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Check out this little head-scratcher from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It revolves around Reuven, Jacob's eldest son, and a som...
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, gives us a glimpse into this fascinating idea. It speaks of men being "heroic" – but not just in the way we might expect. It's not simply about ph...
The verse references Shimon, one of Jacob's sons, and it says, "His (Shimon's) hands did battle for him." This echoes a passage from Genesis (Bereshith 34:25), "And there took, two...
The answer is a resounding "no." There's a fascinating story in Sifrei Devarim that sheds light on this very idea. It all begins with a question from Agnitis, a Roman general, to R...
They saw layers of connection, echoes of stories past, and whispers of divine intent in every word. Take, for instance, a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book o...
The verse in question, from Deuteronomy, speaks of the tribe of Benjamin: "He shall rest securely upon Him." The Sifrei Devarim immediately connects this "security" with the idea o...
It's more than just a feeling. Our tradition teaches us it's literally built on the border between two tribal territories: Benjamin and Judah. But how can that be? We read in Genes...
We read about her tragic death in the Torah, but the exact location... well, that's where things get interesting. The Torah tells us (Genesis 48:7) that Jacob, looking back on his ...
Promises to ourselves, to others, maybe even to the Divine. But following through? That's the real test. The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Book of Deuteronomy, shares a fa...
We often think of tzedakah, usually translated as charity, as giving money to the poor. But what if it's something far more profound? The Sifrei Devarim, a legal midrash on the Boo...
It starts with the rather simple phrase: "And of Naftali he said." Now, you might be thinking, "Okay, who’s Naftali and why should I care?" Good question! The text itself poses tha...
Sometimes, the most profound truths are whispered in the echoes between our words and the response of the Holy Spirit. One intriguing idea comes from (Deuteronomy 33:25): "Iron and...
The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and ethical teachings connected to the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful image. It speaks of being "beneath the strong arms of the wo...
While definitive answers might elude us, Jewish tradition offers tantalizing hints and comforting assurances. Our exploration begins in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal and et...
It wasn't just a panoramic view of the Promised Land. According to our tradition, it was so much more. "From the plains of Moab," the text tells us. (Sifrei Devarim 357). But what'...
We know he wasn't destined to cross the Jordan River, to set foot in that land flowing with milk and honey. But what did God show him in those final moments? The book of Sifrei Dev...
We know he gazed out at the promised land, the land he would never enter. But was that all? Jewish tradition paints a far more vivid and dramatic picture. The Sifrei Devarim, an an...
Our text comes from Sifrei Devarim (a collection of legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the book of Deuteronomy). It speaks of a vision granted to Moses, a vision...
… it is written there “Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You…” (Melachim I 8:27) and here it is written “…the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.” (Sh...
To the conductor on the music for David, God has heard my voice, I will sing to you from the ends of the earth, I will call to you with my heart wrapped around me (Psalms 61:1-3). ...
R’ Yitzchak expounded on, “On willows in its midst we hung our harps.” (Psalms 137:2) Come and see – the dirt of the land of Israel is for repentance. While they were still in the ...
Teach us o teacher: toward where should one who prays orient his heart? This is what our Rabbis taught: one should orient his heart toward the place of the Holy of Holies (Berachot...
… And He said to him ‘go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering’ (Bereshit 22:2) What is the land of Moriah? There is a whole bundle of Sages here, ...
“He does the will of those who fear Him…” (Tehillim 145:19) Meaning that Gd does not annul his prayers and gives him what he requests. This refers to David, of whom it is written “...
Eli led Israel for forty years, and the day Eli died, he forsook his tabernacle, as it is said, “He rejected the tent of Joseph” (Psalm 78:67), and “He gave His strength into capti...
Rabbi Yossi says, "A merit ends up being on a day of merit and a punishment ends up being on a day of punishment. For you will find to say that when the First Temple was destroyed,...
Another thing, the Book of Adam's Descendants was passed before him. He saw David's portion of life would be three hours. He said, "Master of the world, this should not be decreed!...
"Until he comes to Shiloh" - as in the future all of the nations of the world will bring a present to (shai le) the Messiah, the son of David, as it is stated (Isaiah 18:7), "at th...
R’ Yehoshua of Sachnin said in the name of R’ Levi: “And I placed My words into your mouth…” This refers to the Torah. “…and with the shadow of My hand I covered you…” (Isaiah 51:1...
Said R' Levi: The Holy One Blessed Be He appeared to them like a picture which is visible form all angles. A thousand people may gaze on it and it gazes on all of them. So is the H...
“Take the staff…” (Bamidbar 20:8) This is what the scripture says “The staff of your might the Lord will send from Zion…” (Psalms 110:2) This is the staff which was in the hand of ...
Beruria, the brilliant wife of Rabbi Meir, was one of the sharpest minds in all of rabbinic literature. And one day, she corrected her husband on a point of theology that has echoe...
Alexander Legend. J. Aboda Zara, III, 1. Midr. Psalms, 93, 6. Numb. R. ch. 13. cf. Ps. Callisthenes II, ch. 38 and 41. cf. Hebrew Alexander Legend ed. Gas ter, Romance of Alexander...
Nathan de § us it a. Sabbath, f. 56b. Sanhedrin, f. 31b. Menahot, f. 44a. cf. Gittin, f. 56a. Sifre, Numb. Shelah § ii5- P- 35b,, Tanya". Tana de be Eliahu Zutta, ch. 22. Maamadot,...
When the Romans executed the Ten Martyrs — the greatest sages of Israel — two of the first to die were Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, the Nasi (prince) of the Sanhedrin, and Rabbi Ishm...
A student once approached Rabbi Akiba and asked him a deceptively simple question: "How great is the value of the Torah?" Rabbi Akiba did not hesitate. "Each single word of the Tor...
When Rabbi Eliezer fell gravely ill, four of the greatest sages came to comfort him. Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, and Rabbi Akiba each tried to ease his ...
Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai was a sage of such extraordinary righteousness that the rainbow — God's sign of the covenant with Noah — never appeared during his lifetime. The Talmud (Ketu...
For thirteen years, Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai and his son Rabbi Elazar hid in a cave, fugitives from the Roman Empire. The Talmud (Shabbat 33b) records how they survived and what happ...
Joab, the mighty general of King David, figures in rabbinic legend as a warrior of such ferocity that even the angels feared him. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) pre...
The sages taught that God is nearer to His people than any earthly king is to his subjects. The Midrash (Jerusalem Talmud Berakhot 9:1, Mekhilta to Jethro) develops this idea throu...
Three figures pray and God delights in it: Moses, David, and the Messiah. This is the claim Aggadat Bereshit makes from (Proverbs 15:8) — "the prayer of the upright is His delight....
King Solomon stood before God and prayed at the dedication of the Temple. "Master of the Universe," he said, "let everything else be set aside and focus on my prayer and supplicati...
Before the world was created, God hid the Torah. Not in a vault, not in a distant heaven — hidden in the fabric of things, waiting for the right person to find it. And then Abraham...
When Israel fears God, the nations fear Israel. When Israel abandons its fear of God, the nations attack — and the enemy pursuing them is not a military power. It is the consequenc...
Abraham was ninety-nine years old when God renewed the covenant (Genesis 17:1). The sons of Korah composed a psalm about this moment — "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty on...
Why does the world hold together? Jeremiah gives the unlikely answer: "If not for My covenant day and night, I would not have established the fixed order of heaven and earth" (Jere...
Three days after his circumcision, Abraham sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day — sore, exhausted, ninety-nine years old. And God appeared to him (Genesis 18:1). ...
