2,273 related texts · Page 37 of 48
We're looking at section 15, which delves into the very first commandment given to the Israelites as they stood on the cusp of freedom: "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2)....
The ancient texts offer some fascinating perspectives. Let's look at (Exodus 12:23), the verse describing the pasach, the Passover: "The Lord will pass to smite Egypt, and He will ...
We often read these epic stories in the Torah and just accept that things happened at the right moment. But what if there's a hidden layer of incredible detail beneath the surface,...
It's not just about spooky stories! to a fascinating explanation from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus, that sheds light on this very q...
Take the Exodus, for example. That final, earth-shattering plague—the death of the firstborn—struck at midnight. But why? Why not high noon? What’s so special about that inky black...
It's not just about freedom; it's about divine justice, redemption, and the messy, complicated choices people make when faced with monumental events. The ancient rabbis certainly d...
The story starts with a seemingly simple commandment: "This is the statute of the paschal offering." Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta paints a vivid picture: God, blessed be He, instructs ...
We read in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, a fascinating idea tied to the verse "No foreigner shall eat of it" (Exodus 12:43) – refer...
It goes all the way back to the Exodus, to the very night God spared the Israelite firstborn while striking down the Egyptians. But there’s more to it than just remembering a histo...
That bittersweet feeling is ancient, deeply human, and, believe it or not, it echoes in the story of Moses and the Exodus. : Moses. MOSES! The guy who stood up to Pharaoh, who part...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very feeling when they looked at the Exodus story. The Torah tells us that God "did not lead them" – lo naham – after Pharaoh finally let the ...
Jewish tradition teaches us that this feeling might be more than just a lucky coincidence. It might be the very presence of the Divine. Shemot Rabbah, a classic compilation of rabb...
Jewish tradition recognizes that very tension within us, and even within the relationship between God and Israel. Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary...
The ancient Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, knew that feeling all too well. We find a fascinating glimpse into this in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on th...
Our story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It paints a breathtaking picture of divine intervention and the unwavering faith...
Shemot Rabbah, a rich collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a powerful reading of the verse "Then Moses…sang [thi...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, certainly did. The book of Exodus tells us, "Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out to the wilderness of...
Rabbi Yehuda tells us that the Israelites reasoned, "The Holy One, blessed be He, only took us out of Egypt for five things!" What were those five things? First, to give us the plu...
It might seem a little... unflattering at first glance. But as with so many things in our tradition, there's a depth and beauty to be found when we dig a little deeper. Shemot Rabb...
We often gloss over place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Take, for example, the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up in ...
The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...
The Israelites certainly did. In the book of Exodus, right after the incredible miracle of being freed from Egypt, they find themselves wandering in the desert, thirsty and complai...
This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, specifically Shemot Rabbah 27. It uses the s...
Can you picture them all crying out at the same moment? Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, tells us that God hears them all concurrently...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, points this out explicitly. "Come and see," it urges, "how excellent this portion is!" What's so ex...
It all centers around the Hebrew word ve’eleh, meaning "these are." The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) opens with a question: What's so special about ve’eleh? The Rabbi...
The text opens with a quote from Psalms: "Endow the king with Your justice, God…May he judge Your people with righteousness" (Psalms 72:1–2). Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, a key figure in t...
It happened. And the story, found in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, is It all starts after the Golden Calf incident. Moses, understa...
It sounds strange, but Jewish tradition explores the idea that certain special figures in our history were known by multiple names, each reflecting a different facet of their chara...
The book of Exodus and the sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explore this very idea. In (Exodus 32:7), we read, "The Lord spoke to Moses: Go descend; for your...
Our tradition wrestles with that very feeling in the story of the Golden Calf. Imagine the scene: Moses is up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Torah, the very blueprint for a just and...
The book of Exodus tells us that after the giving of the Torah, the Israelites, impatient and afraid, built the Golden Calf. God, understandably, was furious. "Let Me be," He says ...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous exodus from Egypt, had already broken their covenant with God. And God, understandably, was furious. But Moses, ever the advocate, stepp...
This particular section, Shemot Rabbah 43, gives us a glimpse into the intense drama that unfolded between Moses and God after the Israelites' colossal blunder. The verse in questi...
Good intentions, maybe, but with a track record that's... well, let's just say "mixed"? That's the feeling at the heart of a beautiful passage in Shemot Rabbah 49, a collection of ...
The verse "Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He will stand before kings" (Proverbs 22:29) sparked quite the debate. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpret...
They found ways to see even those challenging forces as a path towards the Divine. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse from Shir HaShirim, the Song of Songs, explored in Shi...
I can't possibly do that!" Well, Moses felt that way too. to a fascinating interpretation of the Song of Songs that reveals Moses's very human anxieties. The verse we're looking at...
And it's a feeling, according to our sages, that even Moses himself grappled with. to a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)i...
Today, we’re diving into Shir HaShirim Rabbah 9, a section of the rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs, and trust me, it’s not always what you’d expect. The verse under discuss...
It's not just a love poem, but a lens through which to view the most precious gifts given to the Jewish people. to one fascinating interpretation from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a colle...
It’s a humbling, and frankly, a little thought. And it's exactly what we find explored in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings and interpretations on the Song o...
The rabbis of old knew that struggle all too well. And they had some pretty creative ways to wake people up! There’s a story told in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Son...
He paints a picture in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on Song of Songs, that really resonated with me. Imagine a prince, see? He's been dreadfully ill. Finally, he recovers. ...
to one little verse that the Rabbis found particularly rich: "My beloved is like a gazelle or a fawn; behold, he is standing behind our wall, gazing from the windows, peering throu...
The verse in question is (Song of Songs 2:17): "Until the day is great and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a fawn on the cleft mountains.” Now, on the ...
That ache, that persistent search – it echoes through the ages, even finding its way into the ancient texts. We turn to Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretatio...
Seems straightforward. But the Rabbis, in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, see layers of meaning here. Specifically, they focus on the Hebrew word libavtini – "you have charmed me." The spell...
