3,813 related texts · Page 21 of 80
The construction of the Tabernacle in (Exodus 36:1-38) begins with a problem no ancient building project should have had. The people brought too much. Morning after morning, they a...
God told Moses to "bring near Aaron" for the priestly consecration—and the Targum Jonathan adds three devastating words the Hebrew Bible does not contain: "who is afar off on accou...
It's more than just chance, according to the ancient rabbis. It's about divine engagement. The verse that sparks this thought is from (Numbers 3:1): "And these are the generations ...
That feeling of imbalance, of unspoken credit, is something the ancient rabbis grappled with too. And we find a fascinating example of it right at the beginning of the Book of Numb...
The Book of Numbers, or Bamidbar in Hebrew, gives us some fascinating insights into this very question, particularly in the fourth chapter, as explored in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classi...
But sometimes, tradition, holiness, and even a little bit of divine reasoning come into play. Our story begins with a seemingly simple instruction from the Book of Numbers (Bamidba...
That's the situation the sons of Kehat found themselves in, in the Book of Numbers. Our story begins in Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 5, which delves into the passage about...
It’s a midrash, a rabbinic interpretation, on a verse from the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar in Hebrew, which gives the whole book its name. The verse in question mentions "the tribe ...
It's in those little quirks that we often find hidden depths. Take the census of the Levites in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, for example. Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah 6 shines a...
Our ancestors felt that way, too. The ancient rabbis understood this, and that's why we find so much human drama, even in the most sacred texts. Take this story from Bamidbar Rabba...
The Torah tells us, "Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]" (Numbers 13:16). But here's the question: why did Moses change Hoshea's name to Joshua? What prompted this a...
It’s a tale of ambition, delusion, and a very dangerous offering. The scene is set: Moses, leading the Israelites. And then comes Koraḥ, a Levite, challenging Moses’s leadership, s...
Talk about pressure! In this week's Torah portion, Chukat, we find a particularly fraught moment (Numbers 20:8). God tells Moses, "Take the staff…and give the congregation and thei...
The verse in (Joshua 1:5) declares, "As I was with Moses, I will be with you." This promise seems to imply that Joshua would enjoy a life parallel to that of Moses, who lived to be...
The Jewish tradition certainly does. In fact, it links our speech directly to our relationship with the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
We often think of death as the great leveler, the fate that awaits us all. But Jewish tradition suggests that for some, like Moses, the end is… different. Special. : Moses, the man...
Her story, found in Kohelet Rabbah, the commentary on Ecclesiastes, is a stark reminder that joy and sorrow can be two sides of the same coin. The verse we're looking at is from (E...
It begins with the verse, "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), spoken to Moses and Aaron. Why them? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) asks, why did God speak t...
It all begins with the phrase, “these are [ve’eleh] the ordinances.” But it's not just about the laws themselves; it's about the dedication behind them. The Rabbis of the Midrash (...
He was trying to save the Israelites from destruction, and the story goes something like this… God, seeing the Israelites’ transgressions, essentially challenges Moses. "Find me te...
Sometimes, the answer can be found in the most unexpected places, like in the ancient commentaries on the Song of Songs, or Shir HaShirim in Hebrew. Specifically, we can look at Sh...
Sometimes, a single verse can unlock a whole new world of understanding, linking tales and teachings in unexpected ways. to one of those connections, found in Vayikra Rabbah (Levit...
It all starts with the verse: “Take Aaron, and his sons with him, and the vestments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of un...
The book of Job speaks to that feeling. "Even at this my heart trembles veyitar from its place" (Job 37:1). What does veyitar even mean? Rabbi Aha and Rabbi Ze'eira, in Vayikra Rab...
It sounds radical, I know. According to some accounts, God bestowed immense honor upon Moses, gifting him dominion over the entire earth, the seas, the rivers – all the elements th...
We all know the story: Moses goes up the mountain, gets the Ten Commandments, and comes back down. But what if there was more to the story? What if the Bible we know is just a glim...
Talk about pressure. The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text that retells and expands upon stories from the Hebrew Bible, gives us a glimpse into this pivotal moment. So, pict...
We all know the story of Moses striking down the Egyptian taskmaster to save a Hebrew slave. But what happens next? The Book of Jubilees, a text considered canonical by some but ex...
We all know the story: Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Epic. But what about the moments before all th...
to a fascinating, and sometimes surprising, peek into the origins of Passover and Shabbat, as seen through the lens of a text called the Book of Jubilees. The Book of Jubilees, som...
Today, we’re diving into Chapter 59, a chapter that, on the surface, seems like a simple list of names, but it’s so much more than that. It's a powerful reminder of family, legacy,...
The chapter opens with Pharaoh, secure in his reign, commanding the construction of a magnificent palace. And who does he enlist to help? None other than the sons of Jacob, adding ...
The Sefer haYashar, or Book of Jasher, a collection of Jewish legends and lore, gives us a glimpse. Chapter 87 opens with a divine instruction. "At that time the Lord said to Moses...
The story continues, of course! And today, we're diving into Chapter 88 of the Book of Jasher to see what happened as the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land under the lea...
You know the story. Abraham, fearing for his life in a foreign land, tells everyone that his wife, the stunning Sarah, is actually his sister. A classic "mistaken identity" situati...
(Yes, that's the title of the whole collection.) It's a wild ride through the aggadah – the stories, the embellishments, the "filling in the blanks" that surrounds the more straigh...
The story of Joseph and his brothers is a perfect example, a tale brimming with jealousy, betrayal, and divine intervention. Imagine the scene: the brothers, consumed by envy, have...
He's interpreting dreams in prison. It all seems so straightforward in the biblical narrative. But let's dig a little deeper, shall we? The Torah tells us that Joseph correctly for...
That’s where we find Pharaoh in the Joseph story. For two long years, Pharaoh was plagued by recurring dreams. Night after night, they visited him, only to vanish with the morning ...
Pharaoh, back in ancient Egypt, definitely knew that feeling. He had two dreams, back to back, that shook him to his core. And he knew—he just knew—that they weren't just random fi...
That was Pharaoh's predicament, as told in Legends of the Jews. He summons all his wise men, his magicians, his interpreters of dreams. "Tell me," he demands, "what do these vision...
Pharaoh had one of those. And it wasn't pretty. You know the story. Pharaoh's dream: Seven fat cows devoured by seven gaunt ones. Seven healthy ears of grain swallowed by seven wit...
Take the story of Joseph, for example. You know, the one with the coat of many colors? We often focus on the coat, the brothers' jealousy, but there's so much more depth to unpack....
And it led to one of the most dramatic moments in the Joseph story. Pharaoh, plagued by these intense dreams, had already consulted the wise men of Egypt. But their interpretations...
No sooner had Joseph left the king’s presence than a messenger arrived with startling news: the birth of Pharaoh’s son. But joy quickly turned to sorrow. Another messenger followed...
It sounds like a dream. But what if everyone around you is dead-set against it? That's the situation Joseph found himself in, according to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, when Phar...
We all know the basic story: famine, dreams, interpretation… but there's so much more swirling beneath the surface! It’s a story brimming with divine intervention, miraculous knowl...
It’s a story filled with twists, turns, and a whole lot of divine intervention. It's the story of Joseph. After Joseph correctly interprets Pharaoh's dreams, foretelling seven year...
