2,344 related texts · Page 41 of 49
The verse "These are the servants of the Lord" might seem simple. But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) sees something deeper. It connects this phrase directly to the ...
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 ...
It's not like God shows mercy to Israel for a year or two and then calls it quits! The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) suggests something much deeper is at play here. Th...
And Jewish tradition offers some powerful comfort in those moments. Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Boo...
The ancient wisdom of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a powerful perspective on navigating those struggles, especially Psalm 119. "T...
to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Here, the Rabbis unpack what it means to read – or, perhaps more acc...
It’s a very human feeling, and it’s one that resonates powerfully in a story told in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms. Psalm 122, "A...
This midrash, a kind of interpretive commentary, opens by linking David's words in Psalm 145 – "I will exalt you, my God the King" – to the prophet Isaiah's similar declaration in ...
Sometimes, the connection isn’t immediately obvious. Take, for instance, the verses about atonement and taking a census in the book of Exodus. What’s the link? The Pesikta DeRav Ka...
And they found fascinating ways to resolve those tensions within the sacred texts. Take, for instance, the perplexing case of Amalek. Who was Amalek? A biblical nation known for it...
We often picture opulent feasts, lavish parties, maybe strategizing with advisors late into the night. But what about King David, the sweet singer of Israel? What filled his nights...
The Pesikta deRav Kahana, a collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings, offers a fascinating glimpse into that moment. In Pesikta deRav Kahana 12, we find...
They're…complicated, to say the least. : Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his brothers. Talk about a mixed bag! So, when the Song of Songs (8:1) says, "...
The Pesikta DeRav Kahana, a collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings, offers a glimpse into this radical transformation. It all starts with a verse from...
Ishmael, R. Elazar ben 'Arakh, R. Eliezer ben Hyrḳanos, and R. 'Aḳiba—a veritable dream team of Jewish scholars—all gathered together, deep in discussion about the Molad, the birth...
We often think about the legal agreements, the ketubah, and the ceremony itself. But what about the party? The celebration? The text we're looking at is from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer...
The story picks up with Abraham's servant, often identified as Eliezer, returning from Haran with Rebecca. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer tells us that he took Rebecca and Deborah, her nur...
That, according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, is precisely what happened at the Tower of Babel. The story goes that the builders of the Tower, all speaking the same language, suddenly...
It’s easy to skim over those details, but sometimes, buried within those numbers, are entire worlds of meaning. Let's pull on one of those threads today, and see where it leads us....
to a fascinating passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a non-canonical yet beloved collection of stories and interpretations of the Torah. Here, Rabbi Joshua offers a powerful insig...
It’s a question that leads us to a fascinating passage in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a beautiful, ancient text that weaves together biblical narrative and rabbinic interpretation. The...
Jewish tradition is full of stories of righteous individuals who, facing persecution, chose to flee. And often, it was the very act of fleeing that led them to salvation and a deep...
We're talking about Abraham and Isaac on their journey to Mount Moriah, a story that echoes through millennia and still has the power to shake us. The scene is stark. Abraham, havi...
Take the tale of Jacob and Esau, those iconic twins from the Book of Genesis. We know their story. Isaac and Rebekah's sons, forever locked in sibling rivalry. But Pirkei DeRabbi E...
Our story today circles around the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, a pivotal moment in Jewish tradition. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text filled with aggadi...
Here he is, a man learned in Torah, yet understandably terrified of receiving his father's curse instead of a blessing. Can you blame him? His mother, Rebecca, steps in, offering a...
Take lentils, for example. They might seem like just another legume, but in Jewish tradition, they carry a heavy weight of sorrow and mourning. Why is that? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer,...
Sometimes, it's not as straightforward as you might think. to a curious passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapter 36, and see what we can uncover about how our ance...
Our story begins with Jacob, completely unaware of the drama unfolding within his own family. Remember when Rachel, his beloved wife, stole her father Laban’s Teraphim – household ...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, by the way, is a beautiful and somewhat enigmatic work of Jewish literature from around the 8th century CE that retells and expands upon biblical narratives...
Our guide today is a passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a captivating work of Jewish legend and lore. Specifically, we're looking at Chapter 36, which touches on some pretty sign...
It all starts with King David, and his ambition to conquer the land of Edom. According to this ancient text, David really wanted to come into the land of Edom, but he couldn't. Why...
Jacob certainly did. Imagine this: He's returning home after years away, and he knows his brother Esau – the very brother he tricked out of his birthright – is coming to meet him. ...
The ancient texts are full of such moments, and they often reveal hidden truths about human nature. to one of those stories, a fascinating take on the reunion of Jacob and Esau. Re...
Her story, as told in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (chapter 38), takes a turn you might not expect. So, what happened to Asenath before she met Joseph? According to this tradition, Jacob...
We know the story of their fraught relationship, the birthright, the blessing... but what about the inheritance? It's a question that takes us deep into the heart of sibling rivalr...
It's more than just a divine special effect. It's a symbol, layered with meaning, hinting at the complex relationship between Israel and the world. : fire and thorns. Not exactly a...
Mount Sinai is one of those places. But did you know its name wasn’t always Sinai? Rabbi Elazar of Modein tells us in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer that from the very beginning, since the...
Jewish tradition certainly has. Let’s consider a particularly potent example from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Chapter 49, a text filled with dramatic narratives and moral teachings. He...
It sounds gross, I know, but stay with me. There’s a fascinating passage in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (chapter 54) that throws light on the number seven and its significance in Jewish...
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the Bible, sheds light on this very question, drawing from (Psalm 87:1-2): "Of the sons of Korah, a song with musical acc...
The Torah touches on this very idea, and it's more profound than you might think. Think about Abraham. He's already a patriarch, a leader, a man of faith. But something is missing....
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the Bible, brings together a fascinating idea in its section on Torah, specifically paragraph 251. It quotes R’ Yehoshua ...
It's more than just a nice sentiment. It's absolutely fundamental. In fact, Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, makes a powerful statement: "Great is peace, for all bles...
The Book of Numbers – in Hebrew, Bamidbar, meaning "in the wilderness" – is full of intricate details about the Tabernacle, the sacrifices, and the duties of the Levites. And withi...
We get a tantalizing glimpse into this very question in Sifrei Bamidbar, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Numbers. The text grapples with a fascinating problem: scripture seems...
Sounds daunting. Well, according to Sifrei Bamidbar (Numbers), Moses himself had a little trouble with it! In (Numbers 8:4), we read, "And this was the work of the menorah… accordi...
It’s a question that’s resonated throughout Jewish history, and the answer, surprisingly, is all about perspective. Our tradition teaches us that the way we count time is intimatel...
