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Today, let’s dive into a fascinating story from the book of Bamidbar (Numbers), specifically chapter 12, verse 10, and explore the moment Miriam, Moses' sister, is struck with tzar...
Sifrei Devarim 333, in a rather striking interpretation, suggests that all the punishments in Egypt are "pinned on Pharaoh's head" because he was the first to subjugate Israel. It ...
The death of Moses is the most devastating scene in the Torah—and the Talmud in Sotah 13b expands it into something almost unbearable. Moses pleaded with God not to let him die. He...
In the desert, the Israelites found that strength, not just in their faith, but also in their organization, in their very banners. "Each at his banner, with the insignias," says th...
Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers – gives us a vibrant picture. It tells us that each of the twelve tribes had its own uniqu...
It states: "Every gift of all the sacred items of the children of Israel that they will present to the priest shall be his." Sounds pretty straightforward. But the rabbis of the Mi...
The Torah (Numbers 5:17) instructs the priest to take "sacred water in an earthenware vessel, and from the dirt that is on the floor of the Tabernacle...place it into the water." B...
Here, we're unpacking the story of the sotah, the woman suspected of adultery, and the unique ritual designed to determine her guilt or innocence. It's a wild ride, so buckle up. O...
But what does it all mean? , drawing on the rich tapestry of Jewish tradition to unravel this mystery. The Torah tells us, "The priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and era...
Today, we're diving into Bamidbar Rabbah 11, a section of a Midrash, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Numbers, and we'll find some surprising and hopeful insigh...
That image, that feeling, is right at the heart of Psalm 91, and it takes center stage in a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 12. The verse "He who dwells in the shelter of ...
This week, we're diving into a story from Bamidbar Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers – that explores just that feeling. It centers on Moses, and a ...
This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19 that touches on exactly that feeling, exploring a moment of high diplomacy – or rather, a diplomatic bric...
It’s a deeply human dilemma, and it appears even in the stories of our greatest leaders. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 22, to uncover just suc...
to a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, that touches on this very dilemma and much more. The verse that k...
The Book of Proverbs nails it: "Expectation deferred sickens the heart" (Proverbs 13:12). But what does that really mean, especially when we're talking about something bigger than ...
The Torah is full of these stories, and they often leave us scratching our heads. One such story is that of Moses, perhaps the greatest prophet in Jewish history, who led the Israe...
"Hear, Israel: you are crossing the Jordan today..." It's a powerful opening line from Deuteronomy (9:1), isn't it? A promise, a challenge, a moment of immense transition. But what...
"What was is what will be," it says, "and what was done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). But is that really true? Are we just doome...
And their story, as told in Shemot Rabbah, is a powerful reminder of resilience, faith, and the strength of community. Pharaoh, wasn't just content with enslaving the Israelites. H...
But as is so often the case with Torah, the rabbis unpack layers upon layers of meaning. What did it really mean when it says "he saw that there was no man"? The ancient rabbis of ...
It all centers around Moses, and a rather interesting agreement he makes with Jethro (also known as Yitro), his future father-in-law. Remember, Moses has just fled Egypt after, sha...
In the story of Moses, that moment is captured in a single, powerful scene – the burning bush. The book of Exodus tells us (3:3) that Moses said, "I will turn now, and see this gre...
The passage we're looking at begins with God instructing Moses: "Go and gather the elders of Israel, and say to them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, of Isaac, a...
Turns out, Moses did. And, according to the Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, it didn't go unnoticed. The story begins, as we k...
That's the situation Moses found himself in. In Shemot Rabbah, the great collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im (interpretive stories) on the Book of Exodus, we...
to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, specifically chapter 22, that explores exactly that idea. The verse in ...
Our tradition teaches us that something else holds even greater worth: a good name. And it's not just about reputation, but about the power and blessing inherent in a name earned t...
But in Jewish tradition, a census wasn't just a matter of logistics. It was a delicate, even potentially dangerous, undertaking. Shemot Rabbah, a rich collection of midrash (rabbin...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. This week, we're diving into a passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, specifically Shemot Rab...
The Torah tells us, "He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, ...
Boards, bars, meticulously woven fabrics… everything perfect in its own right. But when it came to assembling it all? Nothing. They were stumped. Shemot Rabbah 52 vividly paints th...
We all know the story of Moses, the plagues, and the Exodus. But what seeds of mistrust were sown long before the mitzrayim, the Egyptians, enslaved the Israelites? According to Gi...
We often think of Balaam as the sorcerer hired to curse the Israelites, and Jannes and Jambres as the magicians who opposed Moses in Pharaoh’s court, but they had lives, families, ...
You know the story. Moses, raised in Pharaoh's household, leads the Israelites out of slavery, and Egypt suffers ten terrible plagues. But have you ever stopped to consider the per...
We all know the story: Moses, Pharaoh, the parting of the waters. But what about the behind-the-scenes drama? to some lesser-known legends surrounding this pivotal moment. The Egyp...
Jewish tradition certainly does, and it pulls no punches when it comes to the consequences of careless or malicious speech – especially lashon hara (לשון הרע), evil speech. One of ...
The Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, captures the moment when Pharaoh finally broke. After the tenth plague — the death of every firstborn in Egypt — Pharaoh summoned Mos...
The Torah records a transformation at the Red Sea: "And the people feared the Lord" (Exodus 14:31). The Mekhilta notes the significance of the word "feared." In the past, the Israe...
(Exodus 15:20) introduces Miriam with a curious title: "the prophetess, the sister of Aaron." The Mekhilta immediately spots the problem. Miriam was the sister of both Aaron and Mo...
We often focus on the wonder of divine intervention, but sometimes the small details reveal a much deeper story. Take the plague of blood in Egypt, for example. We all know the sto...
Exodus chapter 6 is mostly genealogy—the kind of passage readers skim. The Targum Jonathan turns it into a minefield of hidden revelations. The chapter opens with God revealing the...
The birth of Moses was no ordinary event. According to the ancient chronicles preserved in Jerahmeel and the writings of Josephus, the arrival of Israel's greatest prophet was prec...
Who was Korah? We find him in the Book of Numbers, leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He challenged their authority, questioning why they held such power. A dangerous mov...
And as we'll see, it's a feeling that resonates profoundly within Jewish tradition. Our journey begins with the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar (במדבר), specifically (Numbers 33:1): "The...
The Torah is brimming with them, and Jewish tradition loves to unpack their layers of meaning. Take the dream of the chief butler in the Joseph story. In (Genesis 40:9), he recount...
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...
The verse in question: "Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth" (Exod...
