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We know him as the liberator of the Israelites, the one who received the Torah on Mount Sinai. But what about the years before the burning bush? The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation o...
The ancient Israelites knew that feeling intimately. The Yalkut Shimoni, a fascinating collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic interpretations of the Hebrew Bibl...
It describes the offerings brought by the leaders of Israel: "And the chiefs of Israel presented (their offerings)." Now, who were these chiefs? Were they just some random people a...
And it happened to King David himself, involving none other than the Ark of the Covenant. We find ourselves in Bamidbar (Numbers 7:9), where the Torah is describing the gifts given...
We're in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar (7:18), where the heads of the tribes are bringing offerings to the Tabernacle. It says, "On the second day, Nethanel ben Tzuar, the chief of...
We're diving into Sifrei Bamidbar, a fascinating commentary on the Book of Numbers (Bamidbar in Hebrew). And right off the bat, verse 9:1 hits us with something intriguing: "And th...
The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt and sustained by miraculous manna in the desert, certainly did. And their grumbling, as recorded in Sifrei Bamidbar, offers a fascinating glimpse...
That feeling, that intense pressure, isn't new. Moses, the great leader of the Israelites, felt it too. And the Torah, in its unflinching honesty, doesn't shy away from showing us ...
It’s a question that’s been wrestled with for centuries, and the answers are surprisingly nuanced. Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Sifrei Bamidbar, a collection...
Our Sages noticed it too. They saw these juxtapositions as opportunities. Opportunities to dig deeper and find hidden connections. Let's look at a fascinating example from Sifrei B...
It wasn't as simple as drawing lines on a map. Oh no, it involved divine guidance, population counts, and even a bit of negotiation! to the fascinating details. The verse in Bamidb...
It's like when Moses, in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), reminds the Israelites about the land G-d promised them, saying, "which the L-rd swore to your fathers… to Abraham, to I...
King Solomon, the wisest of all men, certainly did. We find a fascinating passage in Sifrei Devarim that explores this very question, using a verse from the Book of Kings (I Kings ...
You're not alone. Turns out, this is a tale as old as time, or at least as old as the Israelites wandering in the desert. We find ourselves in the Book of Devarim, Deuteronomy (1:2...
This idea of "servant" comes up in Sifrei Devarim, that's the book of Deuteronomy, and it got me thinking. The verse we're looking at is (Deuteronomy 3:24), where Moses is pleading...
In the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), specifically chapter 3, verse 24, we find Moses pleading with God. He says, "Your greatness (gadlecha)..." But what exactly does that gadlecha...
It's a story about Reuven, Jacob's eldest son, and a deeply troubling act. "And it was, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuven went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine...
We're about to dive into one of those head-scratchers, straight from the ancient Jewish legal text, Sifrei Devarim. The question? Whether the Ten Commandments are included in the c...
Those are tefillin, also known as phylacteries. They’re deeply meaningful, filled with ancient texts, and the way we put them on is steeped in tradition. But have you ever stopped ...
The text poses a hypothetical: How do we know the same person built both cities? Maybe a different architect was involved. The answer lies in the lineage of Cham, son of Noah. (Gen...
It grapples with the very nature of our connection to the land, specifically Egypt and Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. The passage begins by questioning the intent behind a part...
Jewish tradition is full of moments like that. to one, a promise of abundance so rich it almost feels too good to be true. We're looking at a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collect...
Sifrei Devarim, a part of Jewish legal literature, uses that very image to kick off a powerful message about Torah study. It paints a picture of two people walking a mil (a unit of...
What's the ultimate betrayal? To be led away from God, the very source of our being. That's what's at stake in the passage from Sifrei Devarim we're about to explore. The text focu...
Sometimes, it's in those tiny details that we find the biggest revelations. Let's take a little dive into a passage from Sifrei Devarim (that's a collection of early rabbinic legal...
And it turns out, the seeds of their monumental freedom were sown not under the blazing sun, but under the cloak of night. We read in Sifrei Devarim – a collection of early Jewish ...
For the Jewish people, the Exodus from Egypt is that moment. And it echoes even in the details of how we celebrate Passover, Pesach, the festival commemorating that liberation. Our...
We usually focus on Moses. Maybe Aaron gets a nod. But have you ever considered Miriam’s role? Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, off...
It's not just a historical account; it's a profound lesson about faith, resilience, and the vulnerabilities we face on our own paths. The passage in Sifrei Devarim 296, focusing on...
Specifically, we're looking at the verse saying "and there will not be with him a strange god." Now, on the surface, this seems pretty straightforward: no idolatry. And one interpr...
The Sifrei Devarim, a fascinating work of halakhic Midrash (a legal interpretation of the Torah), tackles this very question, offering us a glimpse into the symbolic richness of th...
It’s a question that’s plagued humanity for millennia, and it’s a question that even Moses himself wrestled with. Imagine being Moses, the man who led the Israelites out of slavery...
Is it just for a select few, a royal inheritance? Or is it for everyone? Sifrei Devarim, a fascinating commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, tackles this head-on. It begins by que...
The verse in question, from Deuteronomy, speaks of the tribe of Benjamin: "He shall rest securely upon Him." The Sifrei Devarim immediately connects this "security" with the idea o...
You can almost feel his anticipation, his heart swelling with hope. But then… the hammer drops. "This is the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," God tells Moses, as we...
JOSEPH B. JOḤANAN OF JERUSALEM SAID: LET YOUR HOUSE BE OPENED WIDE, AND LET THE POOR BE MEMBERS OF YOUR HOUSEHOLD; AND TALK NOT MUCH WITH A WOMAN.LET YOUR HOUSE BE OPENED WIDE. Wha...
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 story of Dinah in Genesis 34 is already one of the most violent chapters in the Torah. The Targum Jonathan, the ancient Aramaic translation, does not soften it. Instead, it sha...
The final chapter of Numbers in the Targum's version (Numbers 36) resolves a legal crisis that the daughters of Zelophehad had inadvertently created. The heads of the clan of Gilea...
[What about all] the praise of Joseph, who exceeded in the honor of his father? And yet he did not enter into him all the time, such that were it not that they came to tell him, "Y...
"Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17). God remembers the righteous for good and the wicked for destruction. When He recalled Abraham, He spoke with affection: "Shal...
[1] "And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord your God, etc." (Exodus 20:1-2) Blessed is the Place, blessed is He, who chose Israel from all His handiwork and acquired ...
Midrash on the death of Aaron "I lost the three shepherds in one month" (Zecharia 11:8); and thus, in one month, Aaron, Miriam, and Moses died. Miriam died on the 1st of the month ...
Book of Eldad the Danite A Question and Answer between the People of Kairouan and Rabbi Zemach Gaon [Epstein, Eldad the Danite, Story I] Before the chariot of Israel and its horsem...
Story of Eldad the Danite, Narrative B In the name of the LORD God of Israel, blessed be His name, of our God the King, King of kings, Who chose Israel from among all nations and g...
And [R. Avraham Saba] also explains the reason for the counting of the omer in Parashat Emor, and these are [his] words: And in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) HaGal...
"Zohar Chadash": It consists of some esoteric Torah teachings (letters), verses, and Mishnaic teachings with a concealed Midrash on the Torah and the Song of Songs, as well as some...
(2) (Fol. 3b) R. Abahu said: "Cyrus was a worthy king, and therefore were his royal years counted in accordance with those of the kings of Israel [beginning with Nissan]." R. Josep...
