572 related texts · Page 8 of 12
It wasn't just a chaotic mass of people wandering aimlessly. Oh no, there was structure, order, and vibrant banners flying high! According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, each o...
Take Abner, for example. The Talmud calls him a tzadik, a righteous man, a "lion in the law," a brilliant military leader and scholar. Yet, his story is riddled with choices that u...
It wasn’t just the exile, the loss of Jerusalem, the absence of the Temple. It was the constant, almost taunting reminders of what they had lost. One of the most painful of these, ...
Josephus ends his twenty-volume history of the Jewish people with a list, a boast, and a confession. The list is of every high priest from Aaron to the destruction of the Temple. T...
It's more than just fasting and prayer. According to the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, there's a whole cosmic drama unfolding, a divine fashion sho...
The incense was terrifying. Israel had watched it kill Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, when they brought unauthorized fire before God (Leviticus 10:1). Two young priests, dead ...
When a dispute over property arises and the facts remain unclear, the Torah provides a striking instruction: "Then the master of the house shall draw near" (Exodus 22:7). But draw ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, delves into this very concept, specifically focusing on the verse, "The awe of the LORD is pure" (Psalm ...
It’s a universal feeling, and even King David, the shepherd-turned-king, knew it well. That’s why he declared, "A lamp to my feet is Your word, a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105)....
Today, let's look at a passage from Midrash Tehillim, specifically Midrash Tehillim 78, which grapples with one of the most tragic moments in the Book of Leviticus: the death of Na...
In the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), we find ourselves wrestling with just that: Who gets a share of the Promised Land? The verse in Bamidbar 26:53 states: "To these shall the land b...
That’s the kind of question that pops up in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations and expansions on the Book of Deuteronomy. In section 209, we stumble upon a fasci...
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...
The war against Midian in the Targum's version of (Numbers 31) is a supernatural thriller. Twelve thousand Israelite soldiers went out with Phinehas carrying "the Urim and Thummim ...
The Torah's rule against cross-dressing in (Deuteronomy 22:5) is brief and absolute. Targum Jonathan rewrites it entirely, replacing the general prohibition with something specific...
Jacob blessed Esau's son but knew the blessing came from somewhere deeper than himself. "And God shall give you the dew of heaven" (Genesis 27:28) — this is the dew of Mount Hermon...
Take mourning rituals, for example. The familiar seven-day period of intense mourning, the shivah. Where did that come from? The Rabbis of old grappled with this very question. "Th...
What's in a name? More than you might think. Our tradition teaches that a good name is more valuable than even the finest oils. But why? The text opens with a striking statement: "...
to a passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, that does just that. It all starts with a rather clinical verse: "A man, if he ...
Our sages explore this very idea in Vayikra Rabbah 26, drawing out fascinating contrasts between human promises and divine pronouncements. The passage opens with a verse from Levit...
Vayikra Rabbah 26, a section of the Midrash Rabbah on Leviticus, invites us to do just that. It starts with the familiar verse, "The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, sons ...
It’s not just filler! According to the sages, these repetitions are clues, little breadcrumbs that lead us to deeper meanings. Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash on the book of Leviticus, d...
From the very first moment of creation, God assigned every major figure in history a specific role. Esther Rabbah preserves a remarkable list, attributed to Rabbi Berekhya, that re...
Go into the wilderness to meet Moses (Exod. 4:27). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each ...
Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water (Exod. 7:14). Thus the Lord said: Through this (water) you shall cause him to know that I am the Lord. I will ...
And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron: “This is the ordinance of the passover” (Exod. 12:43). There are chapters of the Torah in which a general statement is made at the beginning...
In the third month (Exod. 19:1). Scripture says elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Have I not written unto thee excellent things (shilshom) of counsels and knowledge (Prov. 22:20...
And thou shalt command the children of Israel (Exod. 27:20). If the lamp which is not for the purpose of eating requires pure olive oil, should not the meal-offerings, which are fo...
(Lev. 1:1:) “Then [the Lord] called unto Moses.” This text is related (to Prov. 29:23), “One's pride will bring him low, but the low in spirit will obtain honor.” Whenever anyone p...
(Numb. 3:4:) “And they had no children.” R. Jacob bar Abin said in the name of R. Aha, “If they had had children, they would have taken precedence over Eleazar and Ithamar, since w...
(Lev. 21:1:) “Speak unto the priests.” This text is related (to Ps. 12:7), “The sayings of the Lord are pure sayings….” Everything [against] which the Holy One, blessed be He, warn...
(Numb. 16:1:) “Now Korah […] took.” [What] he took [was] his prayer shawl and he went to get counsel from his wife.11Numb. R. 18:4. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Numb....
It paints a vivid picture of Abraham’s arrival and his immediate actions. Imagine this: Abraham, having journeyed from Ur of the Chaldees – a long and arduous trek, no doubt – fina...
The Letter of Aristeas gives us a peek behind the curtain. It's a fascinating text, purporting to be from an official in the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus, telling the story of how...
It’s a question that might make you squeamish, but it also speaks to the incredible ingenuity and meticulousness of the ancient priests. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating docum...
We get a glimpse, a vivid snapshot, from the Letter of Aristeas. This letter, a fascinating document from the Hellenistic period, purports to be written by a Greek official named A...
The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text attributed to an official in the court of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 BCE), gives us a glimpse into just such a scene. It describes,...
It's more than just latkes and dreidels. It's a story of courage, faith, and a miraculous victory against all odds. But where do we really get the details of that story? We all kno...
That feeling isn't new. It echoes across millennia, resonating with stories like the one we find in the Book of Maccabees. Imagine the scene: The Temple in Jerusalem, the very hear...
That’s the feeling that pulses through the First Book of Maccabees as Judas Maccabeus sets about reclaiming the desecrated Temple in Jerusalem. The story is a raw, visceral account...
Gold, jewels, artifacts of unimaginable beauty... Where did they all go? Sometimes, the answer lies hidden in the stories we think we know. Take, for example, the tale we find in t...
That feeling is at the heart of this passage from I Maccabees, Chapter 7. It’s a tense moment, a real clash of worlds. The scene is set with a villain, someone who should know bett...
It's actually a fascinating glimpse into the political and religious realities of the time. to a passage from the Book of Maccabees I, chapter 10, where we hear about a royal decre...
This passage from The Book of Maccabees I, Chapter 14, offers a snapshot of his leadership and the relative peace he brought to the land. : the land had been under Seleucid Greek r...
This one involves a king, a temple, and a whole lot of stones. We find ourselves in the story told in 2 Maccabees, specifically 2 Maccabees 1. Now, 2 Maccabees isn't actually in th...
Some feel ancient, etched in stone, while others… well, they have a specific, traceable origin. to one such story, connected to Ḥanukkah and the rededication of the Temple, but roo...
The story centers around Nehemiah, a pivotal figure in Jewish history, known for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. But this isn't about bricks and mortar. This is about rekindling...
That’s where we find ourselves in the Second Book of Maccabees. Imagine the scene: The Temple, once the very heart of Jewish life, is defiled. The people are oppressed. The future ...
