3,636 related texts · Page 35 of 76
And it's not just some abstract concept. It's woven right into the fabric of our stories. The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, brings this idea to life i...
But what about everyone else? Well, Sifrei Devarim 311 sheds some light. It interprets the verse about consulting "your elders, and they shall say it to you" (Deuteronomy 32:7) as ...
Our tradition knows that feeling well. It speaks of it often. But even in that desolation, there's a promise of protection, a hint of awakening. Sifrei Devarim 314, a passage withi...
We’re looking at Deuteronomy 317 in Sifrei Devarim. Here, the text describes other nations, not in terms of people, but in terms of livestock. Specifically, it paints a picture usi...
The text paints a rather unflattering portrait of the Israelites, calling them "hafachpechanim" – turncoats, those who are inconsistent – and "runabouts." Ouch. But it gets even mo...
This question sits at the heart of a beautiful passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im on the Book of Deuteronomy. It revolv...
In Devarim (Deuteronomy) 32:49, we find a fascinating little phrase: "Go up to this Mount Avarim." Simple enough. But the ancient sages, those masters of interpretation, saw so muc...
to a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, interpretation from the Sifrei Devarim (a legal midrash on the book of Deuteronomy). We find ourselves looking at the verse in Deuteronomy...
That, in essence, is the tragedy of Moses, as captured in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). We all know the story: after forty years of wandering, leading the Israelites through t...
It turns out, even Moses, the ultimate law-giver, knew the importance of following up criticism with comfort. Moses is standing there, on the cusp of his own death, knowing he won'...
It all starts with the verse: "And this is the blessing..." Now, what does that seemingly simple phrase actually mean? The text offers a couple of intriguing interpretations. The f...
Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)im (interpretations) on the Book of Deuteronomy, gives us a fascinating insight into this idea, focu...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash on the book of Deuteronomy, poses a fascinating question about a seemingly simple phrase: "before his death." It appears in the co...
The ancient texts suggest a far more compelling narrative.It opens with the verse, "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai." But the rabbis of old saw much more in those words. They...
We often picture Moses, standing on the mountain, receiving the tablets. But what about the experience of the people below? Sifrei Devarim 343 gives us a glimpse – a truly mind-ben...
That feeling of responsibility, that urge to protect the ones you care about... it's deeply human, isn't it? But what if that feeling extended to an entire nation? What if you were...
The verse we’re looking at from Deuteronomy speaks of Levi, saying, "Your tumim and your urim are destined for (Aaron) the man of Your lovingkindness." Now, tumim and urim? These w...
We often think of death as an ending, a final curtain. But what if it's not? What if the impact of a life, especially a life dedicated to wisdom and teaching, continues to resonate...
The Torah tells us that God showed him "the entire land" (Deuteronomy 34:1). But what exactly does "the entire land" mean? The ancient rabbis grappled with this question, and their...
The passage we're looking at focuses on the phrase "until the western sea." Now, on the surface, it sounds like a geographical marker. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw...
You can almost feel his anticipation, his heart swelling with hope. But then… the hammer drops. "This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," God tells Moses, as we...
They tell us of Moses' death. But… wait a minute. How could Moses himself have written about his own demise? It's a question that's puzzled Jewish scholars for centuries. The Sifre...
The verse says that Moses, "the servant of the L-rd," died "by the word of the L-rd" (Deuteronomy 34:5). Seems simple enough. But the ancient rabbis saw layers of meaning here. The...
And the answer, well, it's more mystical than you might imagine. The book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), the last book of the Torah, tells us, "And He buried him in the valley, in the l...
It’s a question that's haunted humanity for, well, pretty much ever. And when we look to our sacred texts, sometimes we find the answers are…surprising. Take Moses, for example. We...
Our journey starts with the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal commentaries on the Book of Deuteronomy. It asks a simple question about a seemingly simple phrase: "thirty days."...
It's not just about giving orders. There's a fascinating idea tucked away in Sifrei Devarim that illuminates this. It says, regarding the Israelites following Moses's command, "and...
It’s a question that’s echoed through generations, pondered in synagogues and around countless Shabbat (the Sabbath) tables. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal midrash (rabb...
R. JOSE SAID: HE WHO HONOURS THE TORAH IS HIMSELF HONOURED BY MANKIND, as it is stated, For them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.11...
The plague of hail in Exodus chapter 9 comes with a warning: anyone who fears God's word should bring their livestock inside. The Hebrew Bible says some of Pharaoh's servants feare...
In the Hebrew Bible, Jethro visits Moses in the wilderness, gives advice about delegating judges, and leaves. The Targum Jonathan on (Exodus 18) transforms this administrative visi...
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 instructions for building the Tabernacle in (Exodus 25) read like an architectural blueprint in the Hebrew Bible. The Targum Jonathan adds theological meaning to nearly every m...
After the golden calf, God told Moses something devastating in (Exodus 33:1-23). The Shekinah (the Divine Presence) would not travel with Israel anymore. The Targum Jonathan turns ...
The construction of the Tabernacle in (Exodus 36:1-38) begins with a problem no ancient building project should have had. The people brought too much. Morning after morning, they a...
After the plague killed twenty-four thousand, God ordered a new census. The Targum's version of (Numbers 26) opens with a phrase absent from the Torah: "the compassions of the heav...
The standard text of (Deuteronomy 1) opens with Moses speaking to Israel "beyond the Jordan." But the Targum Jonathan, an ancient Aramaic translation composed between the 1st and 4...
The death of Moses in (Deuteronomy 34) is eight verses in the Torah. Targum Jonathan turns it into one of the most elaborate death scenes in all of ancient Jewish literature. From ...
When God commanded Israel to give a half-shekel for the census, Moses was confused. Not by the amount — half a shekel was nearly nothing, a laborer's loose change. What baffled him...
The full scope of Moses's argument against the angels is recorded in Shabbat 89a, and it is a masterclass in turning your opponent's own premises against them. Moses went through t...
The Hebrew Bible says God "hardened Pharaoh's heart" and he pursued the Israelites (Exodus 14:8). Targum Onkelos translates this without softening or explaining. The hardening stan...
The Hebrew Bible says the people told Aaron: "Make us gods that will lead us, for this Moses, we do not know what happened to him" (Exodus 32:1). Targum Onkelos translates this wit...
The Hebrew Bible records Moses's great farewell poem, the Song of Ha'azinu (Deuteronomy 32), a sweeping poetic indictment of Israel's future unfaithfulness. Targum Onkelos translat...
The Hebrew Bible calls Moses "the man of God" (Deuteronomy 33:1). Targum Onkelos adds one word: "the prophet of God." Moses is not merely a man who belongs to God. He is a prophet—...
The Hebrew Bible says Moses died "by the mouth of God" (Deuteronomy 34:5). Ancient tradition interprets this as death by a divine kiss—the gentlest possible departure from life. Ta...
The Hebrew Bible promises: "A prophet from your midst, of your brethren, like me, will God establish for you" (Deuteronomy 18:15). Targum Onkelos translates this verse without alte...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said: ‘and God delivered Israel that day’ (Exodus 14:30); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem Jeremiah said: ‘God has put me into the hands o...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘Judah became His -holy one, Israel, His dominion’ (Psalms 114:2); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said ‘“Away! Unclean!” ...
