Ever find yourself reading the Psalms and wondering, "What's really going on here?" We do too! to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretati...
The story, as told in Midrash Tehillim, is truly terrifying. Imagine Moses, up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Torah. A moment of ultimate revelation. And down below? The Israelites,...
" This verse, seemingly simple, becomes a springboard for a deep dive into themes of good and evil, destiny, and the very nature of creation. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive com...
King David, a man familiar with enemies both within and without, knew exactly where to run: to God. (Psalm 11:1) starts, "To the chief musician, a psalm of David: In the Lord I hav...
King David certainly did. Psalm 13, a deeply personal and relatable cry for help, begins with that very sentiment: "How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You ...
After all, they each played such pivotal roles in our history. But Midrash Tehillim, in its unique way, actually tackles this very idea. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
That feeling, that tension, is ancient. And it echoes in the verses of Psalms, specifically in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms. We ...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a powerful glimpse into David's humility. It tells of David declaring, "I am a stain." A powe...
The passage opens with an intriguing idea: prayer itself as judgment. David, contemplating his own mortality and the possibility of divine judgment, seems to be saying, "If my judg...
The verse we're focusing on is "Arise, O Lord." It's a plea, a call to action. But according to the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), it's also a reminder. A reminder of ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this divine-human "battle" during the Exodus. It's not just abou...
Yet, praise is central to Jewish tradition. Why? to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletical interpretations on the Book of Psalms, and see what we ...
Today, we're diving into one of those fascinating tales, a legend surrounding Judah, one of Jacob's sons, and a rather dramatic encounter with Esau. The passage we're exploring com...
"He prepares a table before me." What does that even mean in the context of a comforting psalm? Midrash Tehillim connects this to the manna, that miraculous food that sustained the...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. In Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, we find a fascinating take on Psalm 27. It revolves around a ...
It’s a question that’s been wrestled with for centuries, and the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers some truly fascinating, and at t...
The ancient collection of rabbinic teachings, Midrash Tehillim, specifically Midrash Tehillim 48, grapples with this very idea, using Psalm 48 as its springboard. It asks, what is ...
That tension is at the heart of our story today, drawn from Midrash Tehillim 58, a beautiful exploration of Psalm 58. It grapples with a difficult question: "Do not destroy the con...
