3,636 related texts · Page 18 of 76
(Exodus 17:4) "and Moses cried out to the L–rd": We are hereby apprised of the eminence of Moses. He did not say: Since they are quarreling with me I will not implore mercy for the...
The Mekhilta identifies a remarkable pattern in the relationship between God and Moses: sometimes God "lowers" Himself while Moses "raises" himself, and other times the dynamic rev...
When God told Moses, "Pass over before the people" (Exodus 17:5), the instruction sounds like a simple command to walk ahead of the crowd. But the Mekhilta hears at least three dif...
The Torah describes a strange scene during the battle against Amalek: "When Moses lifted his hand, Israel prevailed; and when he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed" (Exodus 17:11)....
After Israel's victory over Amalek at Rephidim, Moses built an altar and gave it a striking name. The verse records: "And Moses built an altar and he called its name 'the L-rd is m...
When Pharaoh sent soldiers to hunt down Moses after the slaying of the Egyptian taskmaster, God intervened in a way no one expected. Rather than striking the pursuers dead or sendi...
A small textual puzzle in the book of Exodus reveals something important about Moses' family. The verse states (Exodus 18:5): "And Yithro, Moses' father-in-law, and his sons and hi...
R. Pappis made a statement about Yithro's blessing that was, in his reading, deeply unflattering to Israel. When Yithro arrived at the Israelite camp and heard what God had done, h...
The verse records a startling act (Exodus 18:12): "Yithro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and peace-offerings for sacrifice to God." The Mekhilta says that Scripture d...
Jethro arrived at the Israelite camp and immediately noticed something troubling. His son-in-law Moses sat from morning until evening while the entire nation stood in a line before...
On the second day after the Israelites arrived at Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain to meet God (Exodus 19:3). The Mekhilta notes a crucial detail: God called out to Moses before ...
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael examines God's words to Moses in the days before the revelation at Sinai: "Behold, I shall come to you in the thickness of the cloud" (Exodus 19:9). T...
The opening of Mekhilta Tractate Shabbata draws attention to the singular way God communicated with Moses. The verse states (Exodus 30:11): "And the Lord spoke to Moses." The Mekhi...
The ancient sages did. And in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, they grapple with this very question, particularly in relation to th...
In fact, it's a theme that echoes through Jewish tradition, especially when we talk about the relationship between God, Moshiach (the Messiah), and the enemies of Israel. The Midra...
Like one minute it's love and compassion, and the next... well, fire and brimstone? That tension, that push-and-pull between divine mercy and divine judgment, is something Jewish t...
It's like a vast, intricate conversation spanning centuries. Midrash, the art of interpreting and elaborating on scripture, helps us hear those connections. And Midrash Tehillim, s...
Even Moses, leading the Israelites out of Egypt, felt that way. He looked at the nations surrounding them, nations far more numerous, and thought, "These nations are more numerous ...
It turns out, that instinct might be deeply woven into the fabric of our tradition. Because according to Midrash Tehillim, that feeling is intrinsically linked to music. Specifical...
Midrash Tehillim 9, a fascinating exploration of Psalm 9, unpacks this very idea using vivid imagery. It paints a picture of nations ensnared in their own traps, drowned in the ver...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, delves into this very idea in its sixteenth section. It paints a picture of David, the king, in co...
And down below? The Israelites, impatient, scared, and feeling abandoned, decide to build themselves a new god – a golden calf. Talk about a betrayal. The Midrash (rabbinic interpr...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this divine-human "battle" during the Exodus. It's not just abou...
And it's one the ancient rabbis explored deeply through their interpretations of the Book of Psalms, or Tehillim. to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, specifically on Ps...
(Psalm 18:26) offers a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, answer: "With a pious person, act piously; with an upright man, be upright; with a pure one, be pure; and with a crooked...
It all starts with a verse from (Psalm 21:2), "You have given him the desire of his heart." But what is the desire of his heart? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) asks...
But the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, doesn’t leave us hanging with just the question. It gives us an answer, and it might surp...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, felt that way. In Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, we find a fascinating glimpse into Moses...
That feeling’s deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. Midrash Tehillim, our window into the book of Psalms, connects this idea of purity with the very act of approaching God. It says, ...
It’s like your body is telling you it has all the nourishment it needs, just from the sheer act of weeping. Well, Jewish tradition actually speaks to this very experience. Midrash ...
We're looking at Midrash Tehillim 45, and it all starts with lilies. The verse in question is (Psalm 45:1): "To the conductor over the white lilies, a wise song of friendship." But...
Jewish tradition has a word of caution for that feeling – a reminder that true power, true exaltation, doesn't come from where we expect. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpre...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into this verse, unlocking layers of meaning and offering us a glimpse into the div...
The blast of the shofar, that ancient ram's horn, isn't just some ritualistic noise. It’s a call to action, a reminder, and, if we listen closely, a whisper from the Divine. Midras...
It seems like a simple title, but Midrash Tehillim 90, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, dives deep into what that name really means. It's not just ab...
The mystics certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim (a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Psalms) that explores just that, focusing on Psa...
We often think of ethereal beings, wings and halos and all that. But what if the term encompasses more than we initially imagine? Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations ...
That image, that feeling of utter powerlessness, resonates deeply in Jewish tradition. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, uses it to describe ...
We often hear the story, but sometimes the sheer impossibility of it all gets lost. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, gives us some ...
We all know the story: Moses raises his staff, the waters part, and the Israelites walk through on dry land to escape Pharaoh. But Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that ...
Midrash, the art of interpreting scripture, often shines a spotlight on just that: the unsung heroes and the hidden connections within the text. to a passage from Midrash Tehillim,...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings and interpretations of the Book of Psalms, delves into just that feeling, specifically in its exploration of Psalm 119. It ...
One that echoes even in the ancient words of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms. Specifically, we're looking at interpretations of Psalm ...
We all know the story: God, in his awesome power, struck down the firstborn of Egypt as the final, devastating blow to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. But ...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, we find a powerful example of just that. It's a passage drippin...
It’s more than just a day off. It’s a legacy. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, offers a beautiful parable to explain why. Imagine a person with incredibly...
This particular passage, from Chapter 26, gives us a glimpse into Sarah's encounters with powerful rulers and the surprising twists that shaped her journey. It all starts with Phar...
He paints a picture, a truly awe-inspiring one, of Moses standing on the mountain. But here's the thing: only his feet were actually on the ground. The rest of him? According to Ra...
