3,636 related texts · Page 14 of 76
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Bible, in section 869 on Nach (the books of Prophets and Writings), brings up a fascinating idea about the verse "Th...
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings on the entire Hebrew Bible, offers us a glimpse into that world. In section 786, comment...
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the Hebrew Bible, offers a fascinating and poignant glimpse into the deaths of Aaron and Moses. Specifically, Yalkut Shim...
It wasn't just a one-day event. According to Sifrei Bamidbar, the book of Numbers, the seven days leading up to the dedication were a whirlwind of activity. Imagine this: Every sin...
We get a tantalizing glimpse into this very question in Sifrei Bamidbar, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Numbers. The text grapples with a fascinating problem: scripture seems...
Sometimes, it's in those very details that we uncover profound insights into Jewish law and tradition. to one such detail from Sifrei Bamidbar, a fascinating work of halakhic (lega...
It might seem obvious, but the Torah actually gives us some pretty profound insights into this very thing. We find in Sifrei Bamidbar, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)i...
Take the curious case of the mekoshesh, the wood gatherer, found violating the Sabbath in the wilderness. The story, found in Bamidbar 15:32-36 (Numbers), isn’t just about punishme...
Maybe it's because, according to our tradition, words have power. Real, tangible power. And how we use that power matters. The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, reminds us of this in a...
Here he was, the leader who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, the one who stood face-to-face with God on Mount Sinai... and none of his sons were deemed fit to succeed him. Acco...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. They saw it reflected in a particularly difficult year for the Israelites, a year marked by a triple tragedy. The Sifrei Devar...
We're going to dive into a powerful, and frankly, a little scary verse from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the book of Deuteronomy. Specifically, we're lo...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, tells us about this pivotal place. It wasn't just any mountain; it was the plac...
The Torah touches on this, not directly, but in subtle glimpses. Let’s look at how the death of Aaron, the High Priest, is described, and what Moses thought of it. We find this ide...
We all know the story of Moses. The great leader who led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the Torah at Mount Sinai... a figure of immense stature. But even Moses, the humblest...
Exodus chapter 4 tells how Moses received miraculous signs to convince Israel of his mission. The Targum Jonathan transforms this chapter into something far stranger—especially whe...
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...
Moses had the worst errand of his life. God told him to bring his brother up the mountain to die. He could not bring himself to say the words. Aaron said them for him. "My brother,...
When Moses ascended to heaven to receive the Torah, the angels were furious. According to Shabbat 88b, they confronted God directly: "What is a human being doing among us?" God tol...
Nimrod declared himself a god to be worshipped. He made a round tower of stone planted in the midst of the earth, and placed a throne of cedar on the stone, and upon this one of ir...
It's more than just chance, according to the ancient rabbis. It's about divine engagement. The verse that sparks this thought is from (Numbers 3:1): "And these are the generations ...
That feeling of imbalance, of unspoken credit, is something the ancient rabbis grappled with too. And we find a fascinating example of it right at the beginning of the Book of Numb...
The Book of Numbers, or Bamidbar in Hebrew, gives us some fascinating insights into this very question, particularly in the fourth chapter, as explored in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classi...
It’s a midrash, a rabbinic interpretation, on a verse from the Book of Numbers – Bamidbar in Hebrew, which gives the whole book its name. The verse in question mentions "the tribe ...
It's in those little quirks that we often find hidden depths. Take the census of the Levites in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, for example. Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah 6 shines a...
Our ancestors felt that way, too. The ancient rabbis understood this, and that's why we find so much human drama, even in the most sacred texts. Take this story from Bamidbar Rabba...
The Torah tells us, "Moses called Hoshea son of Nun, Joshua [Yehoshua]" (Numbers 13:16). But here's the question: why did Moses change Hoshea's name to Joshua? What prompted this a...
It’s a tale of ambition, delusion, and a very dangerous offering. The scene is set: Moses, leading the Israelites. And then comes Koraḥ, a Levite, challenging Moses’s leadership, s...
Her story, found in Kohelet Rabbah, the commentary on Ecclesiastes, is a stark reminder that joy and sorrow can be two sides of the same coin. The verse we're looking at is from (E...
It begins with the verse, "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2), spoken to Moses and Aaron. Why them? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) asks, why did God speak t...
It all begins with the phrase, “these are [ve’eleh] the ordinances.” But it's not just about the laws themselves; it's about the dedication behind them. The Rabbis of the Midrash (...
He was trying to save the Israelites from destruction, and the story goes something like this… God, seeing the Israelites’ transgressions, essentially challenges Moses. "Find me te...
Sometimes, the answer can be found in the most unexpected places, like in the ancient commentaries on the Song of Songs, or Shir HaShirim in Hebrew. Specifically, we can look at Sh...
Sometimes, a single verse can unlock a whole new world of understanding, linking tales and teachings in unexpected ways. to one of those connections, found in Vayikra Rabbah (Levit...
Our sages, zichronam livracha, may their memory be a blessing, were extremely careful to distance themselves from any notion that the Almighty needed His creations or relied on the...
It’s a question that's captivated humanity for millennia, and the answers are as varied as the stars in the sky. Today, we're diving into a fascinating corner of this exploration, ...
We all know the story: Moses goes up the mountain, gets the Ten Commandments, and comes back down. But what if there was more to the story? What if the Bible we know is just a glim...
It tells us, plainly and powerfully, that "Abram was very glorious by reason of possessions in sheep, and cattle, and asses, and horses, and camels, and menservants, and maidservan...
We’re opening the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text considered canonical by some, like the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but apocryphal by others. It's like a behind-the-scenes loo...
The story of Joseph, as told in the Book of Jubilees, gives us a glimpse. We all know the broad strokes: sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, falsely accused, imprisoned... J...
It comes from the Book of Jubilees, specifically chapter 46. The Book of Jubilees, for those who aren't familiar, is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories of Genesis and ...
We all know the story of Moses striking down the Egyptian taskmaster to save a Hebrew slave. But what happens next? The Book of Jubilees, a text considered canonical by some but ex...
We all know the story: Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Epic. But what about the moments before all th...
We all know the story: the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the Israelites' triumphant escape from Egypt. But what about the behind-the-scenes cosmic drama? The Book of Jubilee...
to a fascinating, and sometimes surprising, peek into the origins of Passover and Shabbat, as seen through the lens of a text called the Book of Jubilees. The Book of Jubilees, som...
The chapter opens with Pharaoh, secure in his reign, commanding the construction of a magnificent palace. And who does he enlist to help? None other than the sons of Jacob, adding ...
The Book of Jasher, a fascinating and controversial text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers a compelling narrative. Chapter 65 plunges us rig...
We know about Mount Sinai, the thunder, the lightning, the booming voice... but what about the days that followed?Book of Jasher and see what unfolded. The story picks up right aft...
