161 texts in Midrash Rabbah
Let’s rewind a bit. Remember the story of the golden calf? MOSES smashes the first set of tablets. Talk about a bad day! Afterward, Moses pleads with God, reminding Him that He bro...
What would you ask for? According to tradition, as his time drew near, Moses made one final, powerful request of God. It wasn't for more life, or for comfort, or even for himself a...
But what if the Messianic role is actually a team effort? What if, as this radical idea from Deuteronomy Rabbah (3:17) suggests, the Messiah is actually two figures, coming togethe...
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, opens with the simple phrase, "These are the words…" And immediately, the ancient interpreters of our tradition, the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbin...
It’s not just about pointing out flaws. According to Jewish tradition, it’s a profound act, potentially more valuable than empty praise. Let’s delve into a fascinating interpretati...
But did they really get away with it? The Book of Devarim—Deuteronomy—opens with the phrase, "These are the words that Moses spoke…" And the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
It’s baked right into Jewish tradition. to a fascinating idea from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Deuteronomy. The very first verse of Deu...
The text presents a fascinating idea: that the speaker's life and experience lend weight to their words. It's not just what you say, but who you are that matters. Imagine someone e...
In Hebrew, it’s Eleh hadevarim – Eleh meaning "these," and devarim meaning "words." But as with so much in Jewish tradition, there's a whole universe of meaning packed into those f...
Like the amazing thing you have to offer just isn't... quite good enough?It touches on exactly that feeling. Rabbi Tanhuma, a well-known sage, tells a story. Imagine a merchant haw...
Maybe you'd messed up before, and the consequences stung. It's a very human feeling, that hesitation. And guess what? Even Moses, Moshe Rabbenu himself, felt it too. Our story come...
It all stems from the opening of Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses stands before the Israelites, ready to deliver his final, powerful speeches. And the very first verse we en...
The verse we're looking at is from (Deuteronomy 1:11): "May the Lord, God of your fathers, add to you one thousand times as you are, and He will bless you, as He spoke to you." Sou...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, opens our eyes to some fascinating insights. It all starts with the verse, "the Lord your God has mul...
(Deuteronomy 1:10) states, "The Lord your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are today as the stars [of the heavens in abundance larov]." Seems straightforward. God has made ...
But our sages delve into the depths of these words, seeking to understand the true scope of Moses’s blessing. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov points out something fascinating: The text do...
Our ancestors certainly did. And in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a beautiful explanation of why Moses chose the stars as a...
Jewish tradition has a lot to say on the subject, and some of the stories might surprise you. Our jumping-off point is the verse in (Deuteronomy 2:3), "You have circled this mounta...
In the very first section, the rabbis grapple with the verse, "You have circled this mountain enough" (Deuteronomy 2:3). What does it mean to circle a mountain "enough?" They see i...
It begins with the phrase "you have circled enough," and then dives into what it really means to be patient, to trust, and to understand the long game of history. The verse in ques...
to Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. There's this fascinating passage that starts with the phrase, "You have circled enough..." or "Rav...
The story of Esau and Jacob is a classic example, and the Rabbis in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, unpack it with incredible ...
According to Devarim Rabbah, there's a whole world of meaning packed into those words. It wasn't just a one-time instruction to Moses. The Holy One, blessed be He, was saying, "Not...
to a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, that touches on this very dilemma and much more. The verse that k...
It's not always as simple as a direct hand from above. Sometimes, there's a cosmic chess game happening behind the scenes. Devarim Rabbah, in its very first section, opens with a p...
The Book of Proverbs nails it: "Expectation deferred sickens the heart" (Proverbs 13:12). But what does that really mean, especially when we're talking about something bigger than ...
to a story from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that really brings this to life. The story picks up right after the Exodus. Imagine t...
In (Deuteronomy 3:2), God tells Moses, "Do not fear him, as I have delivered him and his entire people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon, king of...
It all starts with Moses, and his famous plea, "I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying..." (Deuteronomy 3:23). The Rabbis of old, in their wisdom, saw this verse as a springb...
Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, is full of Moses' final words, his reflections on a lifetime of leadership. And within the rabbinic compilation called Devarim Rabbah, a midrash ...
And it’s a feeling that even Moses, our great leader, experienced. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, explores this very idea through th...
And it turns out, even Moses, the greatest prophet of them all, knew what that was like. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, explores thi...
The passage opens with the phrase, "At that time." But what time are we talking about? The Rabbis tell us it's the moment Joshua is appointed as Moses' successor. As (Deuteronomy 3...
Today, we’re diving into a passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that explores exactly that. We'll be unpacking a single word:...
Our story revolves around a verse from Deuteronomy (3:24): "Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is in the heavens or on ...
The Torah is full of these stories, and they often leave us scratching our heads. One such story is that of Moses, perhaps the greatest prophet in Jewish history, who led the Israe...
In the book of Deuteronomy (Devarim), we find Moses at a pivotal moment. God tells him, "Ascend to the top of the peak, and lift your eyes to the west, and to the north, and to the...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this feeling too – the feeling of connection, or disconnection, from the Divine. They asked: What does it mean to say God is near? And how can we k...
Our story comes from Devarim Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy. It begins with the verse from (Psalm 20:2), "May the Lord answer you on a day o...
We've all been there. But what does Jewish tradition really say about the power and accessibility of prayer? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic teachings on the Book of Deut...
The scene opens with a seemingly simple verse from Deuteronomy, “For who is a great nation that has God near it, as is the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him.” (Deuteronomy ...
The text opens with a quote from Deuteronomy, saying God is "near it." But who is "it"? The verse itself speaks of a nation that has God near to it. Devarim Rabbah, in its characte...
But have you ever considered how God treats us? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful contrast. It says, "That has God near it." If...
Jewish tradition has some powerful stories that speak to that very idea. Take this tale, recounted in Devarim Rabbah. It’s a quick one, but it packs a punch. Rabbi Tanhuma shares a...
It’s a question that has echoed through generations, a yearning to understand the divine timing of the universe. And while there’s no simple formula, our Sages offer some fascinati...
It starts with a verse from Deuteronomy (4:25): "When you will beget children, and children’s children, and you will have been long in the land, and you will act corruptly and craf...
The book of Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, tackles this very question, and the answers might surprise you. It all starts with a vers...
This is a theme that echoes powerfully through Jewish tradition, and it's something we see vividly in the Devarim Rabbah. This particular passage delves into the profound consequen...
