3,200 related texts · Page 14 of 67
It's so central to Jewish prayer, so foundational to our understanding of G-d, that we might sometimes take it for granted. But the rabbis of old saw so much depth and meaning pack...
Our tradition has a powerful image for that feeling, and it all revolves around… rain. Specifically, rain in its proper time. (Deuteronomy 11:14)." The yoreh, the early rain, and t...
But let’s dive into a fascinating passage from Sifrei Devarim 313 and see what it reveals. The text uses some powerful imagery to describe God's relationship with Abraham. First, i...
The ancient sages grappled with this very idea. The verse we're looking at today, from Sifrei Devarim 329, part of the legal commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, hits hard. It st...
The Hebrew Bible says God "came down" to see the Tower of Babel and confused humanity's language (Genesis 11:7). But the ancient Aramaic translators of Targum Jonathan told a radic...
The Hebrew Bible tells a straightforward story about Isaac digging wells in Gerar and feuding with the Philistines over water rights (Genesis 26). The Targum Jonathan transforms it...
The Blessing of Moses in (Deuteronomy 33) gets the full Targum treatment—every tribe's destiny expanded, every blessing loaded with specifics the Torah never mentions. It opens wit...
The Talmud in Chagigah 12b asks a foundational question: what holds up the world? The answer, according to Rabbi Yosei, is a chain of impossible supports—each one resting on someth...
When God gave the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, the sages taught that He did not speak them into a void. Each commandment was connected to the covenant God had already made with...
"Jacob fled to the land of Aram" (Hosea 12:13). The prophet is not describing geography — he is making a theological point about the interior life. Isaiah completes it: "My people,...
"I will make my opinions widely known" (Job 36:3). God called Abraham from the east — "calling a bird of prey from the east, a man of my counsel from a distant land" (Isaiah 46:11)...
The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives into this very question, and what it reveals is both awe-inspiring and, well, a little unsettl...
The story of Pinḥas (Phineas) in the book of Numbers is a wild ride, a tale of zealotry, divine intervention, and a whole lot of questions about what's right and wrong. The scene i...
And in Bereshit Rabbah, one of our most beloved collections of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – stories that expand upon the Hebrew Bible – we find a fascinating perspe...
According to Bereshit Rabbah 20, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, this wasn't just a symbolic statement. The text paints a dramatic picture: When God, bles...
The Torah gives us hints, but it's in the rabbinic tradition where things get really interesting, where they piece together the ages and relationships to illuminate the story. (Gen...
The story of Abraham begins with just such a call. (Genesis 12:1)—a verse etched into the heart of Jewish tradition—tells us: "The Lord said to Abram: Go you, from your land, and f...
Bereshit Rabbah, a classic compilation of Rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, offers a stunningly beautiful image to explain Abraham’s rise to greatness. It all starts...
Our guide? The ancient Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at ...
Our ancestors certainly did. And in the story of Abraham, we find the ultimate tale of answering that call. : God speaks to Abraham, then still Abram, and says, "Lekh lekha" – "Go ...
Sometimes, the most sacred journeys require us to confront the most difficult of family ties. Our story begins with Avram, later Abraham, and a seemingly simple command from God: "...
We're talking about the famous verse in (Genesis 12:1), the very beginning of Abraham's journey: "Go you [lekh lekha] from your country, your people and your father’s household to ...
The Torah tells us, "Abram passed through the land to the place of Shekhem, until the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land" (Genesis 12:6). But there's more to ...
It's easy to imagine them springing forth, fully formed, ready to face any challenge. But what about the times before the heroism, the moments of vulnerability, the struggles that ...
The rabbis of old, wrestling with this very question, spun a fascinating tale in Bereshit Rabbah 40, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. The story begi...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found evidence of it woven right into the fabric of the Torah itself. Take the story of Abraham, our forefather. He goes down to Egypt to...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. They saw echoes of the Exodus, the defining moment of Jewish liberation, shimmering even in the life of Abraham. We find this idea beautifu...
The ancient Rabbis certainly thought so! to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, specifically section 42, wh...
The verse in question is (Genesis 14:19): "He blessed him, and he said: Blessed is Abram to God, the Most High, Maker of heavens and earth." But another way to read it is "Acquirer...
Our journey begins in (Genesis 14:20): “And blessed is God, the Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. He gave him a tithe of everything.” This verse is about Abraha...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. They saw this idea woven into the very fabric of the Torah, even in God's promise to Abraham. to Bereshit Rabbah 44 and explore this fascin...
Turns out, even Abraham, our patriarch, felt that way. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. In this passage, the v...
It's like a song with a recurring chorus, reminding us of something vital. Let's look at one of those refrains, the reassurance "Fear not, Abram," and see what echoes it holds. The...
We're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 44 here, and the central question revolves around God's promise to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield for you; your reward is very great" (Ge...
The text opens with God's reassurance to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram." But whom did Abraham fear? Rabbi Berekhya suggests it was none other than Shem himself. The passage then draws ...
As we find in (Genesis 15:3), Abraham cries out, "Behold, to me You have not given offspring, and a member of my household is my heir." He's pouring out his heart, expressing his d...
We find a fascinating glimpse into that struggle in Bereshit Rabbah 44, a section of the ancient midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection on the Book of Genesis. It ...
The Torah uses powerful imagery to describe just such a feeling in (Genesis 15:11): “Birds of prey descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.” But what does it really...
We find ourselves asking this question in Bereshit Rabbah 44, a midrash – a collection of rabbinic interpretations – on the book of Genesis. The verse in question: "On that day, th...
Meanwhile, weeds seem to sprout up effortlessly, choking everything in their path. Jewish tradition grapples with this very question, especially when it comes to something as funda...
It's not always the idyllic picture we might imagine. to a fascinating, and frankly, a bit uncomfortable, passage from Bereshit Rabbah 45, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
But what does it truly signify? And why there? In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, we find a fascinating discussion between Rabbi Yishm...
It's never accidental. Jewish tradition teaches us that repetitions often hold profound significance, echoing through generations. Take Abraham, for example, our patriarch. We find...
The Torah tells us in (Genesis 17:5), "Your name will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations." Seems pre...
to a fascinating, and frankly, rather unusual story from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. (Genesis 17:23) tells us that Abr...
Take the story of Abraham, for instance. We all know he was commanded to circumcise himself and his household. But did you ever stop to consider the details of that commandment, an...
We read the stories, we know the milestones – but sometimes the weight of those moments gets lost. Take the act of circumcision, the brit milah, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine....
Like a flash of light and a booming voice. But maybe, just maybe, it's something a little more… intimate. Let’s take a peek into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a colle...
