Acha says — The Holy One Blessed be He said — If not for your

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta Tractate Vayehi Beshalach 4:23

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 20, 2025

R. Acha says: The Holy One Blessed be He said: If not for your outcry, I would have destroyed them for the idolatry in their midst, viz. (Zechariah 10:11) "And tzarah crossed the sea," tzarah (here) being idolatry, as in (Isaiah 28:20) "and the molten image, tzarah, etc." and as in (Leviticus 18:18) "And a woman to her sister do not take litzror" (to be a rival). And because of your outcry I have withdrawn My wrath, as it is written (Psalms 106:22-23) ("… awesome deeds at the Red Sea) and he thought to destroy them if Moses His chosen one had not stood in the breach before Him, to turn His wrath from destruction."

Themes

Exile Moses Prophecy Miracles Charity

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Ginzberg Manna from Heaven of Moses It’s a question that’s haunted Jewish tradition for centuries, and the answers are woven into some truly amazing stories... Ginzberg Jeremiah Stands Alone Against Everyone in Zedekiah's Court That’s kind of what it was like for the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah. According to Legends of the ... Ginzberg The Men Who Slept for Decades and Woke in a Changed World I'm not talking about missing a concert – I mean sleeping for decades and waking up to a world completely transformed. T... Josephus Kingdom of Cherilus It's easy to imagine them through our own lens, colored by sacred texts and centuries of tradition. But what did the res... Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael The Holy One Blessed be He heals all who enter the world, viz The Holy One Blessed be He heals all who enter the world, viz. (Exodus 15:26) "for I am the L–rd who heals you", (Jeremi... Midrash Aggadah David — Absalom's Transgression King David knew that feeling well. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, div... Midrash Aggadah David — World to Come Ever find yourself reading the Psalms and wondering, "What's really going on here?" We do too! to a fascinating passage ... Midrash Aggadah When David Turned Prayer into a Day of Judgment The passage opens with an intriguing idea: prayer itself as judgment. David, contemplating his own mortality and the pos... Midrash Aggadah The Righteous Cry That Pierced Through Heaven The text opens with a discussion of "rana," which can be translated as a cry or supplication. But it's not just any cry;...