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Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of Rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, delves into this very question, specifically in the context of redeeming firstborn sons. The passage hin...
Bamidbar Rabbah (5) dives deep into this, using the verse "Do not rob the impoverished as he is impoverished..." (Proverbs 22:22) as a springboard for profound ethical reflection. ...
Why priests were priests, Levites were Levites, and the firstborn... well, what was the deal with the firstborn? Our story begins in Bamidbar Rabbah 6, a section of the great Midra...
Maybe it's your stamp collection, each one unique. Or the number of books you've amassed over the years. We count them separately, admiring each one, and then we count them all tog...
It's one thing to nod along, but quite another to act with genuine willingness. This idea is at the very heart of a fascinating passage in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), a colle...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 7, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection, that grapples with this very ques...
Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into the prophet Amos's rebuke of those who are "tranquil in Zion" (Amos 6:1). Who are these ...
Specifically, we're looking at the offerings of Elyasaf son of Deuel, the prince of the tribe of Gad. "On the sixth day, prince of the children of Gad, Elyasaf son of Deuel" (Numbe...
Bamidbar Rabbah, that incredible collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into this very question. It’s not just a ma...
Even the tribe of Levi felt that way once, and their story, preserved in Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 15, is a powerful reminder of how God sees and values each of us, even whe...
The verse in question is from (Psalms 18:29): "For You light my lamp." Israel, in this story, turns to the Holy One, blessed be He, and essentially says: "Master of the Universe, Y...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with centuries ago, and their insights, drawn from the Torah itself, are surprisingly relevant today. We find a fascinating discussion in Bamidb...
Jewish tradition teaches that there's a profound spiritual power in gathering together, a power that even resonates in the heavens. But is any gathering automatically holy? The Mid...
Forty days! Now, think about that journey, from the south all the way to the north. That's a long walk. Could they really have covered all that ground, the entire breadth of the la...
It’s a question that resonates throughout Jewish tradition, and one that the Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, tackles head-on. The passag...
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...
Rabbi Zakai of She'av offers a beautiful insight. He imagines the Israelites asking God: "Master of the universe, everywhere else You call it the land of Canaan, but here, ‘the lan...
In this week's portion, we encounter the rebellion of Koraḥ, a story that's not just about one disgruntled guy, but about the very foundations of leadership and faith. "Koraḥ assem...
The Book of Numbers, in the Bamidbar Rabbah, grapples with this very question when describing the plague of fiery serpents. "The Lord sent the fiery serpents against the people, an...
The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, sheds light on this very question. It tells us that the well, a miraculous source of water that acco...
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...
It all starts with the line: “Moav was very alarmed by the nation because they were numerous, and Moav was dreaded by the children of Israel” (Numbers 22:3). But what does it reall...
Our story today, drawn from Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a section of the classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), plunges us right into such a situation – a tale of Moabites, ...
to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers, that really drives this point home. The story begins with Balak, ...
Like we can somehow pull the divine wool over God's eyes. Today, we’re diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20 that explores this very idea, highlighting three fi...
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, ...
In Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 21, we encounter a fascinating tension. God commands the Israelites to "Assail the Midianites." Seems pretty straightforward. But then, the text...
We find ourselves at a fascinating crossroads in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar, specifically in Bamidbar Rabbah 21. Moses, our leader, is aging. The question of succession looms la...
It might be more than just luck. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 21, which uses the biblical verse "My offering, My food… you shall observe to presen...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They found that very human feeling reflected in the Torah itself, specifically in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. And they explore it in ...
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...
It all revolves around the verse, "For you are coming to the land of Canaan." Seemingly straightforward. But the Rabbis, with their insatiable curiosity and profound insights, dig ...
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...
Before humans, before animals, just… water. What was that like? Our sages imagined just that, and they gave the water a voice, a purpose, a mission. Bereshit Rabbah, that incredibl...
Rabbi Yoḥanan, a towering figure in the Talmudic era, offers a startling idea. He suggests that when God created the sea, He made a deal. A condition (tna’o in Hebrew) that it woul...
And our sages, wrestling with the creation story itself, asked a very similar question. The Book of Psalms (8:5) asks, "What is a mortal that You remember him, a man that You take ...
Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 12. Rabbi Nehemya of Kefar Sihon starts us off by referencing (Exodus 20:11): "For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the eart...
to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, and uncover some hidden layers of meaning. The verse in question, (G...
The verse at the heart of this discussion is (Genesis 9:6): "One who sheds the blood of man, by man his blood shall be shed, as He made man in the image of God." Simple enough on t...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 36, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic commentary on the Book of Genesis, which grapples with this v...
That’s the kind of feeling I get when I think about Abraham and that young bull. Let's set the scene. Remember when three divine guests show up at Abraham's tent in the heat of the...
It’s not just about retribution, but about a deeper kind of fittingness. We see this principle vividly illustrated in the story of Sodom, particularly in the events surrounding Lot...
That feeling is at the heart of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We all know the story: wickedness, fire, brimstone. But what about the sheer, physical devastation? How did it actu...
After decades of barrenness, at a very, very advanced age, she miraculously conceives and gives birth to Isaac. In (Genesis 21:6), she exclaims, "God has made laughter for me; ever...
We know the story: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Abraham, unflinchingly faithful, prepares to follow through. But at the last moment, an angel intervene...
Our story today comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at section 63, which delves into the lives ...
But Jewish tradition, in its beautiful and often poetic way, offers a compelling answer: the people of Israel. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbin...
Specifically, we’re going to zoom in on a moment of high tension, guided by the insights of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis...
