438 texts in Midrash Rabbah
The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearni...
It’s a question that echoes through the ages, and our sages have pondered it in countless ways. The verse from (Ecclesiastes 8:1), "Who is like the wise man, and who knows the mean...
And what do these four seemingly disparate things have in common? They're all described as chukim – decrees or statutes – things we do simply because God commanded them, even if th...
Jewish tradition is full of these moments, and one of the most famous revolves around the parah adumah, the red heifer. In Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, we find the commandment: "...
The Torah isn't just a text; it’s a living conversation, a dialogue that echoes through generations and, some say, even between God and Moses himself. Rabbi Aḥa, quoting Rabbi Ḥani...
The story goes like this: A curious, and perhaps skeptical, idolater approaches Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, a renowned Jewish sage. He's puzzled by the ritual of the Red Heifer (Para...
Talk about pressure! In this week's Torah portion, Chukat, we find a particularly fraught moment (Numbers 20:8). God tells Moses, "Take the staff…and give the congregation and thei...
Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The passage wrestles with a pretty tough question: Why was Moses punished so severely for what seems like a relatively minor offense – striking th...
Like good people suffer, and… well, you know the rest. That feeling isn't new. It’s a feeling that echoes through the ages, a question that’s been wrestled with in our texts for mi...
That's kind of what's going on in this fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers. The verse in question is from (Num...
It’s a question that echoes through the ages, a bittersweet note in a saga of triumph. The Torah tells us he saw it from afar, but never crossed over. But why? The answer, like so ...
It’s a question that echoes through the story of Moses and the waters of Mei Meriva – the waters of dispute. "These are the waters of dispute, where the children of Israel quarrele...
This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19 that touches on exactly that feeling, exploring a moment of high diplomacy – or rather, a diplomatic bric...
Jewish tradition certainly thinks so. Take a look at the story surrounding the death of Aaron in the book of Numbers, specifically as it's illuminated by Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The ve...
"Aaron will be gathered to his people," God tells Moses, "for he will not come into the land that I have given to the children of Israel, because you defied My directive at the wat...
to a fascinating exploration of just that, drawing from the ancient wisdom of Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers. Our starting point is the ...
Our story centers around the verses in (Numbers 20:25-28): "Take Aaron and Elazar his son, and take them up Hor Mountain… Strip Aaron of his vestments, and dress Elazar his son in ...
The Torah, in its unflinching honesty, shows us just that. Today, we're diving into a passage from Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 19, which explores the immediate aftermath of Aa...
The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, certainly did. We find ourselves in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, specifically chapter 21, verse 4: “They traveled from Hor Mountain ...
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 Book of Numbers, in the Torah, gives us a powerful story, one unpacked beautifully in Bamidbar Rabbah, a classical midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection (a mi...
The Israelites knew that feeling all too well during their long journey through the wilderness. And sometimes, even the place names themselves seemed to echo their struggles. Let's...
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...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 19, poses a fascinating question: Why isn’t Moses, the leader who struck the rock and brought forth wat...
A classic example surfaces in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 as it grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Israel sent messengers to Siḥon, king of the Emorites, saying…" (Numbers 21:21). The...
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’s not just a simple border dispute; there's so much more bubbling beneath the surface. We find the story in (Numbers 21:23): “Siḥon did not allow Israel to pass within his borde...
Our tradition has some fascinating things to say about that, especially when it comes to warfare and justice. to a curious little passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19, which elaborates ...
We often read about the grand miracles, the parting of the sea, the manna from heaven. But what about the gritty, day-to-day decisions, the moments of doubt and bravery? (Numbers 2...
But Jewish tradition sees so much more. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 19, unpacks this verse, revealing layers of meaning and offerin...
But in Jewish tradition, there are moments where even MOSES, our greatest prophet, seems to do just that. to one of those fascinating instances from Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The verse w...
The text opens with a quote from (Numbers 22:2): "Balak son of Tzipor saw all that Israel had done to the Emorites." This sets the stage for a larger discussion about divine justic...
According to the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), not at all. It's a question that comes to the fore when we delve into Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 20. The pas...
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...
It sounds like something straight out of a fantastical tale, but it's at the heart of our story today, found in Bamidbar Rabbah 20. We’re diving into the episode where Balak, king ...
The story of Bilam gives us a fascinating glimpse. We find ourselves in the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. The Israelites are on the move, and their growing presence is makin...
It's all about Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet, and his less-than-holy intentions. The story kicks off with God approaching Bilam and asking, "Who are these men with you?" (Numbers 2...
The story, as it unfolds in the Book of Numbers, centers on Balak, king of Moab, who is terrified by the approaching Israelites. He hires Bilam, a non-Israelite prophet known for t...
He was a non-Israelite diviner, a kind of prophet, hired to curse the Israelites as they approached Moab. But the story takes a twist, doesn't it? Let's look at the moment when God...
Why the darkness? The passage opens by connecting God’s encounters with Bilam, the non-Israelite prophet, specifically noting that God "came to Bilam at night." This links back to ...
The verse tells us, "God's wrath was enflamed because he was going, and the angel of the Lord stood on the way as an impediment to him, and he was riding on his donkey, and his two...
It's all about perception, stubbornness, and maybe even a little bit of divine humor. So, the scene is set: Bilam, a non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites, is on his way...
The Torah gives us a fascinating glimpse of such a moment in the story of Bilam, the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites. In Numbers, chapter 22, verse 31, we read: “T...
to the story as told in Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a fascinating peek behind the curtain of this dramatic encounter. “Balak heard that Bilam had come,” the verse tells us. But Bamidbar Ra...
The scene opens with Balak, the king of Moab, terrified by the Israelites. He’s hired Bilam, a non-Jewish prophet known for the power of his blessings and curses, to, well, curse I...
