12,014 related texts · Page 89 of 251
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael derives the practice of Kiddush, the sanctification of Shabbat (the Sabbath) over wine, from the commandment to "sanctify it." The phrase "to sanctify...
Rabbi Achai ben Yoshiyah addressed a question about the Sabbath commandment's reference to "you and your son and your daughter." Who exactly are the son and daughter mentioned here...
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael draws an illuminating comparison between the fear of parents and the observance of Shabbat (the Sabbath). The verse in (Leviticus 19:3) places them si...
Rabbi Yonathan made a declaration that would strike most people as counterintuitive: "Beloved are afflictions." Suffering, he taught, is not a sign of divine abandonment. It is a s...
Rabbi Yishmael taught that the word "if" in the Torah generally means something is optional — except in three specific cases where "if" actually means "when," making the instructio...
(Exodus 21:3) introduces a condition for the Hebrew bondsman: "If alone he came, alone shall he go out." The Mekhilta uses this verse to determine whether a master is required or m...
The Torah states that if a master gives his Hebrew bondsman a Canaanite bondswoman "and she bears him sons or daughters," the woman and her children belong to the master (Exodus 21...
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael cites a verse from (I Samuel 24:19) that contains one of the most intriguing phrases in all of Scripture: "As stated in the apothegm of the Primal One...
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael draws a connection between two seemingly unrelated legal passages in the Torah, both involving the concept of metaphorical language in legal contexts....
One of Rabbi Yishmael's disciples raised a distinction between different categories of oxen. An ox that has become ritually impure (tamei) is still permitted for deriving benefit —...
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael records a teaching by Rabbi Yishmael on the laws of bailment, drawn from (Exodus 22:6): "If a man give to his neighbor money or vessels to watch." Thi...
Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Shimon were being led out to their execution. Rabbi Shimon turned to Rabbi Yishmael and said: "Rebbi, my heart is faint, for I do not know why I am going t...
The opening of Mekhilta Tractate Shabbata draws attention to the singular way God communicated with Moses. The verse states (Exodus 30:11): "And the Lord spoke to Moses." The Mekhi...
"It is a sign forever" — the Mekhilta derives from this phrase that the Sabbath will never be lost from Israel. No matter what happens — exile, persecution, assimilation pressures ...
We know Elijah. The fiery prophet who challenged the priests of Baal, who ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. He's everywhere in our stories. We set a place for him at the Pas...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, explores this very idea. It begins with the image of a pit being dug. "A pit is dug and is excavated. All t...
The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those brilliant interpreters of scripture, have a lot to say about this verse. Specifically, Midrash Tehillim, the col...
Where did they get clothes? How did they stay clean? It's the kind of thing that keeps rabbis up at night, apparently. And it leads us to some pretty amazing stories in the Midrash...
But in Jewish tradition, this idea – the fit between a person and their qualities – is a recurring theme. Take Psalm 24, "A Psalm of David. The earth and its fullness belong to the...
Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that beautiful, expansive form of Jewish storytelling, loves to shine a light on those very people. It teases out their virtues, amplifi...
Specifically, we're looking at Midrash Tehillim 42. It's a plea, a challenge, almost a demand, directed at God. The speaker in this Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) begin...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a surprising answer, linking peace to…mountains. Yes, mountains! "Let the mountains bring p...
The verse we're looking at is "Let a thousand fall from your side." Now, what does that even mean? Rabbi Yitzhak offers a compelling idea: He connects this verse to the mitzvah (co...
Our tradition has a lot to say about that, especially when it comes to prayer and redemption. to a powerful passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the...
We all know the story: Moses, the Israelites, the desperate flight from Egypt... But the details? Oh, the Rabbis have some thoughts. The book of Psalms (Tehillim) is a constant sou...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this very question. It imagines a scenario in the World to Come, Olam ...
We all know the story: God, in his awesome power, struck down the firstborn of Egypt as the final, devastating blow to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. But ...
It wasn't always this way, you know. There's a fascinating story in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a collection of stories and interpretations from the Talmudic period, about a celestial ...
This fascinating work, often abbreviated as PDR El., is a collection of stories, legends, and interpretations of the Torah, all attributed to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, a prominen...
You know the story. Jonah, told to prophesy to Nineveh, tries to flee from God's command by hopping on a ship. But a massive storm hits, threatening to sink everyone. And that's wh...
The story of Jonah is a powerful exploration of just that feeling, and how sometimes, sacrifice – even unwilling sacrifice – can bring calm to the storm. We all know the basic stor...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Jewish text, gives us glimpses of just such figures. It's not history in the way we think of it today, but more a tapestry of s...
The Rabbi, in this telling, lays it out plainly: the angels, once dwelling in heavenly purity, gazed down and saw the daughters of Cain. Not just saw them, but saw them adorned, "w...
Rabbi Zadok offers us a glimpse into the origins of the Anakim. These weren't just big people; they were giants born of arrogance, their hearts filled with pride. And what did this...
We get glimpses, tantalizing hints, and sometimes outright fantastical stories about that long-ago world. And one of the most striking comes from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinat...
It's rarely accidental. Jewish tradition teaches that these repetitions often hold a deeper meaning, a hidden layer of significance just waiting to be uncovered. Take, for example,...
Our story comes from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text that weaves together biblical narrative, aggadic embellishments, and moral lessons. Today we're looking at Chapter 4...
The moments leading up to his birth were fraught with danger and a whole lot of divine intervention. The book of Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text filled with stories and ...
Rabbi José, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, paints a vivid picture – a stark contrast, really – of that momentous night. On one side, you have the Israelites. Picture them: finally free...
The passage begins with a seemingly innocuous statement: "And Solomon became allied by marriage to Pharaoh king of Egypt..." (Melachim I 3:1). But this simple line opens a floodgat...
It happens. But what if that silence has bigger consequences than you realize? The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Hebrew Bible, has a fascinating, and ...
Our ancestors certainly did. Today we're diving into a fascinating story from Sifrei Bamidbar, a legal commentary on the Book of Numbers, that grapples with just that feeling of ex...
Today, we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of challah, that golden-brown braided bread we often enjoy on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and holidays, but with a twist. We're not ju...
It’s not as simple as drawing lines on a map! Sifrei Bamidbar, a collection of rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Numbers, sheds some light on this. We learn that when t...
We often think of them as a simple recap of the journey from Egypt, but the very first verse hints at something more. It begins by listing the places where Moses spoke to the Israe...
The Torah, in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), gives us a little geographical detail that hints at a much bigger story about journeys, delays, and maybe even missed opportunities...
In Sifrei Devarim, we find this little gem: "Much to you dwelling in this mountain." It sounds straightforward. Like a simple acknowledgement of gratitude. But, as always, there’s ...
Our source today is Sifrei Devarim 12, a section of the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im on the Book of Deuteronomy. It paints a r...
