2,123 texts · Page 117 of 236
We often picture a grand, almost theatrical event. But the ancient texts hint at something far more profound, and even a little terrifying. The Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection ...
, shall we? The verse "These are the ordinances that you shall place before them" (Exodus 21:1) seems straightforward enough. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw much mor...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, points this out explicitly. "Come and see," it urges, "how excellent this portion is!" What's so ex...
This passage dives into the verses in Exodus dealing with accidental harm to a pregnant woman. The text quotes Exodus 21:22-23: “If men fight and they strike a pregnant woman and h...
It all starts with a seemingly straightforward verse from Exodus 21:37: “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall pay five cattle for the ox and fou...
It might seem obvious – they're in need of help! But the Rabbis, those masters of interpretation, saw something deeper at play. Consider the verse in Exodus (22:21): "You shall not...
It's a pretty radical concept, really. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the Book of Exodus, dives right into this. It starts with the verse "These are the ordinanc...
The passage starts with the phrase, "These are [ve’eleh] the ordinances." That little word "ve’eleh" – "these are" – isn't just a throwaway. The Midrash sees it as a connector, lin...
It’s a question that's been asked for centuries. And Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus, gives us a glimpse into a fascinating answer. The...
