2,344 texts · Page 28 of 49
We find it in Numbers chapter 16, when Korah and his followers challenge Moses and Aaron's leadership. The consequences? Let's just say they were…earth-shattering. "The earth opene...
Remember him? He was the guy who led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) connects the "treacherous brother" – nifs...
Who was Korah? We find him in the Book of Numbers, leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He challenged their authority, questioning why they held such power. A dangerous mov...
That feeling, that potent brew of envy and ambition, is at the heart of the story of Korah. But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah, doesn'...
The pain of that kind of betrayal, the kind that cuts deepest, echoes through the words of King David in the Psalms. And, according to Bamidbar Rabbah 18, it wasn't just a general ...
We often focus on the leaders, the prophets, the ones making history. But what about the everyday folks caught in the crossfire? Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from...
It's more than just letters; it's a tapestry woven with stories, numbers, and profound insights. Today, we're going to delve into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 18, a t...
The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives into this very question, and what it reveals is both awe-inspiring and, well, a little unsettl...
Sometimes, the solutions to those disagreements come in the most unexpected forms… like, say, a blossoming staff. We find this story in Bamidbar Rabbah 18, which elaborates on the ...
It's not just about the big stories, but the tiny details, the way things are phrased. The Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah), a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbe...
The Book of Ecclesiastes puts it perfectly: “All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is distant from me” (Ecclesiastes 7:23). This feeling, this yearni...
Jewish tradition is full of these moments, and one of the most famous revolves around the parah adumah, the red heifer. In Bamidbar, the Book of Numbers, we find the commandment: "...
Talk about pressure! In this week's Torah portion, Chukat, we find a particularly fraught moment (Numbers 20:8). God tells Moses, "Take the staff…and give the congregation and thei...
That's kind of what's going on in this fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers. The verse in question is from (Num...
This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19 that touches on exactly that feeling, exploring a moment of high diplomacy – or rather, a diplomatic bric...
The Book of Numbers, in the Bamidbar Rabbah, grapples with this very question when describing the plague of fiery serpents. "The Lord sent the fiery serpents against the people, an...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 19, poses a fascinating question: Why isn’t Moses, the leader who struck the rock and brought forth wat...
A classic example surfaces in Bamidbar Rabbah 19 as it grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Israel sent messengers to Siḥon, king of the Emorites, saying…" (Numbers 21:21). The...
It’s not just a simple border dispute; there's so much more bubbling beneath the surface. We find the story in (Numbers 21:23): “Siḥon did not allow Israel to pass within his borde...
Our tradition has some fascinating things to say about that, especially when it comes to warfare and justice. to a curious little passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 19, which elaborates ...
In Jewish tradition, there are moments where even MOSES, our greatest prophet, seems to do just that. to one of those fascinating instances from Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The verse we're...
A quote from (Numbers 22:2): "Balak son of Tzipor saw all that Israel had done to the Emorites." This sets the stage for a larger discussion about divine justice and fairness. "Bal...
It sounds like something straight out of a fantastical tale, but it's at the heart of our story today, found in Bamidbar Rabbah 20. We’re diving into the episode where Balak, king ...
We find ourselves in the book of Numbers, with Balak, the king of Moab, terrified of the Israelites. He hires the sorcerer Bilam to curse them. But, as we soon discover, things don...
Today we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20 that explores exactly that: the surprising power held within seemingly minor mitzvot (commandments), or comman...
The story of Pinḥas (Phineas) in the book of Numbers is a wild ride, a tale of zealotry, divine intervention, and a whole lot of questions about what's right and wrong. The scene i...
The story of Pinḥas, as told in Bamidbar Rabbah, shines a light on just how vital shalom is. The story begins with a moment of intense crisis. The Israelites are straying, and divi...
In Bamidbar Rabbah (Numbers Rabbah) 21, we encounter a fascinating tension. God commands the Israelites to "Assail the Midianites." Seems pretty straightforward. But then, the text...
That even the greatest among us can have their moments of… well, let’s call it humility. Today, we’re diving into a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbin...
We offer things up, whether it's time, effort, or, as in the ancient Israelite tradition, animal offerings. But to whom are we offering? And why? The book of Numbers, in chapter 28...
The ancient rabbis did, and they spun some incredible tales around the question. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 21, delves into this v...
Our journey starts with a verse: "Say to them: This is the fire offering that you shall bring to the Lord: unblemished lambs in the first year, two each day, a continual burnt offe...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They found that very human feeling reflected in the Torah itself, specifically in the book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew. And they explore it in ...
It's not about being stingy, but about creating a sense of progression, a journey. Believe it or not, we find a hint of this idea in the book of Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically in se...
The book of Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Numbers, delves into Moses' burning desire to witness the vengeance against Midian before his d...
The book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, recounts the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. In chapter 32, we encounter the tribes of Reuben and Gad. "The children of Reuben ...
We chase it, toil for it, sail across oceans for it... but is all that effort actually the thing that makes us rich? Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book...
Our exploration begins with the verse, "Much livestock..." a seemingly simple phrase that Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, uses as a spri...
As we'll see, it's a feeling that resonates profoundly within Jewish tradition. Our journey begins with the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar (במדבר), specifically (Numbers 33:1): "These a...
The verse in (Psalm 77:21) says, "You led [naḥita] Your people like a flock in the hands of Moses and Aaron." The rabbis, in their insightful way, saw more than just a simple state...
Take, for example, the verse in Numbers: "This will be the land that will fall [tipol] to you as an inheritance." (Numbers 34:2). "Fall?" the Rabbis asked. Does land just fall? Isn...
It's more than just history or geography. It’s woven into the very fabric of our spiritual DNA. Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teachi...
A powerful image. "The power of His deeds He told to His people" (Psalms 111:6). According to Bamidbar Rabbah, God could have simply created a new land for the Israelites. But inst...
It's more than just a beautiful poem about light and darkness, waters above and waters below. It's actually a powerful argument against a very old accusation. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sik...
We often think of creation as a solo act by the Almighty, but the ancient rabbis, wrestling with the very first verse of Genesis, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the...
Jewish tradition, particularly in the ancient collection of Midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) called Bereshit Rabbah, grapples with this very question. It's a mind-bendi...
That’s kind of the vibe we get right at the very beginning of Bereshit Rabbah, the classic rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis. The text opens with a powerful, almost fierce...
Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon starts us off with a powerful verse from Daniel (2:22): "He reveals the deep and the hidden [umsatrata]." Now, what exactly is being revealed? Rabbi Yehuda c...
