9,687 related texts · Page 55 of 202
Rabbi Judah HaNasi and his household were known for their dignified appearance, but the principle of "shining through cleanliness" extended throughout the rabbinic world. The Talmu...
The destruction of Jerusalem did not end when the Temple burned. In the years that followed, the Romans hunted down the children of the sages, enslaving some, executing others, sca...
The birth of Moses was no ordinary event. According to the ancient chronicles preserved in Jerahmeel and the writings of Josephus, the arrival of Israel's greatest prophet was prec...
The evil eye is a supposed power of bewitching or harming by spiteful looks, attributed to certain persons as a natural endowment. This belief was widespread among ancient civiliza...
After two full years in prison, Pharaoh dreamed (Genesis 41:1). The midrash reads this through Psalm 73: "As an endless dream, the Lord despised their form." God does not reveal Hi...
It's not a mistake, and it's definitely not filler! Sometimes, those repetitions are there to teach us something profound about the people and stories within. to one such instance ...
The Torah tells us, "When you besiege a city…you shall not destroy its trees" (Deuteronomy 20:19). Seems pretty straightforward. Protect the environment, even in wartime. But then ...
In the ancient world, and even described in the Torah, there was a system in place to offer refuge. We're talking about the cities of refuge, places of sanctuary for those who unin...
The Torah tells us Sarah saw Ishmael "playing" (Genesis 21:9), and it was enough for her to demand, in no uncertain terms, that Hagar and Ishmael be banished. But what exactly did ...
Take the story of the Israelite enslavement in Egypt. We all know the basics, but the details… well, that’s where things get interesting. The Torah tells us, "They imposed upon the...
We find ourselves in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 20, digging into the story of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, and their brothers Elazar and Itamar. You remember Nadab and ...
“All its people are sighing, seeking bread; they have given their delights for food to restore life. See, Lord, and look, for I have become abject” (Lamentations 1:11).“All its peo...
“Sapping my strength,” Rabbi Tanḥum ben Rabbi Yirmeya said: There are four matters that exhaust a person’s strength, and they are: Fasting, the road, iniquity, and the kingdom of B...
It is written: “You have seen, for You behold mischief and spite; to requite is in Your hand: the helpless man commits himself to You; You are the helper of the orphans” (Psalms 10...
Rabbi Pinḥas said: Two wealthy men arose in the [history of the] world, one from Israel and one from the idolaters, and their property was only to their harm. Koraḥ in Israel, who ...
And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba (Gen. 28:10). May it please our master to teach us where a man who has unintentionally taken the life of another man may take refuge. Thus do our...
37:3). The “son of his features” (ikunim, playing on zikunim, “old age”), for he resembled his father very closely. R. Ishmael said: He was called the son of his old age because Jo...
Another comment on Then Judah drew near unto him. He came near him and said huskily; “Oh, my lord, do not transgress the laws of justice because of us. Let thy servant, I pray thee...
Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth (Gen. 49:27). Scripture states elsewhere: For the Lord will do nothing, but He revealeth His counsel unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7). At ...
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:28). Elsewhere it is written: Twelve princes shall he beget (Gen. 17:20). These are the number of the tribes, and the world is ar...
Another comment upon the verse And the Lord said to Aaron: “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses” (Exod. 4:27). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: O that thou wer...
This they shall give, everyone that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel (Exod. 30:13). Because they had sinned at the sixth hour,16Word-play reading the word boshet...
And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses (Exod. 39:32). It is written elsewhere in reference to the verse: He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous; but with kings upon the...
(Lev. 25:25:) “When your relative becomes poor.” This is Israel, of whom it is stated (in Ps. 106:43), “so they became poor through their iniquity.” (Lev. 25:25, cont.:) “And sells...
(Numb. 3:15:) “Enroll the Children of Levi….” This text is related (to Ps. 68:7), “God causes individuals to dwell in a home.” A certain matron78Lat.: matrona. asked R. Jose ben Ha...
Another interpretation (of Numb. 3:40), “enroll every first-born male.” But look, we find two hundred and seventy-three first-born, who were found to be in excess of the [number of...
(Numb. 16:7-8:) “You Levites have gone too far! So Moses said unto Korah, ‘Please listen, you Children of Levi.” Do you have someone speaking with Joseph, who tells Simon to listen...
(Numb. 31:2:) “Exact vengeance [for the Children of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered unto your people].” R. Judah said, “If Moses had wanted to live for se...
(Numbers 35:11:) “You shall provide yourselves with places to serve you as cities of refuge.” And it is written (in (Numbers 35:13-1)4), “six cities of refuge shall there be for yo...
(Deut. 25:18, cont.:) And he cut off (rt.: znb) all who were lagging behind you. He smote them with a blow to the tail (rt.: znb).51The word can also denote the penis. See PR 7:3; ...
We read the first chapter of Genesis and it feels so…orderly. But there are other stories, wilder tales, that offer a glimpse into creation’s messy, mysterious birth. Let's journey...
He’s not exactly a household name, even in well-versed Jewish circles, but this heavenly prince has a pretty important job. He's the Keeper of the Book of Records. Think of it as t...
Jewish tradition gives us a few different, evolving, and sometimes contradictory answers. One early picture, found in the ancient text 1 Enoch (specifically, chapters 22:1-14), dat...
Jewish tradition envisions a future where Jerusalem isn't just a city on a hill, but a city that becomes the hill—elevated, literally, until it reaches the very Throne of Glory. Th...
But Jewish tradition sometimes paints a more complex picture, one where the serpent is more of a… well, a puppet. to a fascinating version of the story, retold in Tree of Souls and...
Can you imagine the fear, the uncertainty? There were no books, no doctors, no one to ask for advice. It was just her and Adam, facing the unknown. The text Penitence of Adam (20:3...
It involves fallen angels, forbidden knowledge, and a whole lot of trouble. This isn't just a story of two rogue angels, Shemhazai and Azazel. According to some accounts, like the ...
"The Nefilim were in the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of r...
That moment of doubt, when faith feels… fragile. But what does our tradition teach us about those times? Ben Sira, a book of wisdom literature from around the 2nd century BCE, offe...
One that echoes through generations, forcing us to confront our own anxieties and shortcomings. But it's not all doom and gloom. Ben Sira, also known as Yeshua ben Sirach, offers a...
It's more than just good manners; it's woven into the very fabric of our spiritual well-being. Ben Sira, that wise sage whose words didn't quite make it into the Tanakh (Hebrew Bib...
That moment where you think, "I've got this. I'm in control"? We all do. It's part of being human. But what happens when that feeling tips over into arrogance, into a belief that o...
Ben Sira, that wise sage from way back when, would tell you that’s a dangerous game indeed. He cuts right to the heart of things: "For mercy and anger are with him; And his displea...
Someone who's all smiles and good times when things are easy, but vanishes the moment trouble appears. Ben Sira, that wise sage whose words resonate across centuries, understood th...
He understood the persistent, sometimes frustrating, quest for wisdom. And in his book, he offers some surprisingly practical, and beautiful, advice. He urges us: "Search and exami...
It's packed with advice on everything from how to treat your servants to, yes, even your daughters. Some of it might sound a little… antiquated to our modern ears. But bear with me...
Ben Sira, in his wisdom, reminds us of something fundamental: "If they were not, you would not have come to the world." Your parents, your ancestors... they paved the way. And what...
It’s easy to get caught up in the now, in what’s shiny and new. But what about the wisdom that comes from years of living, years of observing, years of learning? Ben Sira, that sag...
