2,285 related texts · Page 6 of 48
(Exodus 20:21) "And you shall slaughter thereon": alongside it (i.e., alongside the top). You say "alongside it, but perhaps it is to be understood literally, i.e., "upon it"? And ...
"They shall not appear before Me empty-handed" — the Torah requires that the pilgrims who come to the Temple on the three festivals must bring something. But what? The Mekhilta say...
Specifically, the scapegoat for Azazel. The book of Leviticus (16:5-10) describes a fascinating, and frankly bizarre, ritual performed by Aaron, the High Priest, on Yom Kippur, the...
It feels like the Bible just breezes through it: animals, done! But, of course, there's so much more to the story when you start digging. Imagine the scene. According to Pirkei DeR...
We're talking about Abraham and Isaac on their journey to Mount Moriah, a story that echoes through millennia and still has the power to shake us. The scene is stark. Abraham, havi...
It deals with a rather specific scenario: what happens when someone steals from a convert to Judaism, a ger, and then that convert dies? The verse in question is Bamidbar 5:8: "And...
It goes right down to the very specifics of Temple offerings, as we’ll see. to a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. The ...
God told Moses to "bring near Aaron" for the priestly consecration—and the Targum Jonathan adds three devastating words the Hebrew Bible does not contain: "who is afar off on accou...
Mesha, the king of Moab, heard the story of the Binding of Isaac and drew exactly the wrong conclusion. He learned that Abraham, the father of the Israelites, had been willing to s...
Today, we’re diving deep into one of the most fascinating and unsettling rituals described in the Torah: the ordeal of the sotah (סוטה), the woman suspected of adultery. The passag...
Specifically, we're looking at Chapter 14, where we find ourselves pondering a list of sacrifices offered by the leaders of the tribes. The verse in (Numbers 7:87) states: “All the...
We're diving into Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers. Specifically, we're looking at Chapter 14, which wrestles with a seemingly redundant v...
The verse “Yitro…heard” (Exodus 18:1) sparks a fascinating connection to a seemingly unrelated verse from Job: “The stranger does not stay the night outside” (Job 31:32). What’s th...
to a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic commentary on the Book of Leviticus, that explores this concept. The passage begins wit...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Vayikra Rabbah 13 that explores just that. It all starts with the verse, "The Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them" (Leviticus 1...
It teaches us that even the smallest injustice can have enormous consequences, echoing through the world and even impacting our relationship with the Divine. Our jumping-off point ...
It's not just about the animals themselves; it's about the patriarchs, about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the profound legacy they left behind. Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of ra...
(Lev. 7:11:) “This is the law of the sacrifice for peace offerings.” You find that all of the [other] sacrifices that they would bring, they would bring for sins. In the case of th...
But ancient texts give us some pretty specific instructions! to a fascinating little corner of the Book of Jubilees and see what we can uncover. The Book of Jubilees, for those unf...
to a tiny but fascinating corner of the Book of Jubilees, a text brimming with instructions and insights into the lives of our ancestors. Specifically, we're looking at chapter 21,...
We often hear about it in religious contexts, but its origins are actually quite fascinating, steeped in ancient traditions and family dynamics. to one such story, found in the Boo...
That’s precisely the scene that unfolds in the Letter of Aristeas. It’s not just any letter; it’s a record, a moment frozen in time, detailing a remarkable exchange between a Jewis...
He’s about to have a serious conversation. Picture this: the binding of Isaac, the Akedah. The ultimate test of faith. Abraham, after being asked to sacrifice his beloved son, is n...
The story of Jacob at Beth-el is one of those moments. After receiving a profound revelation from God, what did Jacob do? He didn't just stand there awestruck. He acted. He set up ...
They’d just sold him into slavery, a betrayal that surely echoed in the heavens. But now, they had a bigger problem: how to explain his absence to their father, Jacob. According to...
We’re talking about Jacob, of course, and his son Levi. Jacob, nearing the end of his life, was deeply concerned about the future of his family, his tribe, his legacy. According to...
You offer a compromise, they seem to agree, and then, bam! Back to square one. That's Pharaoh in a nutshell. We're diving back into the Exodus story, specifically that tense back-a...
Why "My Miracle?" Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us it’s because the miracle God wrought against Amalek wasn't just for Israel, but, in a way, for God too. The Sa...
When he built the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem, he constructed a brand new altar for offerings. But Solomon, in his wisdom, retained the original name for his new ...
It wasn't just a building; it was a story, a symbol, a living testament to the covenant between God and Israel. And speaking of symbols, let's zoom in on the altar. This wasn't jus...
According to Ginzberg’s retelling in Legends of the Jews, when Moses approached Aaron with the news that God wanted him to be the Kohen Gadol, the High Priest, Aaron wasn't exactly...
According to Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, the sanctuary's placement – first in Shiloh, within Joseph's territory, and later in Jerusalem, within Benjamin's – meant that Benjamin...
We find ourselves in the realm of the twelve princes, the nesi'im, each representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel. They were tasked with a sacred duty: to offer gifts to the ...
The ancient Israelites certainly did. Imagine the scene: they're fresh out of Egypt, they've messed up big time with the Golden Calf, and morale is, shall we say, a little low. So,...
Let’s talk about Jephthah. You might remember him. He was one of the Judges of Israel, a military leader, a powerful figure. But he's also remembered for a vow he made, a vow that ...
The story of Samuel is a powerful example. We find him, in Legends of the Jews, already displaying wisdom beyond his years as just a two-year-old. Imagine that for a moment. Two ye...
It was a showdown of epic proportions, a challenge to prove who the real God was. We're talking about a time of immense spiritual crisis, and everyone was desperate for answers. As...
The verse says, "And Hashem smelled the sweet savor (lit. fragrant scent)." But notice something: it doesn’t say "the scent of the sacrifice," but simply "the fragrant scent." Ther...
We're not just talking about pulling weeds. Sometimes, it's about something deeper: the very structure, the arrangement, the way we move through our lives. The Tikkun (spiritual re...
Moses' name does not appear in Parshat Tetzaveh. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev uses this conspicuous absence to explore a question about wisdom, unity, and the priestly garment...
(Ibid. 12:27) "Then you shall say that it is a Paschal sacrifice to the L–rd.": R. Yossi Haglili said: The Jews would have deserved to die in Egypt (if not for the merit of the Pas...
Rabbi Yishmael examined the Torah's commandment to build "an altar of earth" (Exodus 20:21) and derived from it a precise architectural requirement: the altar must be "fixed upon t...
"And you shall slaughter therein your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings." This tells me only of burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. Whence do I derive (the same for) all of...
The Torah prohibits approaching the altar by steps: "And you shall not go up with steps to My altar, so that your nakedness not be revealed upon it" (Exodus 20:23). From this verse...
The Torah's command in (Exodus 21:14), "From My very altar shall you take him to die," addresses a chilling scenario: a priest, a Kohen (a priest), who has committed murder. The Me...
The Torah contains a dramatic command about a murderer who has taken refuge at the altar: "From My very altar shall you take him to die" (Exodus 21:14). Even the holiest place in t...
It's all there in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, chapter 29. This ancient text uses the image of a vine to teach us about growth, potential, and the transformative power of commitment. Ra...
This passage speaks of the abominable worship of Molekh, and the horrifying sacrifices made in the Valley of Ben-hinnom. Now, the Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 277, drawing on earlier rab...
