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The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, and see what they had to say about...
The drama unfolds in (Genesis 31:47), where we read: “Laban called it Yegar Sahaduta and Jacob called it Galed.” Two names, two languages, one pile of stones. What's going on here?...
It’s easy to think of it as a simple sibling rivalry, a fear of physical harm. But when we delve into the ancient commentaries, a much larger, almost cosmic, fear emerges. The vers...
Jewish tradition has some pretty insightful things to say about that, especially when it comes to knowledge and humility. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic midrashic ...
To a fascinating piece of ancient wisdom from Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 83, that does just that. Rabbi Aivu starts us off with an intriguing observation. Before Israel ...
You're reading one story, and suddenly – BAM! – we're in a completely different time or place. It can feel a little jarring. Well, the ancient Rabbis noticed this too, and they dov...
The Torah is brimming with them, and Jewish tradition loves to unpack their layers of meaning. Take the dream of the chief butler in the Joseph story. In (Genesis 40:9), he recount...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a classical Rabbinic text that intricately interprets the Book of Genesis. We're in chapter 40, where Joseph, languishing in ...
Pharaoh knew that feeling all too well. (Genesis 41:8) tells us, "It was in the morning and his spirit was troubled; he sent and summoned all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wi...
The story of Joseph in Egypt is a classic tale of rags to riches, but the Rabbis see a deeper, more poetic justice at play. to a fascinating interpretation from Bereshit Rabbah 90,...
The verses state, "All the people who were coming with Jacob to Egypt, the products of his loins, aside from the wives of Jacob's sons; all the people were sixty-six" (Genesis 46:2...
It seems like a strange thing to worry about when, well, we're no longer around to worry about anything. But the story of Jacob, as he nears the end of his life in Egypt, gives us ...
The Torah tells us, "Jacob called to his sons, and he said: Gather, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days. Assemble and hear, sons of Jacob, and listen to Isr...
The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) take this idea and run with it, suggesting that Jacob and Moses, in their own ways, foreshadowed the battles between th...
It all goes back to Jacob's blessings to his sons on his deathbed, a scene fraught with emotion and anticipation. And within that scene, the blessing to Judah stands out, packed wi...
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 else rebuking the I...
(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 ...
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...
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...
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’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...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, that explores just that, through the lens o...
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deuteronomy 6:5). It's a commandment to feel something, to direct the entire fo...
It turns out, the tradition has quite a bit to say on the subject, and it might surprise you. We find ourselves diving into Devarim Rabbah, specifically section 5, which grapples w...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, digs deep into the verse from Ecclesiastes (8:8): “There is no person who rules the spirit, to retain...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt it. In Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a poignant moment where Moses pleads with God. He...
It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it? Yet, according to Devarim Rabbah, this is precisely the monumental struggle Moses faced at the end of his life. Rabbi Yoḥanan tells us th...
Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, grapples with this very feeling. It opens with the powerful image of rivers flowing into the sea: "All the rivers go to the...
That fear, that nagging doubt, echoes in the ancient words of Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It grapples with the seeming unfairness of life, th...
Ecclesiastes has a way of stopping you cold with a single sentence, and (Ecclesiastes 2:21) is one of them: "For there is a man whose toil is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and w...
The ancient rabbis, in Kohelet Rabbah, that treasure trove of commentary on Ecclesiastes, dive deep into this verse. Rabbi Tanhuma suggests a simple, elegant idea: the world came i...
The ancient Rabbis, in their commentary called Kohelet Rabbah, dive deep into a specific verse that really makes you think: "What has been, already is, and what will be has already...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with this very question, stating, "I said in my heart: The righteous and the wicked, God will judge, as there is a time for every pur...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with this very human experience. "I returned and saw all the oppressions that are performed under the sun; and behold the tears of th...
In fact, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Kohelet Rabbah, connects them to something much deeper: the consequences of our actions and, specifically, our...
The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly does. And the ancient rabbis weren't afraid to grapple with that feeling either. Kohelet 5:15 laments, "This...
Kohelet, Ecclesiastes, throws us a curveball right from the start: "A good name is better than fine oil, and the day of death than the day of one's birth" (Ecclesiastes 7:1). Whoa....
The wisdom of a man illuminates his face, and the boldness of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1). Right away, the Rabbis ask: Who is this wise man? And their answer, in a move...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly does. And the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, wrestled with it too. Specifica...
It tells us: “Go, eat your bread joyfully, and drink your wine goodheartedly, as God has already accepted your actions” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). But what does that mean? Kohelet Rabbah,...
The Rabbis in Kohelet Rabbah delve deep into this verse, unpacking its layers of meaning. Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya, in the name of Rabbi Simon, pose a crucial question: When ...
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). ...
Our story begins in (Exodus 3:7): “The Lord said: I have seen My people’s affliction that is in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, as I know their p...
It all starts with that pivotal moment when Moses encounters God at the burning bush. Remember the verse? "God said to Moses, 'I will be what I will be,' and He said, 'So shall you...
We all know the story, but Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – interpretations and expansions – on the Book of Exodus, offers a fa...
Our sages explored this very human tendency in fascinating ways, especially when looking at the stories of Solomon and Moses. Our journey begins with a verse from Exodus (6:2-3): “...
Jewish tradition has some pretty strong opinions on that. And, spoiler alert: it doesn't end well. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash (interpretive stories) on the Book...
It's all there in the book of Exodus, chapter 7, verse 9: "When Pharaoh will speak to you, saying: Provide a wonder for you; then you shall say to Aaron: Take your staff, and cast ...
