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The very first verse tells us: “The Song of Songs, that is Solomon’s” (Song of Songs 1:1). And the Rabbis, in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, begin by linking it to a verse from Proverbs: “H...
The verse "Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He will stand before kings" (Proverbs 22:29) sparked quite the debate. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpret...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought about this, especially when it came to how we talk about each other – and about the Jewish people as a whole. We find ourselves in Shir HaShiri...
Let’s turn to Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the classic rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs (also known as Song of Solomon). The rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, find layers of meani...
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...
That’s kind of what happens when we dive into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs. Today, we're looking at a passage that takes the beautiful imagery of sprin...
The Song of Songs, or Shir HaShirim in Hebrew, is filled with that kind of longing. It’s a love poem, yes, but Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory for the relationship between...
And like any great poem, it's been interpreted in countless ways. Today, we're diving into one particularly fascinating interpretation from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a rabbinic comment...
We often think of the Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim, as just that: a beautiful, sensual poem about love between a man and a woman. But what if it’s also about something much, much b...
They understood that a community, just like a person, needs eyes to see, to discern, to navigate the complexities of life. And where do we find these "eyes"? The answer, surprising...
to a fascinating interpretation from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Song of Songs, specifically chapter 8, verse 11: "Solomon had a vineyard at Baa...
It all starts with a verse from (Song of Songs 8:13): “The one who dwells in the gardens, companions listen to your voice; let me hear it.” Rabbi Natan, quoting Rabbi Aḥa, uses a p...
It’s a feeling that resonates throughout Jewish tradition, and it's something that Vayikra Rabbah, a classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), explores with striking in...
Jewish tradition certainly does, especially when it comes to oaths. In fact, the Rabbis saw the misuse of oaths as so serious that it could literally bring down the house! Vayikra ...
It's even found within the ancient wisdom of Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic compilation focusing on the book of Leviticus! Rabbi Pinḥas, a sage whos...
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman tells us that all the prophets, in their visions, saw the rise and fall of kingdoms, particularly their impact on Israel. It all starts with a seemingly inn...
It’s a question that’s haunted thinkers for millennia, and Jewish tradition grapples with it in fascinating ways. We find a glimpse into this in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically sectio...
The book of Leviticus, or Vayikra in Hebrew, opens with laws about sacrifices. But within Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Leviticus, we find ourselves c...
After all, it's not exactly a flattering name given Canaan's, shall we say, complicated backstory. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Lev...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found ways to talk about it, to process it, and to find meaning even in those tough times. We find a fascinating example of this in Vayik...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating interpretation from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Leviticus. It's a wild ride involving the Amalekites, K...
The rabbis of old grappled with this question, especially concerning the laws around building altars for sacrifice outside the designated Temple in Jerusalem. This wasn't some free...
It's not just about cleanliness, friends. It’s about something far deeper: our relationship with the Divine. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on...
A song, a smell, a place... and suddenly you're right back there, feeling the weight of it all over again. Jewish tradition is keenly aware of this power of association, and how ea...
It might seem random, but Jewish tradition offers a fascinating explanation, one rooted in rumor, reputation, and divine forgiveness. Our story begins with the prophet Hosea, who s...
We know the etrog (citron), the lulav (palm branch), the hadassim (myrtle), and the aravot (willow) are central to the holiday. But beyond their literal forms, Jewish tradition oft...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw the world as a delicate balance, and they understood that even seemingly small acts of injustice could have enormous consequences. In Vay...
We often take these things for granted, but Jewish tradition suggests there's a deeper, more profound answer than just physics. It's all about ḥukim (חקים), statutes. But not just ...
There was an incident in which Rabbi Yehoshua was walking along the path.49This was a path through a field that was created by people traversing it. A certain person found him walk...
“Its gates sank into the ground; He eradicated and broke its bars. Its king and its princes are among the nations; there is no Torah; its prophets, too, could not find a vision fro...
“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent. They have placed dust on their heads, have girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have lowere...
“What shall I attest to you, to what shall I liken you, daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equate you, and comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is as vast as t...
There was an incident involving Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya, who went to the great city of Rome. They said to him: ‘There is a certain child in prison in disgrace.’10The Romans were...
“They hunted our steps from walking in our squares; our end approaches, our days are filled, as our end has come” (Lamentations 4:18).“They hunted our steps from walking in our squ...
The nobles – Rabbi Elazar said: The nobles are the king’s two legions, as the king is not called Augustus (i.e. emperor) until they call him that first, and these are they. Rabbi Y...
“In the courtyard of the garden of the king's palace” – Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: The garden was on the outside and the courtyard on the inside. Rabbi Neḥe...
“The drinking was as customary, without coercion, for so did the king establish with all the stewards of his house, to do as every man desired.” (Esther 1:8). “The drinking was as ...
“On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine, he said to Mehuman, Bizzeta, Ḥarvona, Bigta, and Avagta, Zetar, and Kharkas, the seven officials who attended King Aḥashvero...
“To bring Queen Vashti before the king with a royal crown, to display her beauty to the peoples and the princes, for she was of fair appearance” (Esther 1:11).Rabbi Aivu said: The ...
“Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's word by means of the officials, and the king was very angry, and his fury burned within him” (Esther 1:12).She sent and said to him thin...
“The king was very angry and his fury burned within him.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: At that moment, The Holy One blessed be He said to the angel appointed over fury: Descend and blow win...
“For the queen’s deed will get out to all the women, making their husbands contemptible in their eyes; that King Aḥashverosh said to bring Queen Vashti before him, but she did not ...
“If it please the king, let a royal edict be issued before you, and let it be written into the laws of Persia and Media, so that it cannot be abrogated, that Vashti shall never [ag...
“The king’s decree about what he will do will be heard throughout his entire kingdom, vast as it is, and all wives will give honor to their husbands, from great to small” (Esther 1...
“The matter was pleasing in the eyes of the king and the princes, and the king did as Memukhan had said” (Esther 1:21).He issued the decree and brought in her head on a platter.
“He sent scrolls to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its script, and to each people in its language; for every man to be the ruler in his house, and speak the language...
“After these matters, when the fury of king Aḥashverosh had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what was decreed against her” (Esther 2:1).“After [aḥar] these m...
“Esther was taken to King Ahashverosh, to his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet, in the seventh year of his reign” (Esther 2:16). “Esther was taken [vat...
