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Jacob, our patriarch, knew that feeling all too well. He was working for his father-in-law, Laban, and things were…complicated. In Genesis 31, we hear Jacob expressing his frustrat...
It’s a question that’s been pondered for centuries, and our tradition offers some fascinating insights. a passage from Bereshit Rabbah 74, which delves into the nature of prophecy ...
We're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 74, which shines a light on the trials and tribulations of Jacob while working for his less-than-honest father-in-law, Laban. The passage focuses o...
Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 74, which unpacks the story of Jacob and Laban's contentious parting. The drama unfolds in (Genesis 31:47), where we read: “Laban cal...
The verse tells us, "Dina, daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land." Seems simple enough. But the rabbis saw much more. The text im...
We're in Genesis 34, the story of Dina, Jacob's daughter, and Shechem, the son of Hamor, the prince of the land. Shechem has taken Dina, and now Hamor is trying to negotiate a marr...
Jewish tradition has some pretty insightful things to say about that, especially when it comes to knowledge and humility. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic midrash (r...
The passage begins by quoting (Psalm 24:3-5): “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand…? He who has clean hands…. He will receive the blessing from the Lord…” The Ra...
They often hold a world of meaning, a glimpse into the hopes and fears of the parents. Take Rachel, for example, and the birth of her son. The Torah tells us, in (Genesis 35:18), "...
to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 83, which takes a see...
We're talking about Joseph, remember him? The favorite son with the technicolor dreamcoat? He had a knack for dreaming... and maybe not such a great knack for keeping those dreams ...
The verse in question, (Genesis 39:8), reads, "He refused, and he said to his master's wife: Behold, my master, having me, does not know what is in the house, and he has placed eve...
And they found hints of it in the most unexpected places – like the story of Jacob sending Judah ahead to Joseph in Goshen (Genesis 46:28). The verse says, "He sent Judah before hi...
The Torah describes Joseph as a "fruitful tree, a fruitful tree alongside a spring; branches run over the wall" (Genesis 49:22). But what does that really mean? The rabbis in Beres...
We all know the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, but the ancient rabbis saw layers of complexity there, hints of struggle just beneath the surface. to a fascinating passage fro...
We find ourselves in Bereshit Rabbah, a treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, wrestling with Jacob's final blessings to his sons. And when he gets to D...
According to Devarim Rabbah, there's a whole world of meaning packed into those words. It wasn't just a one-time instruction to Moses. The Holy One, blessed be He, was saying, "Not...
This is a theme that echoes powerfully through Jewish tradition, and it's something we see vividly in the Devarim Rabbah. This particular passage delves into the profound consequen...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, that explores just that, through the lens o...
Take reading from the Torah, for example. The verse we're looking at is from (Deuteronomy 29:2): "Moses summoned all Israel, and he said to them: You have seen everything that the ...
The sun rises, the seasons turn... it all seems so fixed, so unchangeable. But is it, really? Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Ecclesiastes, ...
And the ancient Rabbis, in their commentary called Kohelet Rabbah, dive deep into a specific verse that really makes you think: "What has been, already is, and what will be has alr...
King Solomon, wisest of all men, apparently felt that too. (Ecclesiastes 7:23) reads, "All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is far from me." What do...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. In the book of Exodus, we read, “It was during those many days that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed d...
The passage opens with a seemingly simple phrase: "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2). But it's more than just a calendar note. It's a declaration. The text connects it to ...
We read in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, a fascinating idea tied to the verse "No foreigner shall eat of it" (Exodus 12:43) – refer...
The verse says, "it was when Pharaoh let the people go," (Exodus 13:17) which leads us to (Song of Songs 4:13): "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates." Rabbi Levi uses a pa...
The Israelites are trapped. The sea is before them, Pharaoh's army is closing in from behind. Panic is in the air. They cry out to God, as we read in (Exodus 14:10): "The children ...
We’re diving into Shemot Rabbah today, specifically section 23, which explores the verse, “Then Moses…sang” (Exodus 15:1). But this isn’t just about a song after crossing the Sea o...
Rabbi Levi makes a staggering claim in Shemot Rabbah: a single, perfectly observed Shabbat (the Sabbath) could bring about the Messiah. He says, “If Israel observes Shabbat properl...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this very idea, and their insights, preserved in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offer some fascina...
And the Shemot Rabbah, a classical collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, gives us some fascinating answers. "The Lord called to him from the mountain, sayin...
It's a pretty radical concept, really. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the Book of Exodus, dives right into this. It starts with the verse "These are the ordinanc...
Today, let’s dive into a powerful story from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, where Moses does just that after the sin of the Golden C...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this question, particularly when considering moments where Moses, arguably the greatest prophet, interceded on behalf of the Israelites. In Shemot ...
We find in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the ancient commentary on the Song of Songs, a beautiful and intimate image of God's relationship with the Jewish people. It begins with the verse,...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a fascinating discussion about these pesky creatures and what they represent. Rabbi ...
The ancient Rabbis did. They poured over the verses, searching for clues. And in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs, we find some fascinating answer...
to one tiny, potent verse: "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon; look from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Ḥermon, from the dens of lions, from ...
Specifically, the humble nut, as explored in the ancient collection of rabbinic teachings called Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a commentary on the Song of Songs. The verse in question is (...
Vayikra Rabbah, a classical midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text – meaning, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Torah – offers a fascinating perspective. I...
The very first verse of the Book of Leviticus – Vayikra in Hebrew – begins with God calling out to Moses. It seems straightforward enough. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic i...
Our sages grappled with this very question, particularly when considering the difference between how God communicates with the prophets of Israel and the prophets of other nations....
to Vayikra Rabbah, specifically section 2, to uncover some fascinating layers within the verses describing the offerings. We begin with (Leviticus 1:5): “He shall slaughter the you...
They explored the concept of collective responsibility – how the deeds of one individual can affect the entire group. And what they came up with is The Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash – ...
to a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpretive commentary, on the Book of Leviticus, that touches upon this very issue....
In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a powerful exploration of peace. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai declares that "Great is peace, as all...
It all starts with the verse: “Take Aaron, and his sons with him, and the vestments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of un...
