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Even after God revealed Himself in the burning bush, even after all the reassurances, Moses still hesitated. "But," he argued, "they will not believe me! They won't listen. They'll...
Ten times Pharaoh promised to free the Hebrews. Ten times he broke his word. Each broken promise brought something worse than the last, and according to Josephus, the plagues that ...
And sometimes, the solutions to those disagreements come in the most unexpected forms… like, say, a blossoming staff. We find this story in Bamidbar Rabbah 18, which elaborates on ...
There are so many fascinating texts that offer different perspectives and details on familiar narratives. Today, we're diving into a chapter from one of these books: the Book of Ja...
On the third day, Ezra sat under an oak tree. A voice came from a bush opposite him. "Ezra, Ezra." He rose to his feet. "Here I am, Lord." The voice from the bush was deliberate. U...
It's not just about freedom from slavery; it's about the cosmic battle between belief and denial, played out through plagues and miracles. to the second plague, the plague of the f...
Three converts came to Shammai with impossible requests. All three were turned away. All three then went to Hillel, who accepted every one of them. The contrast, recorded in Shabba...
Rabbi Simlai made one of the most ambitious claims in the entire Talmud. He said: 613 commandments were given to Moses at Sinai—365 prohibitions corresponding to the days of the so...
It wasn't pretty. And it certainly wasn't subtle. Our story picks up right after Moses and Aaron deliver their fateful message: "Let my people go!" (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh, predictab...
That feeling is all over the story of the Exodus, and it really hits hard in the early chapters of the Book of Exodus. to a moment of crisis, as understood by the ancient Rabbis in...
According to tradition, after Pharaoh's daughter discovered the infant Moses nestled among the bulrushes, she brought him back to the palace. She presented him to her father, claim...
He's seeking refuge after fleeing Egypt, and what does he find? Shepherds behaving… well, terribly. The Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, paints a vivid picture. It wasn’...
The story goes that after God addressed Aaron and Miriam, they started interrupting Him! Can you imagine? It's a bold move. But what's even more fascinating is God's response. Rath...
Miriam, it seems, has fallen ill with leprosy, a skin disease that carries both physical suffering and social stigma. Aaron, ever the mediator, speaks words of comfort, but Moses? ...
It’s a story filled with faith, doubt, and the heavy burden of leadership. Our tale picks up with the Israelites, once again, thirsty and grumbling. Moses, ever the faithful servan...
Jewish tradition certainly understands that feeling. Let's talk about the deaths of three towering figures in the Torah: Miriam, Aaron, and Moses. You might think that because they...
According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, when Moses witnessed the immense grief for Aaron, felt by both humans and celestial beings, he was overcome. He wept, not j...
Jewish tradition is filled with these poignant moments, often involving the greatest figures in our history. Take the story of Moses, and a seemingly small slip-up that had surpris...
It’s a story filled with both sorrow and profound peace, a final chapter worthy of such a monumental figure. The command from God for Moses to ascend Mount Nebo and there meet his ...
It wasn't exactly a quiet retreat for the Israelites down below, that's for sure! According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations, thin...
Maybe it's because, according to our tradition, words have power. Real, tangible power. And how we use that power matters. The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, reminds us of this in a...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. They saw it reflected in a particularly difficult year for the Israelites, a year marked by a triple tragedy. The Sifrei Devar...
"Aaron will be gathered to his people," God tells Moses, "for he will not come into the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you defied My directive at the wat...
We know him as the great leader, the lawgiver, the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. But what about his birth, his infancy, those perilous first months? The Book of Jasher, ...
The Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, gives us a glimpse. It paints a picture not just of events, but of the emotions that pulsed through th...
He is the ultimate power in Egypt, and he is absolutely convinced of his own divinity. So, when Moses and Aaron come to him with their message – "Let my people go, that they may se...
God spoke to Moses with a command that sounds absolute: "Sanctify unto Me every first-born" (Exodus 13:1-2). Every first-born — of humans, of animals, of everything that opens the ...
Moses commanded the people: "Remember this day when you went out of Egypt" (Exodus 13:3). The Mekhilta notices that this verse, taken alone, refers to the daytime — "this day." The...
(Exodus 14:1-2) "And the L–rd said to Moses, saying: Speak to the children of Israel that they return and encamp": R. Shimon b. Yochai says: Wherever it is written "saying and tell...
In the past, Pharaoh's servants said to him (Exodus 10:7) "How long will this one be a stumbling block to us?" and now (Ibid. 14:5) "What is this that we did in sending Israel away...
With the Egyptian army bearing down and the Red Sea blocking their path, the Israelites succumbed to terror. It was Moses who stepped forward and spoke the words that steadied an e...
(Exodus 15:4) "the chariots of Pharaoh and his host": "As one measures, so is it meted out to him." They (the Egyptians [i.e., Pharaoh]) said (Ibid. 5:2) "Who is the L–rd that I sh...
When God responded to the Israelites' hunger in the wilderness, He used a single Hebrew word that two rabbis read in completely different ways. (Exodus 16:4) records God telling Mo...
Moses gave the Israelites a simple instruction in (Exodus 16:19): do not leave any manna over until morning. What happened next exposed a fault line running through the entire nati...
(Exodus 17:4) "and Moses cried out to the L–rd": We are hereby apprised of the eminence of Moses. He did not say: Since they are quarreling with me I will not implore mercy for the...
The Mekhilta identifies a remarkable pattern in the relationship between God and Moses: sometimes God "lowers" Himself while Moses "raises" himself, and other times the dynamic rev...
When God told Moses, "Pass over before the people" (Exodus 17:5), the instruction sounds like a simple command to walk ahead of the crowd. But the Mekhilta hears at least three dif...
The Mekhilta offers a striking interpretation of the phrase "from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:10). Why does the verse mention both Egypt and Pharaoh ...
On the second day after the Israelites arrived at Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain to meet God (Exodus 19:3). The Mekhilta notes a crucial detail: God called out to Moses before ...
The opening of Mekhilta Tractate Shabbata draws attention to the singular way God communicated with Moses. The verse states (Exodus 30:11): "And the Lord spoke to Moses." The Mekhi...
The Bible is full of such moments, and they often hinge on the quick thinking and bravery of… well, usually women. Think about Moses. We know him as the great leader, the lawgiver,...
"and you shall not go out, a man from the door of his house: We are hereby taught that once permission has been given to "the destroyer" to destroy, he does not distinguish between...
(Exodus 12:26) "And it shall be, when your sons say to you, etc.": At that time, Israel was receiving bad tidings, that the Torah was destined to be forgotten. Others say they were...
R. Nehorai says; Upon my oath, not one in five hundred went out. For it is written (Ezekiel 16:7) "Numerous as the spouts of the field did I make you" (in Egypt), and (Exodus 1:7) ...
"And it was in the middle of the night" (Exodus 12:29). The tenth plague — the slaying of the firstborn — struck at midnight. But the Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, rai...
R. Nehorai says: I swear: Not one in five hundred went up. For it is written (Ezekiel 16:7) "(In Egypt) I made you as numerous as the plants of the field," and (Exodus 1:7) "And th...
(Exodus, Ibid. 21) "And the L–rd went before them by day": We are hereby taught that as one metes it out to others, so is it meted out to him. Abraham accompanied the ministering a...
The place where Israel camped before crossing the Red Sea bore a name loaded with meaning. The Mekhilta offers multiple interpretations of "Chiroth" — and each one tells a differen...
