560 related texts · 2 related myths · Page 12 of 12
Shir HaShirim Rabbah connects Solomon's judgment to the places where Israel learned to seek God's presence. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a classical rabbinic commentary on the Song of Son...
The mystics of old certainly did. And they found echoes of that very quest in the most unexpected places, even in the sensuous poetry of the Song of Songs. (Song of Songs 3:10). So...
The ancient Rabbis did. They poured over the verses, searching for clues. And in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs, we find some fascinating answer...
The verse we're unpacking is "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates" (Song of Songs 4:13). The Midrash cleverly interprets "your branches" (shelaḥayikh in Hebrew) as "your g...
The mystics of old certainly did. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse from the Song of Songs, a book overflowing with symbolism and hidden meanings. "Your branches [shelaḥay...
" But it's not just about physical beauty. The Rabbis interpret "Tirtza" as connected to the Hebrew word rotza, meaning "when you wish." It suggests that true beauty lies in the wh...
Our Rabbis certainly did. They grappled with this very question, especially when comparing the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the Rabbis explore th...
Jewish tradition has a beautiful answer for that feeling, a welcoming embrace for those who choose to join the community. It's all about gerim, or proselytes – converts to Judaism....
Like everyone else is contributing something amazing, and you're just. there? Our sages wrestled with that feeling too, even someone as towering as Moses. Rabbi Tanhuma, in his ope...
Vayikra Rabbah, the great Midrash on the Book of Leviticus, dives right into this question with a startling statement. It says that a Torah scholar without sense – meaning, without...
The Rabbis in Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection on the Book of Leviticus, tackle this very question head-on. Rabbi Idi kicks things off with...
The familiar version gives us the basics from Genesis, but the Rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) dove deep, exploring every nuance, every implicat...
Stick with me. In Vayikra, Leviticus, chapter 14, we find a curious passage about a plague that can afflict houses. Now, Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
” (Job 39:27). Rabbi Yudan of Gaul uses this verse to ask a powerful question about Aaron, the High Priest. Did Aaron command God's presence to rest upon the Ark? Did he have the p...
There was a lot of… well, let's call it "divine growing pains." The Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, gives us a glimps...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to The Prince Who Ate Non-Kosher Until the King Set His Table. The king, understandably, wasn't thrilled. He declares, "This one will frequent my table, and on...
It all starts with the verse, "You shall take for you on the first day.." (Leviticus 23:40) – referring to the lulav, the palm branch, used during the festival of Sukkot (the Festi...
Take Sukkot (the Festival of Tabernacles), for example, the Feast of Tabernacles, a joyous holiday where we dwell in temporary shelters, remembering our ancestors' journey through ...
There's a profound reason why. Rabbi Yitzḥak opens Vayikra Rabbah 31 with a powerful image, quoting (Psalms 119:140): “Your saying is exceedingly pure, and Your servant loves it.” ...
“For Mount Zion, which is desolate; foxes walk on it” (Lamentations 5:18).“For Mount Zion, which is desolate.” It happened that Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, Rabbi Yehos...
It is written: “You have seen, for You behold mischief and spite; to requite is in Your hand: the helpless man commits himself to You; You are the helper of the orphans” (Psalms 10...
“Who viewed the face of the king” – there were two families [who had permission] to appear before Rabbi Yehuda haNasi; that of Rabbi Hoshaya, and that of the household of Rabbi Yeh...
The question at hand: how could the Israelites, knowing the honor due to God, prostrate themselves before something that was created? Isn't that, well, a bit too close to idolatry?...
When we say "The Midrash of Philo," it's important to clarify we aren't talking about a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) in the classic rabbinic sense. Instead, it refers...
That they take for me an offering (Exod. 25:2). May it please our masters to teach us: What did they do with the surplus offering?1The surplus offering was from the funds contribut...
And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood (Exod. 36:20). R. Tahlifa of Caesarea said: The Holy One, blessed be He, taught man correct behavior. If a man desired to b...
These are the accounts of the tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). Scripture states elsewhere: Lord, I love the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thy glory dwelleth (Ps. 26:8). Thi...
These are the accounts of the Tabernacle (Exod. 38:21). Scripture states elsewhere: A faithful man shall abound with blessings; but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be unp...
These are the accounts of the tabernacle … and the bronze of the offering (Exod. 38:21, 29). The bronze of the offering (tenufah) refers to the bronze vessels given to a bride, for...
And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses (Exod. 39:32). It is written elsewhere in reference to the verse: He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous; but with kings upon the...
"And it was on the day that Moses had finished to erect the tabernacle" (Numbers 7:1). Our rabbis taught (Avot 1:2),"On three things the world stands: On the Torah, on the service ...
(Numb. 7:2:) “Now the princes of Israel drew near (to make an offering).” You find that when Moses proclaimed and said (in Exod. 35:5), “Take from among you an offering [for the Lo...
