3,894 related texts · 15 related myths · Page 80 of 82
Our tradition wrestles with that very feeling in the story of the Golden Calf. The scene: Moses is up on Mount Sinai, receiving the Torah, the very blueprint for a just and holy so...
That, in a nutshell, is the tragedy of the Golden Calf. But how quickly did things really fall apart after the revelation at Sinai? The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive...
The book of Exodus tells us that after the giving of the Torah, the Israelites, impatient and afraid, built the Golden Calf. God, understandably, was furious. "Let Me be," He says ...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous exodus from Egypt, had already broken their covenant with God. And God, understandably, was furious. But Moses, ever the advocate, stepp...
This particular section, Shemot Rabbah 43, gives us a glimpse into the intense drama that unfolded between Moses and God after the Israelites' colossal blunder. The verse in questi...
Take, for instance, this powerful moment described in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. We find Moses, pleading with God. The Israelite...
The verse "Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He will stand before kings" (Proverbs 22:29) sparked quite the debate. Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpret...
I can't possibly do that!" Well, Moses felt that way too. to a fascinating interpretation of the Song of Songs that reveals Moses's very human anxieties. The verse Why should I be ...
Moses knew that feeling all too well. As he approached the end of his time, he had one burning question for God: "Who will lead Your people after I'm gone?" This question forms the...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah 9, a section of the rabbinic commentary on the Song of Songs, and it’s not always what you’d expect. The verse under discussion is "I have likened you, my love...
The verse Now, The first reading, that sounds lovely. But the rabbis, masters of drash (interpretation), see layers of meaning. First, it's connected to the Exodus story. "We will ...
It’s a humbling, and frankly, a little thought. And it's exactly what we find explored in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings and interpretations on the Song o...
He paints a picture in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the commentary on Song of Songs, that really resonated with me. A prince, see? He's been dreadfully ill. Finally, he recovers. The prin...
The Song of Songs, that beautiful, evocative poem, begins with the line: "The sound of my beloved! Behold, he approaches, he leaps over the mountains and bounds over the hills" (So...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Messiah — Moses at the Dawn of Creation. What kind of mountains? Well, sometimes they represent legal hurdles. The text equates "mountains" with court...
What could this possibly mean? Rabbi Yitzchak, as quoted in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, hears the voice of the congregation of Israel in this verse, pleading with God. "Master of the uni...
In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a fascinating discussion about these pesky creatures and what they represent. Rabbi ...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to My Beloved Is Mine and the Bond Between God and Israel. "My beloved is mine, and I am his," the commentary states. He is God for me, and I am a nation...
The Song of Songs, or Shir HaShirim in Hebrew, is filled with that kind of longing. It’s a love poem, yes, but Jewish tradition reads it as an allegory for the relationship between...
That ache, that persistent search – it echoes through the ages, even finding its way into the ancient texts. We turn to Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretatio...
The Rabbis, in their insightful way, connect verses from different parts of the Bible to illuminate the Exodus story. They begin by focusing on the verse "Behold the bed [mitato]."...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a powerful, poignant lesson woven into the seeming...
Seems straightforward. But the Rabbis, in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, see layers of meaning here. Specifically, they focus on the Hebrew word libavtini – "you have charmed me." The spell...
The collection of rabbinic homiletic interpretations of Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, dives deep into this very question. Rabbi Berekhya offers a surprising take: how can ho...
They found it echoing through the verses of the Song of Songs, that most passionate and enigmatic book of the Bible, Shir HaShirim in Hebrew. Specifically, they focused on a partic...
How is your beloved more than another beloved, that you administer an oath to us so?" (Song of Songs 5:9-10). Essentially, they're asking, "What makes God so special? What makes Hi...
Ever felt that sting of doubt, that little voice whispering, "Where is He now?" It's a question that's echoed through the ages, a challenge thrown at the heart of faith itself. And...
" But it's not just about physical beauty. The Rabbis interpret "Tirtza" as connected to the Hebrew word rotza, meaning "when you wish." It suggests that true beauty lies in the wh...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to Sixty Righteous Souls Under the Tree of Life in Eden. What's truly astonishing is the sheer scale described. It's taught that the Tree of Life itself ...
Take the verse from the Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim, "How fair are your feet in sandals [bane’alim]," with its slightly unusual plural form, "sandals" [ne’alim]. What could that p...
It’s like a tiny seed containing an entire orchard. Take, for instance, the verse from (Song of Songs 7:5): "Your neck is like an ivory tower; your eyes are pools in Ḥeshbon, by th...
It's filled with metaphors, and some of them are truly striking. Take this one: "Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon." What does that even mean? Well, the Rabbis of Shir HaShiri...
The Jewish tradition teaches that names aren't just labels; they're packed with meaning, hinting at a person's essence, their destiny, and even their connection to the Divine. to a...
Vayikra Rabbah, a classical midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text – meaning, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Torah – offers a fascinating perspective. I...
Vayikra Rabbah, the great Midrash on the Book of Leviticus, dives right into this question with a startling statement. It says that a Torah scholar without sense – meaning, without...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Vayikra Rabbah, that treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations, offers us some beautiful insights. Rabbi Yehoshua ben ...
"The elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord and one shall slaughter the bull before the Lord." Okay, so far so good. It’s a very s...
Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the book of Leviticus, dives deep into this very topic, using the verse "when a woma...
Take the sacrifices described in the Torah. Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Leviticus, sees them not just as offerings, but as embodiments of our ...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to The Prince Who Ate Non-Kosher Until the King Set His Table. The king, understandably, wasn't thrilled. He declares, "This one will frequent my table, and on...
Rabbi Elazar paints a vivid picture. Imagine a lily growing amidst a thicket of thorns. Beautiful. But how difficult would it be to pluck it, to reach in and claim that delicate fl...
In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a beautiful and surprisingly resilient answer, all wrapped up in the image of a lily. Rabbi A...
That feeling is surprisingly ancient. The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) knew it well, wrestling with how to maintain Jewish identity in a world of compet...
A fascinating, and frankly, pretty intense passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus. This particular section, Vayikra Rabbah 23, expl...
A song, a smell, a place... and suddenly you're right back there, feeling the weight of it all over again. Jewish tradition is keenly aware of this power of association, and how ea...
Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Leviticus, illuminates this very connection. When Leviticus speaks of offering "a bull, or a sheep, or a goa...
It all hinges on a seemingly simple phrase. It comes from Vayikra Rabbah 30, a fascinating section of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary). Midrash, by the way, is a meth...
Rabbi Ḥiyya, in Vayikra Rabbah 31, makes a point of stressing that it's specifically olive oil that’s important. Not sesame, walnut, turnip, or almond, but "olive oil from your oli...
