465 related texts · 4 related myths · Page 10 of 10
When Moses consecrated Aaron and his sons to the priesthood, a week-long ritual bound them to the altar, daily offerings, daily bread, daily blood. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (redacted...
The Torah often speaks in categories, the priests, the Levites, the heads of tribes. But Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Exodus 35:29) zooms out to the widest possible frame: Every man,...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Exodus 40:11) turns the consecration of the bronze laver into a vision of the distant future. Anoint the laver, the meturgeman says, on account of Jehosh...
It's about divine engagement. The verse that sparks this thought is from (Numbers 3:1): "And these are the generations of Aaron and Moses on the day that God spoke to Moses on Moun...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to The Law of Jealousy Leaps to a Cosmic Perspective. The passage starts with a verse about the law of jealousy, specifically concerning a woman suspected of ...
Sometimes, those little things hold the key to unlocking profound insights. to one such instance from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), specifically chapter 13, and see what we can...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Shelumiel's Transgression. The verse But why the fifth day? Why Simeon? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) asks, what made Shelumiel's offering...
A powerful image. "The power of His deeds He told to His people" (Psalms 111:6). According to Bamidbar Rabbah, God could have simply created a new land for the Israelites. But inst...
A reader can just gloss over those descriptions of the Garden of Eden, but the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of the Torah, sa...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to One Flesh and the Laws of Marriage in Genesis. It all starts with the famous verse from (Genesis 2:24): “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mot...
The familiar story is this: the ark, the flood, the animals two by two. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the timing of it all? It's not just about the rain, but about the ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Fruits of the Righteous Are a Tree of Life. What are the fruits of the righteous? According to the Bereshit Rabbah, they are mitzvot (commandments) and goo...
The familiar story is this: the flood, the animals two-by-two, a rainbow of hope at the end. But what about the blueprints? How did Noah actually build this thing? The Torah, in (G...
(Ecclesiastes 9:14) tells a strange little story: "There was a small city, with few men in it, and a great king came against it and surrounded it." What does it mean? In Bereshit R...
This story, found in Bereshit Rabbah 61, takes us right into the middle of just such a scene. The verse that sparks this whole episode is from (Genesis 25:6): "But to the sons of t...
Take the story of Jacob, disguised as Esau, receiving Isaac's blessing. It's a pivotal moment, full of deception and destiny. Okay, hides of goat kids. That sounds… itchy. Rabbi Yo...
The verse in question comes from (Proverbs 31:29): "Many women have performed valiantly, but you have surpassed them all." But who is the "you" being referred to here? According to...
The ancient Rabbis certainly did. In Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, we find a series of stories, almost like little parables,...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly does. And the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, wrestled with it too. Specifica...
It might seem like just a simple Hebrew word meaning "was," but in the world of Jewish thought, it can unlock hidden meanings, destinies, and connections. Shemot Rabbah, a collecti...
Where did they all come from? The Book of Deuteronomy (33:4) tells us, "Moses commanded us the Torah." But what does that really mean? Well, according to Rabbi Simlai, as quoted in...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. We find this idea beautifully illustrated in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It uses a verse...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating glimpse. Specifically, Shemot Rabbah 51 dives into the idea that the Israelite...
The Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text focusing on the Book of Leviticus, tackles this very question. It begins with a seemingly simple verse: “Fro...
The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tackled this very question, and their answer might surprise you. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Hanan, both citing Rab...
It centers on the verse: "And the fire of the altar shall be kept burning in it" (Leviticus 6:2). Now, Rabbi Pinchas makes a subtle but profound observation. He points out that the...
The core debate boils down to this: Did the descendants of Noah, meaning all humanity before the giving of the Torah at Sinai, offer only burnt offerings, or did they also offer pe...
A passage from Vayikra Rabbah 13 that explores just that. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them" (Leviticus 11:1). Seems straightforwa...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Everything Is Equal for the Righteous and the Wicked. Our entry point is the Book of Leviticus, specifically chapter 16, verse 1: “The Lord spoke to Moses a...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Had Nadav and Avihu Left Sons They Would Have Led Israel. Rabbi Yaakov bar Avin, quoting Rav Aḥa, makes a crucial point: if Nadab and Abihu had had sons, th...
And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out (Gen. 34:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: All honor to the king’s daughter within the palace (Ps. 45:14). R. Yosé...
And Jacob called unto his sons (Gen. 49:1). May it please our master to teach us whether the one who leads the congregation in prayer may respond “Amen” after the priests. Thus did...
(Lev. 1:7:) “And the sons of Aaron the Priest shall put fire upon the altar, and they shall lay wood in order upon the fire.” (Tamid 2:3:) All of the trees are proper for [altar] f...
