2,344 related texts · Page 40 of 49
R. Yitzchak says: "an eye for an eye": I understand this to mean that whether or not he intends (to blind him), he pays only money. And, indeed, Scripture limits one who intends to...
Abraham called himself a stranger. (Genesis 23:4): "A stranger and a sojourner am I with you." David called himself a stranger. (Psalms 119:19): "I am a stranger in the land." And ...
The Torah actually grapples with this very question, and the answer, as you might expect, is layered and fascinating. : Moses, standing before the burning bush, is tasked with lead...
It's a powerful, heartbreaking moment in our history. But what if I told you that in their darkest hour, God chose to share their pain, to literally go into exile with them? There'...
Before rings, before awkward toasts, before even human parents... what did that look like? Well, buckle up, because the story of Adam and Eve's wedding is more lavish and awe-inspi...
Jewish tradition, while often speaking of seven heavens, hints at something even beyond that: an eighth heaven, a realm of ultimate mystery. Now, we’re pretty familiar with the con...
Some say God offered it to every nation on earth, but only Israel was willing to accept it. But there's another, even more dramatic version that I think you'll find fascinating. Im...
It all starts with a command. A voice. God says to Abram (that's Abraham's name before it was changed, much like his wife was originally Sarai, not Sarah), "Lekh Lekha" – "Go forth...
The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron is one of those places, a site revered for millennia. But the story of how it became so sacred is even more fascinating than you might imagine. It a...
Let’s talk about Jacob and Esau, and a bowl of… lentil stew. Genesis tells us that the twins were different from the start. "When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a...
We all know the story: Jacob, fleeing his father-in-law Laban, takes his wives and children and makes a run for it. But the book of Genesis (31:34) throws a curveball: "Rachel, mea...
It all begins with Abraham. God Himself entrusted him with a profound secret, "the secret of the mystery of the Redeemer," as Howard Schwartz puts it in Tree of Souls. A heavy burd...
We hear their names, perhaps a small story or two, and then...silence. But sometimes, just sometimes, the silence breaks and a legend blossoms. Take Serah bat Asher, for example. W...
For forty long years, as they wandered, they had a constant companion: a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night. The Torah tells us, in (Exodus 13:21), "And Yahweh w...
Jewish tradition is full of stories about that feeling, about the anticipation of Mashiach, the Messiah. And some of those stories are downright surprising. Take this one, recounte...
We're not just talking about harps and halos. Jewish tradition paints a vivid, even delicious, picture of what awaits in the World to Come: a glorious banquet hosted by God Himself...
It’s a question that’s captivated Jewish thinkers for centuries. And Jewish tradition actually gives us a glimpse, a stunning vision of just such an encounter. Imagine this: it's t...
It's about how we learn and what we do with that knowledge. Midrash Mishlei, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Proverbs, offers some beautiful insights into t...
The ancient rabbis wrestled with these questions too. And (Psalm 4:6), "Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord," became a launching pad for some profound insights...
Midrash Tehillim, an ancient collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, paints a vivid picture. It’s not just fire and brimstone, or harps and fluffy clouds. It's about p...
Rabbi Levi suggests a difference in timing. When the Holy One, blessed be He, judges the nations of the world, it happens at night, a time when they are asleep, supposedly free fro...
That’s a question that echoes through the ages, a yearning found right at the beginning of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. It begins with t...
And sometimes, the answers lie hidden in the stories we tell. to a passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. This particular midrash (ra...
Maybe the answer lies in a place we often overlook: Zion. Midrash Tehillim, a fascinating exploration of the Book of Psalms, asks a powerful question: “Who will give from Zion the ...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a powerful glimpse into David's humility. It tells of David declaring, "I am a stain." A powe...
It’s not always what you think. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a glimpse into this very question, and it's wild. The pass...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, opens up this very question. It tells us that the Holy One gifted the world no less than three core elem...
How did the ancient rabbis, steeped in Torah and wonder, understand its place in the cosmos?Specifically, let's look at Midrash Tehillim 19. Rabbi Pinchas, quoting Rabbi Abba, offe...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, delves into this very concept, specifically focusing on the verse, "The awe of the LORD is pure" (Psalm ...
Midrash Tehillim, a fascinating collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers some intriguing insights. It delves into the meaning behind Psalm 20, verse 4: "Remember...
But let’s dive into what the ancient interpreters found within those words. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms, offers some fascinating p...
We’ve all been there. But have you ever considered its cosmic power, its role in divine judgment? Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, ...
We often take language for granted, but Jewish tradition teaches us that the tongue, that seemingly small and insignificant organ, wields incredible influence. And sometimes, the m...
The ancient sages felt that way too. And they looked to the future, to a time when things would be set right. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalm...
And they found a way to explore it through the beautiful, layered interpretations we call midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary). We're going to delve into a tiny but powerful ...
That feeling of being utterly, achingly, lost… it's not new. Our ancestors knew it well. Let’s turn to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psa...
We're about to dive into a fascinating slice of Jewish tradition from Midrash Tehillim, specifically Psalm 78, that does just that, exploring the story of the Israelites in the des...
Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that beautiful, winding path through Jewish text and tradition, often uses metaphors to help us understand our place in the grand scheme...
King David certainly knew that feeling. And the ancient rabbis, through the lens of Midrash Tehillim (a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms), explored this very hum...
A prayer attributed to Moshe, the man of God. It’s a powerful opening, immediately grounding us in the foundational narrative of the Jewish people: "Before the mountains were born,...
It's more than just challah and candles, you know. According to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, the Sabbath is a powerful, almost tangib...
It turns out, that feeling has deep roots in our tradition. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating perspective on this tra...
It's more than just saying "thank you." It's a way of connecting with something bigger than ourselves. Midrash Tehillim, a beautiful collection of interpretations on the Book of Ps...
Midrash, the art of interpreting scripture through storytelling, gives us some fascinating ways to ponder that very question. to a passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of mi...
That’s the feeling I get when diving into the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms. And Psalm 104? It’s a trip. The verse we're looking ...
It's not just about marking time; it's about connecting to something far deeper. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, sheds some light ...
The Psalms, those ancient songs of the soul, speak to this feeling with raw honesty. Psalm 107, in particular, sings of God's goodness, even – or especially – when we're scattered ...
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 ...
