1,715 related texts · Page 6 of 36
to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations related to the Book of Deuteronomy. The text poses a question about priestly gifts, specifically, whether ch...
It wasn't just about grand ceremonies; even the distribution of offerings had its own set of rules and regulations. to one little-known, but fascinating, detail from Sifrei Devarim...
The ancient texts are full of fascinating details about these questions. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a legal commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, to explore some nuances of...
Our tradition has some surprisingly direct advice about that. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. We'...
It's woven into so much of Jewish tradition, and today, we're going to explore one small but significant thread: the bikkurim. What are bikkurim? The word itself means "first fruit...
Sometimes, it feels that way to me. Take this little phrase from Sifrei Devarim. It's about how someone "abased the Rock of his salvation." Now, who is this "Rock," and what does i...
The consecration ceremony of (Exodus 29:1-46) appears in the Hebrew Bible as a solemn ritual. The Targum Jonathan adds precise details that heighten both its gravity and its tender...
The final chapter of Exodus (Exodus 40:1-38) is, in the Hebrew Bible, the moment God's Presence fills the completed Tabernacle. The Targum Jonathan turns this moment into a prophet...
When Moses finished building the Tabernacle, he stood outside and refused to go in. His reasoning, according to the Targum Jonathan, was striking: Mount Sinai had been holy for onl...
The day after Korah's company was swallowed by the earth, the people of Israel accused Moses and Aaron of murder. God sent a plague. And Aaron did something no other priest would e...
(Gemara) Let us see: when do the priests enter to eat the Terumah? Is it not when the stars appear? Let then the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law) say: "From the time the...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, gives us a glimpse into this. It focuses on a seemingly small detail: how the menorah, the candelabrum o...
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...
In the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, we read about how the Kehatites, a family within the tribe of Levi, had the unique and profoundly important task of carrying the Ark of the Covena...
Sometimes, it's in those tiny details that we find the biggest insights into the heart of the matter. Take the ritual of the sota, the woman suspected of adultery, described in Num...
It comes from Numbers, Chapter 5, verse 26. We're in the middle of the sotah ritual – that's the process involving a woman suspected of infidelity. The verse reads: "The priest sha...
The ancient rabbis grappled with that feeling too, especially when things were going well for the Israelites. Take the story in Bamidbar Rabbah 12, which begins with a single, load...
The Torah portion Naso, particularly in Bamidbar Rabbah 13, delves into this very concept, using the offerings of the princes as a springboard. It's a fascinating exploration of Is...
Even the tribe of Levi felt that way once, and their story, preserved in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 15, is a powerful reminder of how God sees and values each of us, even whe...
Our story begins with the instruction to Moses to craft two silver trumpets, kliyot keseph, hammered meticulously. "Craft for you two silver trumpets; hammered, you shall craft the...
The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, picks up the story after the tumultuous events at Sinai. In Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpreti...
Our Sages pondered that feeling deeply, especially when thinking about rain. Not just the physical rain, but what it represents. What is rain in the grand scheme of things? In Bere...
We all know the story: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Abraham, with unwavering faith, prepares to fulfill this divine decree. "They came to the place tha...
The passage begins with a rather grand statement from Exodus: "See, I have set you as god to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother will be your prophet” (Exodus 7:1). But what does it re...
The passage centers around (Exodus 10:10), where Pharaoh says, "So let the Lord be with you, when I will let you and your children go; see that evil is facing you." It seems like a...
It's more than just readily available lumber in the desert. According to Shemot Rabbah, it’s a lesson in mindful living, a gentle nudge towards respecting the natural world. Imagin...
We find one of those moments in the story of the Golden Calf, and how Aaron, brother of Moses, reacted to it. The scene: Moses is descending from Mount Sinai, clutching the tablets...
It's all about second chances, about grace, and about how sometimes, the people who stumble are the very ones chosen for greatness. The verse we're focusing on is "and you, draw…ne...
It’s a fascinating subject, and one that the ancient Rabbis pondered deeply. In fact, Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic interpreta...
What allowed him, a human, to step into the most sacred space? Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of biblical interpretations, explores this very question. "This is the matter," it sa...
It’s not always just for emphasis. Sometimes, there’s a deeper, almost heartbreaking reason. Take the word mishkan, "Tabernacle," in the Book of Exodus. We find it stated twice in ...
Our story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It centers on a seemingly simple verse: “The Tabernacle of the Testimony, as the...
That feeling… it's actually deeply rooted in a story from the Torah, a story about the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. We're diving into Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpreta...
That feeling, that struggle, is something deeply human, and surprisingly, it echoes in the story of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretat...
Jewish tradition is full of that – layers upon layers of interpretation, waiting to be uncovered. Today, we're diving into Shemot Rabbah, specifically section 52, which takes a ver...
It's not just a love poem, but a lens through which to view the most precious gifts given to the Jewish people. to one fascinating interpretation from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a colle...
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, citing Rabbi Natan, makes a rather astonishing claim. He says that the 18 commands mentioned in the portion of the Tabernacle actually correspond to the 18...
Sometimes, it's in those details that we find the biggest lessons about ourselves. Take the very beginning of the book of Leviticus, Vayikra in Hebrew, which deals with offerings. ...
It’s a question that echoes through the ages, and one that our Sages grappled with deeply. In Vayikra Rabbah, a classic midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text—midrash be...
Today, we're diving into a passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Leviticus, that explores just that. It revolves around the verse: "C...
The most precious offering a person can bring to God isn't a sacrifice of an animal, or even a perfectly crafted prayer—it's a broken heart. The ancient rabbis grappled with this v...
It centers on the verse: "And the fire of the altar shall be kept burning in it" (Leviticus 6:2). Now, Rabbi Pinchas makes a subtle but profound observation. He points out that the...
The core debate boils down to this: Did the descendants of Noah, meaning all humanity before the giving of the Torah at Sinai, offer only burnt offerings, or did they also offer pe...
to a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic commentary on the Book of Leviticus, that explores this concept. The passage begins wit...
He points out a simple truth: When we wash our clothes on a rainy day, we have to work so hard to dry them. But while we're sleeping soundly, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends a l...
And according to the ancient rabbis, there's a profound reason why. Rabbi Yitzḥak opens Vayikra Rabbah 31 with a powerful image, quoting (Psalms 119:140): “Your saying is exceeding...
“The Lord forsook His altar, cursed His Temple; He gave into the hand of the enemy the walls of its palaces. They raised their voice in the House of the Lord, like a day of festiva...
He sacrifices some animals. End of story. But what if there was a deeper meaning hidden within those verses? That's what the Midrash of Philo explores when it asks about (Genesis 8...
