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Specifically, we're diving into Shemot Rabbah 1, which offers a fascinating take on (Exodus 1:21): "It was because the midwives feared God, He made houses for them.” But what exact...
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...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought words held immense power, for good and for ill. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse in Exodus, as explored in Shemot Rabbah, a compilati...
We read the story of the plagues, and it can feel like a foregone conclusion, like Pharaoh was just cartoonishly stubborn. But there were moments... moments where the pressure was ...
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...
The Israelites certainly did in Egypt. But even in the darkest of times, hope can blossom. And it often arrives in unexpected ways. Our story begins, as so many do, with a word fro...
It seems like a minor detail, but as we learn in Shemot Rabbah, it's anything but. Rabbi Ḥanina offers a beautiful explanation. He says that God's choice of words reflects a profou...
The story of the Exodus, as told in Shemot Rabbah, the compilation of rabbinic sermons on the Book of Exodus, gives us a fascinating glimpse into this idea, focusing on the final p...
Shemot Rabbah, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Exodus, recounts a fascinating episode. It begins with the verse, "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), referri...
It's more than just matzah and retelling the Exodus story. The Torah itself calls it a "night of vigil" – leil shimurim (Exodus 12:42). But what exactly does that mean? What is God...
Take a look at Exodus. Right after we're told, "You shall not ascend on stairs to My altar, so that your nakedness will not be exposed upon it," (Exodus 20:23) we suddenly read, "A...
It's not just about power, but about the very fabric of society and our relationship with the Divine. The book of Exodus, specifically 22:27, lays down a firm rule: "You shall not ...
It's more than just a source of delicious oil; it's a metaphor for the Jewish people themselves. to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah 36 and unpack its rich layers of meanin...
Take the story of atonement after the sin of the Golden Calf. It all starts with an offering. But what kind of offering? The verse in Exodus tells us to "Take one young bull." But ...
Take Betzalel, for example, the master craftsman of the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. We read in (Exodus 31:2), "See, the Lord has called by name Betzalel, son of Uri, son of Ḥur…” But ...
The Torah portion of Terumah introduces us to Betzalel, the artisan chosen to construct the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. But where did he get all that skill? Shemot Rabbah, a classical...
Who do we trust? Why do we trust them? And what happens when that trust is broken? In Jewish tradition, the concept of trust, of being a ne'eman, a trustworthy person, is incredibl...
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...
But in the beautiful, multi-layered world of Jewish interpretation, this verse opens up into a world of meaning far beyond the literal. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a classic midrash (rab...
The verse we're looking at references a "fawn." Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina equates this to the offspring of a hind. But where is this fawn, this fragile new life? "Behold, he is standi...
We often think of the priests, the Kohanim, but the story is so much richer than that. to a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on the Song of Songs, wher...
The ancient Rabbis did. They poured over the verses, searching for clues. And in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs, we find some fascinating answer...
The mystics of old certainly did. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse from the Song of Songs, a book overflowing with symbolism and hidden meanings. "Your branches [shelaḥay...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, that explores just that feeling. Specifically, we're lo...
Li (לי). It simply means "to Me" or "for Me." But according to the ancient sages, as we learn in Vayikra Rabbah, that little word packs a cosmic punch. It signifies an unbreakable ...
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...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Vayikra Rabbah 13 that explores just that. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them" (Leviticus 1...
Today, we’re going to dive into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) 20 that wrestles with this very problem. Our entry point is the Book of Leviticus, spec...
In Jewish tradition, this tension between joy and sorrow, celebration and mourning, is a constant theme. And it's beautifully, if somberly, explored in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically...
A visitor from Athens arrived in Jerusalem with a trick question, certain he could stump the local priests. According to Eikhah Rabbah, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)...
“And her tears are on her cheeks [leḥya],” over her priests, just as it says: “He shall give to the priest the foreleg, the jaw [haleḥayayim], and the maw” (Deuteronomy 18:3). Alte...
“It was due to the sins of her prophets, the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst” (Lamentations 4:13).“It was due to the sins of her prophet...
It is written: “From people by Your hand, O Lord, from people from the world [meḥeled ], their portion is in life; Your hidden treasures will fill their bellies; their sons will be...
Maybe that feeling is a tiny glimpse into the ultimate truth: that everything is sacred. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, certainly thought so. He envisio...
It’s a story of intense debate, careful consideration, and a deep commitment to preserving the integrity of Jewish law and thought. It’s a reminder that tradition isn’t static; it’...
And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, went out (Gen. 34:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: All honor to the king’s daughter within the palace (Ps. 45:14). R. Yosé...
And Jacob called unto his sons (Gen. 49:1). May it please our master to teach us whether the one who leads the congregation in prayer may respond “Amen” after the priests. Thus did...
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel (Exod. 30:12). May our masters teach us: How many times each year did the Israelites bring their offerings to the Temple? Thus di...
R. Yudan opened the discussion with the verse: The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver; the heart of the wicked is little worth (Prov. 10:20). The tongue of the righteous i...
These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). The Tabernacle bears testimony to the entire world that He forgave them for the episod...
(Lev. 1:7:) “And the sons of Aaron the Priest shall put fire upon the altar, and they shall lay wood in order upon the fire.” (Tamid 2:3:) All of the trees are proper for [altar] f...
R. Judan of Gallia opened (with (Job 39:2)7), “Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes its nest on high?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Aaron. “At your comm...
(Numb. 6:22–23:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto Aaron and unto his children, saying, ‘Thus shall you bless the Children of Israel.’” Let our master instruct u...
And when you approach the battle, the priest shall come forward and address the people (Deuteronomy 20:2): And so [too] does it state (Deuteronomy 21:5) "The priests, the Sons of L...
