432 related texts · Page 7 of 9
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, opens with the simple phrase, "These are the words…" And immediately, the ancient interpreters of our tradition, the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbin...
It's a poignant moment, and the book of Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, sheds light on the depth of that experience. "You are crossin...
The Torah tells us in (Exodus 19:8), "Moses reported the statement of the people to the Lord." According to Shemot Rabbah, this moment prompted God to want to give the Torah to the...
Jewish tradition is filled with these "what ifs," these pivot points where history teetered. Take the story of the Golden Calf. According to Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic...
Rabbi Abahu tells us that for all forty days Moses spent up on the mountain, he was studying Torah… and forgetting it just as quickly. Can you imagine the frustration? "Master of t...
Our tradition teaches that the Torah isn't just a book; it's a blueprint for creation, a manifestation of God's very being. And the luchot, the tablets upon which the Ten Commandme...
“And did not remember His footstool [hadom raglav],” Rabbi Ḥanina bar Yitzḥak said: The Holy One blessed be He does not remember that blood [hadam] that was between the legs of the...
Central to Judaism is the absolute oneness of God. It’s right there in the Shema, that foundational declaration: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:...
Maybe you enthusiastically shouted "Amen!" a few too many times, or perhaps you lingered a little too long on the "Modim" (we give thanks) during the Amidah. Turns out, there's a s...
This they shall give, everyone that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel (Exod. 30:13). Because they had sinned at the sixth hour,16Word-play reading the word boshet...
The Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zohar, a mystical commentary on the Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, invites us into just that kind of treasure hunt. It urges us to look ...
(Ibid. 16) "And it shall be as a sign upon your hand, etc.": In four places, the mitzvah of tefillin (leather phylacteries worn during prayer) is mentioned: (Exodus 13:1-10) "Sanct...
After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and watched the waters crash over the Egyptian army, they burst into song. But how exactly did they sing? The Torah says (Exodus 15:1) "And...
"and he shall bring him near to the door or to the door-post": The door is being compared to the door-post, viz.: Just as a door-post stands in its place, so, the door must be stan...
One fascinating interpretation of Psalm 104 connects the birds of the sky to the nations of the world. But not in a peaceful, harmonious way. Instead, the midrash (rabbinic interpr...
But when you start digging into Jewish law, you quickly discover that things are rarely that straightforward. Take this passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpret...
And Isaac trembled exceedingly (Gen. 27:33). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them (Prov. ...
The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the second century BCE, offers a glimpse into just that. It paints a picture of a world teeming with angels, a world where the ...
We all know about the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the giving of the Ten Commandments. But what about the details that fill in the cracks, the "behind-the-scenes" momen...
The ancient texts offer some fascinating glimpses. Imagine this: the young Moses, raised in Pharaoh's court, becomes a student. But not just any student. According to Legends of th...
The story goes that Moses, up on Mount Sinai, wasn’t just getting the Ten Commandments. He was getting a download of, well, everything. The past, the present, and, crucially, the f...
According to Legends of the Jews, by Louis Ginzberg, Moses, overwhelmed, turned to God in desperation. "O Lord of the world!" he cried, comparing himself to a careless shepherd who...
Not just any breakfast, mind you, but manna, that heavenly food that sustained the Israelites in the desert for forty years. According to Ginzberg’s retelling in Legends of the Jew...
Like you're being held accountable for... everything? Imagine that feeling, amplified to a planetary scale. That's what the Earth felt at the Revelation at Sinai. According to Lege...
According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, that’s pretty much what happened when the Ten Commandments were given. When the first commandment, Anochi Hashe...
We all know the Ten Commandments. But did you know that Jewish tradition actually elevates the honor due to parents to a level that, in some ways, surpasses even the honor due to G...
Let's talk about the Golden Calf. We all know the story: Moses is up on Mount Sinai getting the Ten Commandments, and the Israelites, impatient and scared, build a golden idol to w...
We all know the story: Moses goes up Mount Sinai, gets the Ten Commandments, and the Israelites, left to their own devices, panic. But the story, as we find it in Legends of the Je...
Impatient, fearful, they construct a golden idol, a symbol of their own making. A betrayal that cuts deep. The immediate aftermath was devastating. According to Ginzberg's retellin...
to a story about counting, pride, and a very special relationship. The story begins with Moses, fresh from his encounter with God on Mount Sinai. He comes down with the Ten Command...
They stood at Sinai, heard the very voice of God thundering the Ten Commandments, including the absolute prohibition against idolatry… and then, a mere forty days later, they're pa...
He was the master craftsman chosen to bring the Tabernacle to life. A true artist, filled "with the spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kind...
It wasn’t just about golden walls and intricate carvings; according to tradition, miracles pulsed within its very structure. Imagine this: When the Cherubim, those powerful angelic...
We know the menorah was originally housed in the Tabernacle, that portable sanctuary that accompanied the Israelites through the desert. Later, it found its permanent home in the T...
We’re talking about the pillar of cloud, that miraculous manifestation that guided them through the wilderness. But the story, as always, is richer than just a simple divine GPS. T...
You’ve stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, heard the very voice of God, and entered into a covenant promising to be His people. You’re practically glowing with spiritual energy…. Wel...
Moses knew something profound. He understood that, more than anything else, God valued mercy. Remember the story of the Golden Calf? When the Israelites went completely astray, Mos...
We know the big picture: the Exodus, the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments. But what about the nitty-gritty, the day-to-day struggles and fears? Let’s zoom in on one particular moment,...
Balak, the King of Moab, certainly believed in the power of place. And he was desperate. Balak had a problem: the Israelites. A massive, powerful nation camped right on his border....
Jewish tradition is full of stories exploring the pitfalls of overconfidence, particularly when it comes to knowledge of Torah. And one such story involves King David, a figure kno...
It wasn't about personal glory, or even about his own accomplishments. No, his thoughts were consumed by the future of the community he had shepherded for so long. He was thinking ...
And it’s certainly on display as we approach the end of Moses' life in the book of Numbers. The story goes that God tells Moses he’s going to die soon, specifically after avenging ...
But the story of the Israelite soldiers after their victory over Midian, as told in Legends of the Jews, is something else entirely. These weren't your typical conquerors. They cam...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, the one who spoke face-to-face with God, reached such a point. Imagine the scene: Moses knows his time is near. He desperately wants to live, to con...
Jewish tradition paints a vivid picture of his ascent to Mount Nebo, a place shrouded in significance. But here's a curious detail: this single mountain, according to some accounts...
Imagine, for a moment, being in his sandals, standing in the very presence of God. It's a question that has captivated Jewish scholars and storytellers for centuries. The Legends o...
We often turn to prayer in times of need, but did you know that some prayers are believed to have shaped the very destiny of a people? Let's journey back to the time of Moses, a fi...
The story revolves around a famine in Israel, a famine attributed to King Saul's transgression against the Gibeonites. long ago, Joshua had made a pact with the Gibeonites, promisi...
