3,492 related texts · Page 57 of 73
Jewish tradition offers a beautiful, hopeful counterpoint to that feeling, especially when it comes to our connection to the land of Israel. to a teaching from R’ Yochanan, as reco...
Sometimes, the clues are hidden in plain sight, tucked away in unexpected places. Let's take a peek into the Yalkut Shimoni, a vast collection of rabbinic commentary on the Bible, ...
It’s a question that’s sparked debate and contemplation for millennia. According to a fascinating passage in Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 191, even the angels were curious! The text tel...
We're diving into the fascinating world of the Nazir – the Nazirite – and some seriously intricate rules about their sacred commitment. In the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar in Hebrew ...
The Torah tells us in Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:21, "This is the law of the Nazirite." Now, the Nazirite, or Nazir (נזיר), is someone who takes a special vow to abstain from wine, cut t...
But the text goes on to explain that all who hate the righteous are, in effect, haters of the Holy One, blessed be He. Think of it like this: when we strike out against goodness, a...
The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt and wandering in the desert, definitely knew that feeling. We find ourselves in Bamidbar (Numbers), specifically chapter 11, verse 18. The people...
The Torah, in the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), gives us a pretty stark example of that. We’re talking about the story of the mann, the miraculous food from heaven that sustained the...
It’s a question that's echoed through generations, and one that the ancient sages grappled with deeply. to one small corner of this vast conversation, found in Sifrei Bamidbar, a r...
That’s precisely what’s happening at the very beginning of Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy. The text wastes no time diving right in. It says, "across the Jordan," and "in th...
The ancient text of Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, grapples with this very question, and it's a surprisingly potent message for us today. There's a powerf...
In the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), specifically chapter 3, verse 24, we find Moses pleading with God. He says, "Your greatness (gadlecha)..." But what exactly does that gadlecha...
What will the world look like, not just in terms of technology or politics, but in terms of... well, God? There's a fascinating little passage in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of ea...
It might surprise you to learn that some of our most cherished daily practices weren’t always so…daily. to a fascinating passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpre...
I get it. Take the famous words from Deuteronomy (Devarim) 6:7 about reciting the Shema: "…when you lie down and when you rise." Sounds simple. But what does it really mean? The Si...
They’re called tefillin (leather phylacteries worn during prayer), or phylacteries, and they’re more than just ritual objects – they’re a powerful connection to our history and our...
The text poses a hypothetical: How do we know the same person built both cities? Maybe a different architect was involved. The answer lies in the lineage of Cham, son of Noah. (Gen...
Not just any mountain, but one with not one, not two, but three names. Why? That's where our story begins. In the book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, we find the verse (32:49) telling Mo...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the book of Deuteronomy, gives us a fascinating glimpse into just such a moment. Imagine this: a wedding...
It suggests that the very act of inquiry, of delving into the Torah, brings its own reward. The text tells us that the Torah itself testifies that reward comes from inquiry. How so...
It’s a very human experience, and something our Sages grappled with constantly. Let me tell you a story from the Sifrei Devarim that captures this perfectly. Once upon a time, Rabb...
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, really wrestles with this idea when it warns the Israelites about the practices of the Canaanites. "All the places where the nations worshipped…" ...
It's more than just history; it's about rest, inheritance, and a divine promise. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a fasc...
It's like eavesdropping on a divine conversation about where and how to live a righteous life. The text opens with a seemingly simple instruction: "But only before the L-rd your G-...
The Torah, our guide through life's complexities, anticipates these moments. Imagine this: you see someone struggling. Maybe their animal is overloaded and collapsing under the wei...
It’s uncanny, really. This passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, does just that. It dives straight into questions of lendin...
to Sifrei Devarim 117, a passage that explores the profound impact of giving, both in deed and in word. The passage begins by asking, "Whence do I derive (the same for) even a hund...
But like so many things in Jewish tradition, the answer, or rather the layers of answers, are richer and more meaningful than you might expect. R. Shimon, in Sifrei Devarim, tells ...
We read in 1 Samuel that they yearned to be "like all the nations." But what was really driving that desire? Rabbi Nehorai, as quoted in Sifrei Devarim, gives us a rather startling...
This particular section, 211, deals with the laws of war, and specifically, what happens when an Israelite soldier encounters a captivating woman amongst the captives. It all start...
Because "you were a stranger in his land." It sounds simple enough, but Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah digs deeper. The Egyptians, let's be real, weren’t exactly acting out of pure altru...
This particular section, 286, explores the idea of reward and punishment, and what it truly means to be righteous. Rabbi Shimon Berebbi kicks things off with a compelling argument....
This particular passage, Sifrei Devarim 292, takes a rather dim view of disagreements. The text starts with the verse from Deuteronomy (25:11), "If men strive together..." But the ...
The ancient text Sifrei Devarim paints a powerful picture of just that feeling, and offers a startling, hopeful response. Imagine the entire congregation of Israel standing before ...
It’s a question that’s been pondered for centuries, and one little verse in Devarim (Deuteronomy) offers a fascinating glimpse into the reverence the ancients held for the unspeaka...
The ancient text, Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, opens up a fascinating perspective. In it, the verse referring to God as "your Owner" (kanecha) sparks a ...
And it's all tucked away in a short but potent verse from Sifrei Devarim 313, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text on the Book of Deuteronomy. The verse says, "He bu...
He was a righteous man, tested beyond measure. But how did tragedy initially strike his family? As we learn in Sifrei Devarim, it wasn't due to any inherent sinfulness on their par...
We find ourselves wrestling with this very question in Sifrei Devarim 325, an ancient commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. The text grapples with the idea of divine retribution, ...
The Sifrei Devarim, an ancient commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, paints a vivid picture, comparing the Torah to something both awe-inspiring and essential: fire. And when you ...
It seems like a simple question, but the answer, like so many things in Jewish tradition, is layered with meaning. The Sifrei Devarim, an ancient commentary on the Book of Deuteron...
It’s a question that’s echoed through generations, pondered in synagogues and around countless Shabbat (the Sabbath) tables. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabb...
SHEMAIAH AND ABṬALYON RECEIVED THE TRADITION FROM THE PRECEDING. SHEMAIAH SAID: LOVE WORK AND HATE PUBLIC OFFICE, AND BECOME NOT KNOWN TO THE RULING POWER.LOVE WORK. What does this...
In (Genesis 13:10), Lot "lifted up his eyes and saw the whole plain of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere." A simple observation about good farmland. But the ancient A...
The Hebrew Bible tells us God remembered Sarah and she bore a son. The ancient Aramaic translators wanted to know more. They added a detail the Torah left out: God performed a mira...
The standard Torah tells us that Jacob traveled to Beersheba and offered sacrifices before heading down to Egypt. But Targum Jonathan, the ancient Aramaic translation dating to the...
The Ten Commandments in (Exodus 20) are a list in the Hebrew Bible. In the Targum Jonathan, they are a spectacle. Each commandment is a living entity of storm and flame that flies ...
The laws of (Exodus 23) cover justice, festivals, and the conquest of Canaan. The Targum Jonathan on this chapter adds moral psychology, legal specifics, and one of the most striki...
