1,870 related texts · 10 related myths · Page 37 of 39
It's astonishing, really. The laws of the nazir, the one who takes a vow of separation, a path of heightened holiness. The Book of Numbers lays out some very specific restrictions ...
(Numbers 6:24). It’s more than just a nice sentiment. It’s a layered blessing, packed with meaning and implications. Bamidbar Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretatio...
The Torah portion Naso, particularly in Bamidbar Rabbah 13, explores this very concept, using the offerings of the princes as a springboard. It's a fascinating exploration of Israe...
The verse Now, three tribes were left to offer: Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. So, why Dan first? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) suggests it's all about Jacob's blessing...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with centuries ago, and their insights, drawn from the Torah itself, are surprisingly relevant today. We find a fascinating discussion in Bamidb...
The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, picks up the story after the tumultuous events at Sinai. In Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpreti...
This week, It centers on Moses, and a particularly frustrating episode with Datan and Aviram. Get ready, because this is a masterclass in ingratitude! So, the scene: Moses, ever th...
What do these four seemingly disparate things have in common? They're all described as chukim – decrees or statutes – things we do simply because God commanded them, even if the re...
The Torah isn't just a text; it’s a living conversation, a dialogue that echoes through generations and, some say, even between God and Moses himself. Rabbi Aḥa, quoting Rabbi Ḥani...
The story goes like this: A curious, and perhaps skeptical, idolater approaches Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, a renowned Jewish sage. He's puzzled by the ritual of the Red Heifer (Para...
The Torah, in its unflinching honesty, shows us just that. a passage from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 19, which explores the immediate aftermath of Aaron's death. The verse we...
A classic example surfaces in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 as it grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Israel sent messengers to Siḥon, king of the Emorites, saying…" (Numbers 21:21). The...
Our exploration begins with the verse, "Much livestock..." a seemingly simple phrase that Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, uses as a spri...
Rabbi Yitzchak did. He started with a verse from Psalms: “The beginning of Your word is truth…” (Psalms 119:160). And then he dove right into Genesis, the beginning itself. Rabbi Y...
Jewish tradition, in its beautiful, often paradoxical way, has some fascinating answers. to Bereshit Rabbah, one of the oldest and most important commentaries on the Book of Genesi...
At least, that's what we learn from Bereshit Rabbah 21, a fascinating passage in the ancient rabbinic commentary on Genesis. Rav tells us that "in every place, the eastern directio...
The verse at the heart of this discussion is (Genesis 9:6): "One who sheds the blood of man, by man his blood shall be shed, as He made man in the image of God." Simple enough The ...
The familiar story is this: Abraham, tested by God, is asked to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. He obeys, bringing Isaac to Mount Moriah. Just as Abraham raises his knife, an ang...
The story of Abraham burying Sarah in the book of Genesis, specifically as explored in Bereshit Rabbah 58, really brings that feeling to life. "Abraham arose from before his dead, ...
In the Torah, we find Abraham, the patriarch, facing just such a moment when sending his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son, Isaac. It's a journey fraught with responsibi...
We begin with a simple verse from (Genesis 25:19): "This is the legacy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac." Seemingly straightforward. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabb...
The story begins with Akilas, a convert to Judaism – a ger tzedek, as we say in Hebrew. He approaches Rabbi Eliezer with a question, a concern, really. Akilas points to the verse i...
It’s a fascinating story that takes us back to the very beginnings of our people, to Jacob wrestling with a mysterious figure. The Torah tells us, in (Genesis 32:33), "Therefore, t...
That feeling, that resilience, is at the heart of a beautiful teaching about Jacob, our patriarch. The Torah tells us that Jacob "arrived intact" (Genesis 33:18) after his long jou...
The story begins with Judah and his sons. You might remember the verse from (Genesis 38:8): "Judah said to Onan: Consort with your brother’s wife, and consummate levirate marriage ...
Our Sages, delving deep into the Torah, confront this very idea in Bereshit Rabbah 97, a section of the ancient Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary). They begin with a verse ...
It's a wild ride of interpretations, isn’t it? " Now, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi], the compiler of the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law), offers a double-edged interpretation. ...
The story starts with a quote from (Genesis 49:5): "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of villainy are their heritage." But what does it really mean? Bereshit Rabbah, an ancient...
The Torah describes Joseph as a "fruitful tree, a fruitful tree alongside a spring; branches run over the wall" (Genesis 49:22). But what does that really mean? The rabbis in Beres...
The verse that kicks it all off is from (Deuteronomy 2:31): “The Lord said to me: See, I have begun delivering before you Siḥon and his land; begin taking possession of his land.” ...
The Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, wrestles with the verse, "The Lord your God will maintain for you…" What exactly will God maintai...
It's a poignant moment, and the book of Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, illuminates the depth of that experience. "You are crossing t...
The familiar story centers on the first set, shattered in anger at the sight of the Golden Calf. But why two in the first place? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Boo...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a fascinating glimpse into how our sages understood the balance between divine justice and mercy. It all...
The verse in Deuteronomy (20:10) sets the stage: "When you approach a city to wage war against it, you shall call to it for peace." Seems counterintuitive. But in Devarim Rabbah, t...
It is often remembered as the absence of conflict, but Jewish tradition elevates peace – shalom – to something far more profound and active. It’s not just a nice idea; it's a force...
Tucked into the laws of Deuteronomy is a commandment about a bird's nest that has troubled readers for centuries. (Deuteronomy 22:6-7) says, "If you come across a bird's nest along...
Water, wine, honey… it's a veritable feast of metaphors! But what's the meaning behind it all? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, explor...
Devarim Rabbah 8 opens with a quote from Proverbs: "Wisdom is lofty to a fool; at the gate, he will not open his mouth" (Proverbs 24:7). But what does it really mean? Rabbi Tanhuma...
The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with this tension beautifully. And the Rabbis in Kohelet Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive c...
Kohelet Rabbah turns to How Bribery and Corruption Cloud Even the Wisest Mind. So, what's the connection? The text suggests that even disagreements amongst Torah scholars can muddl...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They wrestled with the complexities of Jewish law and tradition, seeking not just to follow the rules, but to truly understand them. And in the pr...
The Book of Exodus opens with a simple statement: "Joseph died, along with all his brothers and that entire generation" (Exodus 1:6). But this seemingly straightforward sentence ho...
The verse But what did He see? What did He know? One interpretation, drawing on (Ezekiel 20:9), suggests that God knew it was time to redeem the Israelites for the sake of His name...
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). ...
In the Book of Exodus, we find Moses at the burning bush, tasked with the monumental mission of freeing the Israelites from slavery. He's understandably apprehensive. It’s a daunti...
In the book of Exodus, we read, "The Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward the heavens, and there will be hail throughout the land of Egypt…" (Exodus 9:22). It seems straight...
The verse "Draw, and take for yourselves lambs" (Exodus 12:21) might seem straightforward, but the Rabbis saw layers of meaning. They connect it to the verse "With stillness and pl...
