161 texts in Midrash Rabbah
Devarim Rabbah turns to God's Signature. The tradition tells us that the first tablets were written by the very finger of God. But the second? Those were written by Moses himself. ...
What would you ask for? The tradition says 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 at all...
Devarim Rabbah turns to The Dual Messiah. This isn't just any duo,. You might be thinking, "Moses? Isn't he the guy who led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Torah?" Abs...
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...
In Jewish tradition, it’s a profound act, potentially more valuable than empty praise. The source explores a fascinating interpretation of this idea from Devarim Rabbah, a collecti...
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 commentary...
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...
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. Someone else rebuking the Israelite...
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 Sounds great. But it leads to a crucial question: Is it okay for a single judge to preside over the community? Our Rabbis teach us: Absolutely not. "Do not judge alone," ...
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 ...
Our sages explore 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 doesn't s...
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...
Our jumping-off point is the verse in (Deuteronomy 2:3), "You have circled this mountain enough; turn yourselves to the north.” But how does this relate to honoring parents? Well, ...
In the very first section, the rabbis confront the verse, "You have circled this mountain enough" (Deuteronomy 2:3). What does it mean to circle a mountain "enough?" They see in th...
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...
Devarim Rabbah turns to Jacob and Creation of Esau. What does that even mean? Rabbi Aḥa offers a profound insight: "If you harm him, you are really harming yourselves." Powerful. I...
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 ...
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 only am I commanding you, bu...
The verse that kicks it all off is from (Deuteronomy 2:31): “The Lord said to me: See, I have begun delivering before you Siḥon and his land; begin taking possession of his land.” ...
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 Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic t...
The story picks up right after the Exodus. Imagine the scene: The Israelites have just walked out of Egypt, witnessed incredible miracles, and word is spreading like wildfire. As R...
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 ...
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 the ve...
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 this ve...
" But what time are we talking about? The Rabbis tell us it's the moment Joshua is appointed as Moses' successor. As (Deuteronomy 3:21) states: "I commanded Joshua [at that time]."...
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: "lemor." The verse in qu...
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 ...
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 characteristic fashion, find...
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 a person has a wealthy relat...
Take this tale, recounted in Devarim Rabbah. It’s a quick one, but it packs a punch. Rabbi Tanhuma shares a story about a ship. On this ship were a whole bunch of idolaters, and ju...
While there’s no simple formula, our Sages offer some fascinating perspectives in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. The text asks, what...
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 explores the profound consequences...
