465 related texts · 4 related myths · Page 7 of 10
Rabbi Yehuda offers a beautiful analogy. Imagine a prince with two sons, one older and stronger, the other younger and perhaps more vulnerable. To the younger, the prince says, "Wa...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Account of Noah. Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, gives us a glimpse into God's mindset right before Noa...
A reader can point to general "wickedness," but the details, as always, are far more interesting, and speak to timeless human failings. Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection ...
The verse in Genesis (6:14) states: "Craft for you an ark of cypress wood; you shall craft the ark with compartments, and you shall coat it within and without with pitch." Now, Rab...
It's fascinating to see how even the smallest details in the Torah, when unpacked by our Sages, can offer such profound insights. to Bereshit Rabbah 31, a section of the ancient Mi...
The familiar version gives us the classic story: two of every animal, safe from the flood. But what about the things that aren't exactly animals? (Genesis 6:19) tells us, "And of e...
The familiar story is this: the flood, the ark, two of every animal… but the logistics! How did he feed them all? What did he eat? The Torah tells us, "And you, take for you from a...
The verse that kicks it all off is God's instruction to Noah: "Come, you and your entire household, into the ark, as I have seen you to be righteous before Me in this generation" (...
Sometimes, it's in the details, in the seemingly small phrases, that we find the biggest insights. Take the story of Noah, for instance. The familiar version gives us the basics: f...
Our journey begins with the story of Noah and the flood. (Genesis 8:1) tells us, "God remembered Noah, and all the beasts, and all the animals that were with him in the ark; God ca...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Noah and Creation of Abba. “It was at the end of forty days, and Noah opened the window of the ark that he made” (Genesis 8:6). Remember that mysterious wo...
The story of Noah's Ark and the dove, as told in Genesis, is layered with meaning, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) find deep lessons in even the sm...
It’s fascinating to dive into the details, and Bereshit Rabbah, the ancient collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, does just that. (Genesis 8:13) tells us, ...
Not in your house, not in your apartment… but in a floating zoo. That’s Noah’s story. And in Bereshit Rabbah 34, we get a glimpse into his heart as the floodwaters recede and the p...
Maybe you're in a job you don't love, a relationship that's run its course, or even just a prolonged period of feeling…blah. Well, Noah, yes that Noah of ark fame, knew that feelin...
The familiar story is this: the flood, the animals, the ark bobbing along on a chaotic sea. But what happened after? The waters receded, the dove returned with the olive branch… an...
The story of Noah, after the flood, grapples with this very question. The familiar story is this: the world drowned in sin, Noah builds an ark, saves his family and the animals. Bu...
The Rabbis certainly wondered. Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dives deep into this seemingly simple verse. It asks, why a viney...
The familiar picture has Noah releasing the dove, seeing the rainbow, and rebuilding the world. But the Torah tells us a less rosy story, a story of wine, exposure, and consequence...
There's a curious incident involving Noah's son, Ḥam, that raises some eyebrows and leads to some pretty profound interpretations. (Genesis 9:22) tells us, "Ḥam, father of Canaan, ...
Our ancestors certainly did. And in the story of Abraham, we find the ultimate tale of answering that call. God speaks to Abraham, then still Abram, and says, "Lekh lekha" – "Go yo...
He's stood on Mount Moriah, knife raised, ready to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. The tension is almost unbearable. And then? (Genesis 22:20) tells us, "It was after these matter...
Take Eliezer, for instance, Abraham's trusted servant. He might seem like a supporting player, but Bereshit Rabbah 60 reveals a depth of understanding that's truly remarkable. The ...
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.” ...
Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very question. Specifically, it digs into the verse: "Wisdom wi...
In fact, it's echoed in ancient texts that speak to the timeless struggle between humanity and… well, something much bigger than ourselves. The tradition turns to Kohelet Rabbah, a...
Kohelet Rabbah turns to Noah's Greatest Failure Was Not Rebuking His Generation. This teaching connects this verse to Noah based on (Genesis 7:1), where God says, "For I have seen ...
We see it everywhere, from synagogue art to holiday decorations. But have you ever stopped to consider why? Well, the source enters a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah ...
Our text from Vayikra Rabbah 5, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection expounding on the Book of Leviticus, grapples with just that question. It starts with a se...
Our tradition certainly thinks so. There’s a powerful message tucked away in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically in section 33, about the weight of our words and the damage they can infli...
The Midrash of Philo wrestles with the heavy inheritance of sin through the strange confession of Lamech, a descendant of Cain. Philo was a Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandr...
The familiar version gives us Noah. The ark, the flood, the whole shebang. But have you ever paused to consider the moment of his birth? What was his father, Lamech, thinking? (Gen...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They grappled with the nature of prophecy: who gets it, and why? Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher living in Egypt in the first century CE...
Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, certainly did. And in the Midrash of Philo, we get a fascinating glimpse into his allegorical interpretations. He reads the Torah...
Take Noah, for example. The world’s about to be… well, let’s just say thoroughly cleansed. And yet, (Genesis 6:8) tells us, almost as an aside, that Noah "found grace in the sight ...
Jewish tradition explores that feeling in a fascinating way when it discusses Noah. The world was, to put it mildly, a mess. According to the Torah, humanity's wickedness had reach...
Why does the Torah, in (Genesis 6:9), enumerate the generations of Noah with reference not to his ancestors, but to his virtues? It's a fair question. Shouldn't we be hearing about...
These are the kinds of questions that our sages wrestled with, poring over every word of the Torah for hidden meanings. Let's consider Noah. The familiar story is this: the flood, ...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria in the first century CE, wasn't afraid to think outside the box. He saw layers of meaning in the Torah, and one of his most intrigu...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria in the first century CE, offers a unique allegorical interpretation of the Torah. And in this particular midrash (rabbinic interpre...
The Midrash of Philo turns to Covenant of Noah. What does that even mean? A treaty? It sounds like something you sign between nations, not something between God and, well, one guy ...
The Torah tells us plainly: "Enter thou and all thy house into the ark, because I have seen that thou art a just man before me in that generation" (Genesis 7:1). why? What made Noa...
(Genesis 7:2) lays it out: seven pairs of every clean animal, but only one pair of unclean animals. Seems straightforward, but. why? That’s a question that’s been puzzling interpre...
Take the story of Noah and the Ark. The familiar version gives us the basic plot: God sends a flood, Noah builds an ark, and saves his family and the animals. But what about the de...
The words that seem almost. unnecessary? Like when we read, "Noah did everything which the Lord commanded him" (Genesis 7:5). Seems straightforward. Noah was a righteous guy, God t...
It might sound a bit out there, but ancient wisdom suggests there's more truth to that feeling than it first appears. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, saw...
The ancient stories of the flood, like the one starring Noah, resonate so deeply because they speak to that very human experience. The familiar story is this: God saw wickedness an...
They weren't afraid to ask the tough questions. Take this one, for example, posed in The Midrash of Philo: Why does the Torah specifically mention that God remembered Noah, the ani...
