3,492 related texts · Page 45 of 73
Our ancestors felt it too. to a fascinating little piece from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection that unpacks the book of Leviticus. This par...
The lulav, the palm branch we wave during Sukkot, the Festival of Booths, seems simple enough. But what if that seemingly innocent branch had a dark secret? Vayikra Rabbah, a fasci...
Take, for instance, the four species we use on Sukkot – the etrog (citron), the lulav (date palm frond), the hadass (myrtle), and the aravah (willow). They aren't just random plant...
It's not just about taste or culinary use; there's a deeper story, a narrative woven through our texts that elevates olive oil above all other oils. Rabbi Ḥiyya, in Vayikra Rabbah ...
The Torah touches on this profoundly, urging us not to ignore the suffering of others. It's more than just a nice idea; it’s a core principle woven into the fabric of Jewish ethics...
Rabbi Elazar, in Vayikra Rabbah 35, offers a powerful comparison. He says, "The way of the world is that a king issues a decree; if he wishes to fulfill it, he fulfills it, and if ...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with, and in Vayikra Rabbah 36, we find some fascinating—and differing—answers. The text explores just how long the merit, the z’chus, of the pa...
“Great [rabati] among the nations,” but was it not already stated [in the verse]: “greatly [rabati] crowded”? Why does the verse say: “Great [rabati] among the nations”? It means g...
“After these matters, King Aḥashverosh promoted Haman son of Hamedata the Agagite, and he raised him up and set his seat above all the princes who were with him” (Esther 3:1).“Afte...
“Haman said to King Aḥashverosh: There is one people that is scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every peo...
“The king said to Haman: The silver is given to you, and the people are yours to do with them as you see fit” (Esther 3:11).“The king said to Haman: The silver [hakesef] is given t...
“Esther’s young women and her chamberlains came and told her, and the queen was greatly shocked” (Esther 4:4).The Rabbis from there2From Babylonia. say: She menstruated. The Rabbis...
“Esther summoned Hatakh, one of the king’s chamberlains whom he had set before her, and commanded him to go to Mordekhai to know what this is and why this is” (Esther 4:5).“Esther ...
“Haman said: ‘Indeed, Queen Esther gave a feast and besides the king she did not bring anyone but me. And tomorrow too I am invited by her along with the king” (Esther 5:12).“Haman...
“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...
Another interpretation: “Haman took the garments and the horse....” (Esther 6:11). He came to Mordekhai and said: ‘Rise and get dressed.’ How unlucky is this man; last night I was ...
“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 ...
Mordekhai returned to the king’s gate and Haman hastened home, mourning and covering his head” (Esther 6:12) – Mourning for his daughter, and covering his head because of what had ...
“Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had befallen him. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him: If Mordekhai, before whom you have begun to fall, is...
The Book of Esther opens with a single verse that the rabbis of Esther Rabbah read as a cry of anguish: "It was during the days of Ahasuerus" (Esther 1:1). But to understand why th...
King Saul was told to destroy Amalek completely. He did not. Centuries later, according to Esther Rabbah, the Jewish people paid for that moment of misplaced mercy with a genocidal...
Isn't it fascinating how often we grapple with the line between respect and worship? Where do we draw that boundary? It's a question that goes right to the heart of Jewish thought....
Yes, kissing! We often think of kissing as a sign of affection, love, or respect. But in ancient times, it could also be a form of worship. Strange. The Bible itself gives us a gli...
This is a tricky concept, one that's tripped up even seasoned students of Kabbalah. We're diving deep into the nature of the Divine, grappling with ideas about creation, generation...
The Jewish tradition grapples with this very question, and it's a fascinating journey to explore. Now, Rabbi Tzadok ben Yechiel, in the book "Ravid HaZahav," makes a crucial distin...
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...
We all know the story: Cain's offering wasn't accepted, Abel's was, jealousy flared, and tragedy struck. But what about the consequences? Why a mark of protection, instead of swift...
And in the Midrash of Philo, we find a fascinating take on fate, divine justice, and the reasons behind catastrophic events like, say, the Flood. Philo addresses those who argue ag...
But sometimes, it's those little details that hold the biggest secrets. That single olive branch. (Genesis 8:11) tells us, "The dove returned to him in the evening, and there in it...
Philo, in his Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), dives headfirst into this question when talking about Noah and the flood. It's a fascinating exploration of time, virtue, ...
That feeling, that impulse – it gets to the heart of what it means to be truly grateful, and what it means to connect with the Divine. The Midrash of Philo touches on this very poi...
He sacrifices some animals. End of story. But what if there was a deeper meaning hidden within those verses? That's what the Midrash of Philo explores when it asks about (Genesis 8...
Some interpret this verse as God’s permission for humanity to eat meat. After the flood, the world was starting anew, and perhaps a new dietary allowance was being granted. But is ...
Ever stumble across a verse in the Torah that just... sticks in your craw? A line that seems simple at first glance, but the more you chew on it, the more questions it raises? That...
It offers a reading that's surprisingly insightful, telling us it’s actually a praise of the wise person. Yes, you read that right: praise! But how can nakedness be praiseworthy? P...
"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...
It all starts with the verse: "Abraham passed over and sat upon them" (Genesis 15:11). Simple enough. But what does it mean? What is Abraham sitting on? Some interpret this verse a...
The ancient sages certainly did. And they found profound meaning in that feeling. to a fascinating interpretation of a well-known biblical passage, explored in the Midrash of Philo...
Take the covenant God makes with Abraham in Genesis 15. It's a big moment. God promises Abraham this whole huge swathe of land for his descendants. But then it gets…well, geographi...
The story, of course, revolves around Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar. Sarah, unable to conceive, gives her handmaiden Hagar to Abraham. But as we know, things get complicated. Hagar con...
We all know the story of Abraham, or Avraham as we say in Hebrew, and his wife Sarah, or Sarah. They longed for a child, but time was passing. So Sarah, following the customs of th...
And they gave us a whole treasure trove of interpretations, embellishments, and downright fascinating tales to flesh things out. The verse in question? (Genesis 16:15): "Hagar brou...
We often take them for granted, but in the ancient world – and particularly in the Jewish tradition – names held incredible power. They weren't just labels; they were reflections o...
It might sound trivial, but Jewish tradition is full of stories about how the smallest things can have enormous significance. Today, we're diving into one such story, found in The ...
The question is: Why? (Genesis 17:17) tells us that after God tells Abraham (who was then still called Abram) that his wife Sarah (then Sarai) will bear him a son, he "fell on his ...
That image – of falling on one's face – becomes incredibly potent when we explore the story of Abraham. The Midrash of Philo, an ancient commentary attributed to Philo of Alexandri...
It turns out, even Abraham, our forefather, might have had a moment of… well, not exactly doubt, but perhaps profound wonder. The Torah tells us, in (Genesis 17:17), after God prom...
Our ancestor Abraham knew that feeling well. We find him in a fascinating moment in the Midrash of Philo, grappling with hope, faith, and the very definition of a "blessing." Philo...
