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We pour our hearts out, sometimes in joy, sometimes in desperation. But is anyone actually listening? The Book of Exodus Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Boo...
Jewish tradition recognizes that very tension within us, and even within the relationship between God and Israel. Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
In Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus, they offer a powerful, if somewhat unsettling, answer. The verse in question is God's instruction to M...
Pharaoh's army bearing down, water as far as the eye could see. What do you do? The Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, paints a vivid pi...
It all starts with the verse, "Then Moses…sang" (Exodus 15:1). The Rabbis connect this to (Proverbs 31:26), "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her...
It all starts with the verse, "For He is exalted." The Rabbis ask, what does that truly mean? Rabbi Pappos offers a beautiful and subtle reading of the verse from (Song of Songs 1:...
We know the story: the Israelites trapped, the Egyptians bearing down, then – miraculously – the waters split, a path appears, and they escape to freedom. But what about the unseen...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, certainly did. The book of Exodus tells us, "Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out to the wilderness of...
To a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that really gets to the heart of this question. Rabbi Simon, quoting Ra...
Jewish tradition says a resounding "YES!" And one of the most beautiful examples of this is found in the stories surrounding the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven that susta...
We all know the story, but the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, delve into the details, revealing layers of meanin...
A collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Exodus, the answer might surprise you. It all goes back to Mount Sinai. Rabbi Yitzḥak makes a bold claim: Everything the prophets w...
In Jewish tradition, even a single letter can unlock hidden depths." It's a difference that, according to some rabbinic interpretations, can tell us what's being included and what'...
Well, the answer might surprise you. Rabbi Natan, in Shemot Rabbah, makes a pretty strong statement: justice is fitting for God precisely because He upholds it without showing favo...
Rabbi Shimon, in Shemot Rabbah, really zeroes in on this. He points out the verse in Exodus (21:18), "If men quarrel and one strikes the other." Rabbi Shimon emphasizes that "nothi...
Jewish tradition is filled with these "what ifs," these pivot points where history teetered. Take the story of the Golden Calf. According to Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic...
In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exploration of this very question. It begins with a verse: "Behold, I am sen...
Our story begins after the devastating sin of the Golden Calf. Can you imagine the scene? Moses is up on Mount Sinai, receiving the very word of God, while down below, the Israelit...
These questions bubble to the surface when we delve into a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus. It centers on a v...
To Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus. Specifically, we're looking at section 32, where Rabbi Yitzchak opens with a verse from Jeremiah ...
It hinges on the verse, "Behold, I am sending an angel before you" (Exodus 23:20). But it doesn't stop there. It connects it beautifully with a passage from Psalms: "The angel of t...
It’s a question that takes us to the heart of Jewish thought, and to a fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The pas...
It happened. And the story, found in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, is It all starts after the Golden Calf incident. Moses, understa...
The Jewish tradition is rich with stories of angels, not just as winged figures, but as manifestations of the Divine Presence itself. And their role? To safeguard and redeem. to on...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this, and in Shemot Rabbah (that's the Book of Exodus explained and expanded upon by the Rabbis) we find a fascinating exploration of this very ide...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. a fascinating Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) that speaks directly to that sense of inadequacy, and how we can over...
Take the story of atonement after the sin of the Golden Calf. It all starts with an offering. But what kind of offering? The verse in Exodus tells us to "Take one young bull." But ...
What allowed him, a human, to step into the most sacred space? Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of biblical interpretations, explores this very question. "This is the matter," it sa...
Our tradition teaches that the Torah isn't just a book; it's a blueprint for creation, a manifestation of God's very being. And the luchot, the tablets upon which the Ten Commandme...
The book of Exodus and the sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explore this very idea. In (Exodus 32:7), we read, "The Lord spoke to Moses: Go descend; for your...
Our story comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus. It’s a powerful midrash, a deep dive into the nuances of the text, uncovering la...
In Shemot Rabbah, the great midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection on the Book of Exodus, we find a story about just that, and it hits right at the heart of the re...
The Torah gives us glimpses, but the Rabbis, in their wisdom, fill in the colors, adding depth and humanity to these sacred moments. The verse we're focusing on is (Exodus 33:8): "...
The Torah is full of moments like that, and they teach us so much about ourselves and our relationship with the Divine. We find a fascinating exploration of this idea in Shemot Rab...
The Torah tells us, "He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water. He wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, ...
It reveals a surprising strategy employed by the righteous when approaching the Divine. The text opens with the curious phrase "write for yourself," and then it proposes that the r...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating glimpse. Specifically, Shemot Rabbah 51 dives into the idea that the Israelite...
Seeing the reward that awaits the righteous. What would you do? Rejoice? Question your worthiness? Our sages grappled with this very question, and their insights are captured in Sh...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood it. Let me tell you a story from Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a beautiful, expansive commentary on the Song of Songs, a.k.a. the Song of Solomon. T...
We often think of Solomon, King Solomon, as this incredibly wise and diligent ruler. But was he always that way? Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on t...
Ever read Song of Songs and wondered, "Where on earth did this passionate love poem even come from?" It's a question that's occupied Jewish thought for centuries, and the Rabbis of...
We often imagine the scene: thunder, lightning, a mountain shrouded in smoke. But the ancient rabbis took it a step further, diving into the intimate, almost sensual, experience of...
It’s a question that bubbles up from the depths of Jewish tradition, and Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of Rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, offers some fascinatin...
That feeling, that intense desire, is at the heart of today's story. We find ourselves in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, an ancient commentary on the Song of Songs, that most beautiful and ...
That feeling, that sting of inner circle treachery, echoes through the ancient words of Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the collection of Rabbinic teachings on the Song of Songs. Today, we'r...
Comes that loaded line from (Genesis 3:22): "Behold, the man has become like one of us." Like… one of whom, exactly? This question sparked a fiery debate among the rabbis, captured...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found ways to see even the most epic struggles, like the Exodus from Egypt, through a deeply human lens. They weren't just interested in ...
Today, we’re diving into a fascinating interpretation of a verse from the Song of Songs – Shir HaShirim – that explores just this idea: the contrast between foul odor and sweet fra...
