4,614 related texts · Page 95 of 97
And, as we often find, the ancient texts of our tradition offer powerful, if sometimes unsettling, insights. Today, we're diving into Vayikra Rabbah 18 – a midrash, a Rabbinic inte...
Like, staring up at a mountain of laundry or a career change and thinking, "Where do I even begin?" Well, you're not alone. Our sages grappled with this feeling too, especially whe...
See, (Leviticus 16:23) tells us that Aaron, the High Priest, would enter the Tent of Meeting – the Ohel Mo'ed – and remove the linen vestments he wore when he entered the Sanctum –...
The Torah tackles this very question, and the answer is surprisingly nuanced. We find a fascinating passage in Vayikra Rabbah 23, which delves into (Leviticus 18:3): “You shall not...
It's more than just a ritual. It touches on themes of covenant, perfection, and even the very nature of blessing. to a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic ...
It’s not just filler! According to the sages, these repetitions are clues, little breadcrumbs that lead us to deeper meanings. Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash on the book of Leviticus, d...
The ancient rabbis wrestled with these very questions. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a fascinating discussion anchored to t...
If so, you're in good company. Jewish tradition teaches us that God has a special connection to the persecuted, the downtrodden, the ones who are constantly being pursued. It's a t...
We're diving into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah 27, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection that expands upon the Book of Leviticus. The central verse...
We find a surprisingly intimate answer tucked away in Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus. Rabbi Yoshiya starts us off with a verse from (Psa...
The ancient rabbis grappled with these questions too, and their insights, preserved in texts like Vayikra Rabbah, offer some startling perspectives. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, quoting R...
Our ancestors felt it too. to a fascinating little piece from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection that unpacks the book of Leviticus. This par...
It's more than just a last-minute animal substitution. Our tradition sees it as a symbol, a prophecy even, about the future of the Jewish people. The Torah tells us, "Abraham lifte...
In Jewish tradition, the number seven is definitely one of those numbers. It’s not just a random figure; it's woven into the very fabric of our understanding of the world and our r...
It's more than just tradition; it's a lesson in priorities and a reminder of what truly sustains us. The verse in Leviticus (23:40) instructs us: "You shall take for you on the fir...
The lulav, the palm branch we wave during Sukkot, the Festival of Booths, seems simple enough. But what if that seemingly innocent branch had a dark secret? Vayikra Rabbah, a fasci...
Take, for instance, the four species we use on Sukkot – the etrog (citron), the lulav (date palm frond), the hadass (myrtle), and the aravah (willow). They aren't just random plant...
The passage centers around the verse from Isaiah (58:12): “Through you, ancient ruins will be rebuilt; you will reestablish generations-old foundations.” What does that even mean? ...
Rabbi Elazar, in Vayikra Rabbah 35, offers a powerful comparison. He says, "The way of the world is that a king issues a decree; if he wishes to fulfill it, he fulfills it, and if ...
Today, we’re diving into a fascinating passage from Vayikra Rabbah 36 that grapples with the legacy of King Ahaz. The verse from Proverbs sets the stage: “One hand to another will ...
“How does the greatly crowded city sit alone? She has become like a widow. Great among the nations, a princess among the states: She has become a vassal” (Lamentations 1:1).“How [e...
There was an incident in which Rabbi Yehoshua was walking along the path.49This was a path through a field that was created by people traversing it. A certain person found him walk...
“A princess among the nations,” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Because Israel violated the terms that they accepted at Sinai, therefore, “she has become a vassal [lamas].” Sinai is lamas, the...
“I remember my song in the night; I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches” (Psalms 77:7). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Aivu.58The text of the midrash (rabbinic i...
“She has no comforter.” Rabbi Levi said: Any place that it is stated: “Has no [ein],” [ultimately] she will have. “Sarai was barren, she had no [ein] child” (Genesis 11:30), but [u...
“The adversary extended his hand over all her delights; for she saw the nations entering her Sanctuary, whom You had commanded that they should not enter Your assembly” (Lamentatio...
“How the Lord has clouded [ya’iv] the daughter of Zion in His wrath.” Rabbi Ḥama bar Rabbi Ḥanina said: How did the Lord condemn in His wrath the daughter of Zion?8Rabbi Ḥama inter...
“And did not remember His footstool [hadom raglav],” Rabbi Ḥanina bar Yitzḥak said: The Holy One blessed be He does not remember that blood [hadam] that was between the legs of the...
“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent. They have placed dust on their heads, have girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have lowere...
“What shall I attest to you, to what shall I liken you, daughter of Jerusalem? To what shall I equate you, and comfort you, virgin daughter of Zion? For your breach is as vast as t...
“Let him sit alone and be silent, because He has laid it upon him” (Lamentations 3:28).“Let him sit alone and be silent” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: The Holy One blessed be He ...
“The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that an adversary and enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem” (Lamentations 4:12).“The kings of the e...
Rabbi Akiva was sitting and lecturing and his students [began] dozing. He sought to rouse them; he said: Why did Esther merit to rule over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces? R...
“In those days, when King Aḥashverosh was sitting on his royal throne that was in the Shushan citadel” (Esther 1:2). This is one of the places15The reference to “places” is unclear...
“He said to Mehuman, Bizzeta, Ḥarvona” – Rabbi Yoḥanan said: At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He called the angel who is appointed over fury16A reference to the verse: “Quee...
“The king was very angry and his fury burned within him.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: At that moment, The Holy One blessed be He said to the angel appointed over fury: Descend and blow win...
“There was a Judean man in the Shushan citadel, and his name was Mordekhai, son of Ya'ir, son of Shimi, son of Kish, a Benjamite” (Esther 2:5).“There was a Judean man [ish] in the ...
“With the arrival of the turn of Esther, daughter of Aviḥayil uncle of Mordekhai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go to the king, she did not request anything except that whi...
“Esther did not disclose her family or her people, as Mordekhai had commanded her; Esther followed Mordekhai’s instructions, as it was when she was fostered by him” (Esther 2:20).“...
“When they [the king’s servants] spoke to him [Mordekhai] daily and he did not heed them, they told Haman, to see whether Mordekhai’s words would prevail; for he had told to them t...
“In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Aḥashverosh, he had cast a pur, that is, the lot, before Haman for each day and for each month, to the tw...
“Haman said to King Aḥashverosh: There is one people that is scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every peo...
“If it pleases the king, let it be written to eliminate them and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver by the hands of the king's craftsmen, to bring to the king's treasu...
“The king rose in his fury from the wine banquet to the palace garden and Haman stood to plead for his life from Esther the queen, for he saw that the king has resolved to do him h...
Maybe that feeling is a tiny glimpse into the ultimate truth: that everything is sacred. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, certainly thought so. He envisio...
Central to Judaism is the absolute oneness of God. It’s right there in the Shema, that foundational declaration: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:...
Our tradition teaches us a vital principle: we don't prostrate ourselves before the Sefer Torah, the Torah scroll itself. It's not about worshipping parchment and ink. Instead, as ...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They wrestled with theological concepts that could easily lead to heresy, constantly defending the core belief in one God against any notion of mu...
