1,715 related texts · Page 24 of 36
The great sage Eliezer once found himself in a similar situation. We find this story in the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text that delves into the lives and teachings of p...
This particular passage, from Chapter 26, gives us a glimpse into Sarah's encounters with powerful rulers and the surprising twists that shaped her journey. It all starts with Phar...
The prophets of Israel knew that feeling all too well. They saw their people straying, falling, losing their way. And they weren't afraid to call it out. But more importantly, they...
Our story today comes from Sifrei Bamidbar, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Numbers. We’re looking at Bamidbar (Numbers) 7:6: "And Moses took the wagons and th...
We often picture them trudging through sand, but the Torah tells us there was something else accompanying them: a cloud. Actually, maybe more than one cloud. The verse in Bamidbar ...
Today, we’re diving deep into the fascinating world of challah, that golden-brown braided bread we often enjoy on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and holidays, but with a twist. We're not ju...
Imagine: you're a soldier returning from war, laden with spoils – gold, silver, maybe even some fancy cookware. But there’s a catch. Everything's potentially contaminated by contac...
In Sifrei Devarim, we find this little gem: "Much to you dwelling in this mountain." It sounds straightforward. Like a simple acknowledgement of gratitude. But, as always, there’s ...
Jewish tradition is full of moments like that. to one, a promise of abundance so rich it almost feels too good to be true. We're looking at a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collect...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im on the Book of Deuteronomy, sheds light on this. It wasn't just some abstract evil, but somet...
Our tradition, specifically in Sifrei Devarim 72, wrestles with just such a dilemma concerning the ma'aser sheni, the second tithe. Imagine this: someone designates their second ti...
Sometimes, those "extra" words are actually unlocking hidden depths. The passage centers around bechoroth – the firstborn animals. Now, right off the bat, we know some things are o...
It's not just about hygiene, my friends. It's a fascinating glimpse into their spiritual world, and it all boils down to avoiding confusion. to Sifrei Devarim 75 to uncover this id...
The ancient text of Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the book of Deuteronomy, sheds some light on this, focusing on the commandment that we shouldn’t appear before God "empty-handed...
The ancient rabbis wrestled with these questions constantly, especially when it came to interpreting the Torah’s instructions for a king. And honestly, their debates still resonate...
Jewish tradition offers a fascinating, and surprisingly compassionate, solution to that feeling, a concept tied directly to the idea of accidental wrongdoing and the need for sanct...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, actually offers guidance on how to handle these situations, even extending to the care of someone else's belongings you might stumble upon. It's ...
The ancient text Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a fascinating possibility, linking the tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun to this very concept. The ve...
SIMON THE JUST WAS ONE OF THE LAST SURVIVORS OF THE GREAT ASSEMBLY. HE USED TO SAY: UPON THREE THINGS THE WORLD IS BASED: UPON THE TORAH, UPON THE TEMPLE SERVICE, AND UPON THE PRAC...
Genesis 44 contains one of the most emotionally powerful speeches in the Hebrew Bible—Judah's plea before the Egyptian viceroy to take Benjamin's place as a slave. Targum Jonathan ...
The covenant ceremony at Sinai in (Exodus 24) is solemn in the Hebrew Bible. The Targum Jonathan turns it into a visionary experience with one of the most haunting images in all of...
After the golden calf, God told Moses something devastating in (Exodus 33:1-23). The Shekinah (the Divine Presence) would not travel with Israel anymore. The Targum Jonathan turns ...
The grain offering described in Leviticus 2 seems straightforward—flour, oil, frankincense, baked into cakes or wafers. But the Targum Jonathan adds a theological bombshell hidden ...
Buried in Leviticus 22's rules about blemished offerings, the Targum Jonathan inserts one of the most beautiful passages in all of Targumic literature—a theology of sacrifice roote...
The Sotah ritual—the ordeal of the woman accused of adultery—is already one of the strangest passages in the Hebrew Bible. The Targum Jonathan makes it stranger, adding psychologic...
Bileam tried one last trick before delivering his final oracle. According to the Targum's version of (Numbers 24), he "set his face toward the wilderness, to recall to memory the w...
The Targum's version of (Numbers 28) transforms a dry sacrificial calendar into a theology of continuous atonement. Where the Torah simply lists the daily offerings, the Targum exp...
The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 12) is obsessed with a single idea: the place where God's Shekinah (שכינה), His divine presence, will choose to dwell. The Hebrew text says "the...
The first-fruits ceremony in (Deuteronomy 26) is beautiful in the Torah. Targum Jonathan makes it lavish. Where the Hebrew says simply to bring produce in a basket, the Targum adds...
… And He said to him ‘go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering’ (Bereshit 22:2) What is the land of Moriah? There is a whole bundle of Sages here, ...
[Ed.: "Menorah" down below should probably be Menuda. "Chazar l'Suro", is the only time in Chazal that that form appears. It appears frequently, also in regard to converts, as Chaz...
The Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt because of the righteous women. According to Sotah 11b, Rav Avira taught that while the men had given up hope under Pharaoh's slavery, th...
The Egyptians brought their case before Alexander of Macedon, and they were confident they would win. Their claim was simple: when the Israelites left Egypt during the Exodus, they...
Someone once asked Rabbi Akiva a question that seemed simple but carried enormous weight: "How great is the value of the Torah?" Rabbi Akiva did not hesitate. "Each word of the Tor...
The history of the man in Laodicaea who grew immensely rich, because he left everything best for the Sabbath. He treated R. Hiya to a meal served on silver and gold trays.
IV. 4. A man called Joseph Mokir Shabba (“honourer of the Sabbath") lived next to a rich Parsee. The latter was told that all his property would go to Joseph. He, therefore, sold a...
A heretic once challenged the sages with what he thought was a devastating logical trap. "Your God is a thief," the man declared. "The Torah says that God caused a deep sleep to fa...
After Alexander the Great conquered the known world, the Egyptians saw an opportunity to settle old scores with the Jews. They came before Alexander's tribunal with a legal claim: ...
A student once approached Rabbi Akiba and asked him a deceptively simple question: "How great is the value of the Torah?" Rabbi Akiba did not hesitate. "Each single word of the Tor...
King Solomon, the wisest of all kings, once taught a lesson about wealth and poverty using the simplest of demonstrations: two meals. The first meal was served in the house of a ri...
Beruria, the brilliant wife of Rabbi Meir, had a sister who was captured by the Romans and sent to a brothel in the city. Beruria turned to her husband and pleaded with him to resc...
Moses stood apart from every other prophet who ever lived. The rabbis taught that while other prophets saw God through clouded glass, Moses alone saw through a clear lens — an unob...
Korah's riches were legendary — and his fall was proportional to his wealth. The Talmud (Pesahim 119a, Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 10:1) and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer describe a fortun...
The name of a supernatural being mentioned in connection with the ritual of the Day of Atonement (Lev. xvi.). After Satan, for whom he was in some degree a preparation, Azazel enjo...
The cherub represents a winged celestial being frequently referenced throughout Scripture. According to the prophet Ezekiel's vision, cherubim appear as a group of four living crea...
"And it shall come to pass in all the land, declares the Lord, that two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive" (Zechariah 13:8). Rabbi Berachiah sai...
Let’s rewind a bit. Remember the story of the golden calf? MOSES smashes the first set of tablets. Talk about a bad day! Afterward, Moses pleads with God, reminding Him that He bro...
To have a little piece of the Garden of Eden right in your own backyard... or, in this case, your own tent flap? Jewish tradition paints a beautiful picture of Sarah's tent, offeri...
