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to a story from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, that explores just this. The story goes that God tells Moses to gather seventy men to he...
The book of Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, sheds light on this very question. We find ourselves at a pivotal moment in the Israelites' ...
The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, picks up the story after the tumultuous events at Sinai. In Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpreti...
In Bamidbar Rabbah – that’s a collection of rabbinic teachings connected to the Book of Numbers – there's a fascinating passage about how God commanded Moses to gather seventy men....
Moses knew the feeling. Leading the Israelites through the desert? No small feat! And it seems even he needed a little help. We find ourselves in Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a section of t...
Bamidbar Rabbah 16 opens with a powerful quote from (Isaiah 40:8): "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever." Rabbi Aḥa the Great uses this ...
Does a name shape destiny? Does it reflect character? Or is it just… a label? The book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, gives us a lot to chew on in that regard. Specifically, Bamid...
Sometimes, a seemingly simple verse can open up a whole world of interpretation and insight. Let’s take a look at a moment in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, specifically chapter 13...
It’s a question that echoes throughout Jewish tradition, and one place we find it wrestled with is in Bamidbar Rabbah – specifically, in section 16. Bamidbar Rabbah, if you're not ...
The ancient rabbis pondered this very question, drawing a profound parallel between a human father and God, our ultimate Father. to Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically section 17, to unp...
It wasn't just about following the rules, but about heart and intention. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 17 and see what we can uncover. Rabbi Tanhuma bar Abba, quoti...
The story of Koraḥ's challenge to Moses' leadership is a powerful one, filled with jealousy, ambition, and a profound questioning of divine authority. We find a particularly insigh...
This week, we're diving into a story from Bamidbar Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers – that explores just that feeling. It centers on Moses, and a ...
The story of Moses and the rebellion of Korah, Datan, and Aviram in the Book of Numbers gives us a powerful example. The Torah tells us, “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to...
That feeling, that potent brew of envy and ambition, is at the heart of the story of Korah. But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah, doesn'...
It all starts in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar (Numbers 19:2), with the words: “This is the statute of the Torah that the Lord commanded, saying: Speak to the children of Israel, a...
It's not just about the big stories, but the tiny details, the way things are phrased. The Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbe...
And what do these four seemingly disparate things have in common? They're all described as chukim – decrees or statutes – things we do simply because God commanded them, even if th...
The story goes like this: A curious, and perhaps skeptical, idolater approaches Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, a renowned Jewish sage. He's puzzled by the ritual of the Red Heifer (Para...
Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The passage wrestles with a pretty tough question: Why was Moses punished so severely for what seems like a relatively minor offense – striking th...
Like good people suffer, and… well, you know the rest. That feeling isn't new. It’s a feeling that echoes through the ages, a question that’s been wrestled with in our texts for mi...
The Book of Numbers, in the Torah, gives us a powerful story, one unpacked beautifully in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classical midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection (a mi...
A classic example surfaces in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 as it grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Israel sent messengers to Siḥon, king of the Emorites, saying…" (Numbers 21:21). The...
Take, for example, the story of sending messengers. In one place, it says Israel sent them. In another, it says Moses did. So, which is it? Did the whole nation get together and wr...
We often read about the grand miracles, the parting of the sea, the manna from heaven. But what about the gritty, day-to-day decisions, the moments of doubt and bravery? (Numbers 2...
The story of Bilam gives us a fascinating glimpse. We find ourselves in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. The Israelites are on the move, and their growing presence is makin...
It's all about Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet, and his less-than-holy intentions. The story kicks off with God approaching Bilam and asking, "Who are these men with you?" (Numbers 2...
The story of Bilam, found in the Book of Numbers, is one wild ride. But the real juicy stuff? It's in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah, ...
Our tradition teaches us that each individual is unique, a world unto themselves, with their own distinct ruach (spirit) and temperament. And it’s precisely this understanding that...
The story of the daughters of Tzelofḥad challenges that assumption in a profound way. It all starts in (Numbers 27:1): “The daughters of Tzelofḥad, son of Ḥefer, son of Gilad, son ...
This is the complex and very human story bubbling beneath the surface of (Numbers 27:17), "that the congregation of the Lord will not be like a flock that has no shepherd." It's a ...
We offer things up, whether it's time, effort, or, as in the ancient Israelite tradition, animal offerings. But to whom are we offering? And why? The book of Numbers, in chapter 28...
Our journey starts with a verse: "Say to them: This is the fire offering that you shall bring to the Lord: unblemished lambs in the first year, two each day, a continual burnt offe...
Jewish tradition grapples with this very idea – the seeming imbalance between what we offer God and what God offers us. The passage in Bamidbar Rabbah 21, a collection of rabbinic ...
And maybe, just maybe, there's a hidden message in those seemingly random journeys. In the Book of Numbers – in Hebrew, Bamidbar – we find a detailed list of all the places the Isr...
When the Torah says, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: For you are coming to the land of Canaan; this will be the land that will fall to you as an inheritance” (Num...
Take, for example, the verse in Numbers: "This will be the land that will fall [tipol] to you as an inheritance." (Numbers 34:2). "Fall?" the Rabbis asked. Does land just fall? Isn...
That’s kind of the vibe we get right at the very beginning of Bereshit Rabbah, the classic rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis. The text opens with a powerful, almost fierce...
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, quoting Rabbi Levi, offers a fascinating analogy in Bereshit Rabbah, the great rabbinic commentary on Genesis. He says a builder needs six things: water, d...
Jewish tradition, in its wisdom, offers a gentle, yet firm, hand on our shoulder, guiding us back to the here and now. The very first verse of the Torah, Bereshit, "In the beginnin...
It might seem like a simple opening, but Jewish tradition finds layers of meaning even in the placement of God’s name in the very first verse. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, a prominent f...
It’s a question that's captivated thinkers for millennia. And surprisingly, there's a bit of a debate about it, even in ancient rabbinic texts. The verse that sparks this discussio...
The sages of old grappled with this very question. Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon, offers a stunning image. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,” from (P...
It’s a question that's captivated Jewish mystics and scholars for centuries. And, like many profound questions in Jewish tradition, the answer isn't simple, but layered with meanin...
It's like the whole thing is one giant, intricate tapestry. Take the creation of light, for example. The very first "Let there be light!" in Genesis. Rabbi Simon, in Bereshit Rabba...
Genesis tells us, "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). Simple enough. But the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Bereshit ...
The Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection that expands on the Book of Genesis, dives deep into the creation story. And in Bereshit Rabb...
We look up and see blue, clouds drifting by, maybe the sun blazing down. But what's really up there? Genesis, the very first book of the Bible, begins to tackle this question. In t...
