2,344 texts · Page 9 of 49
When God took Moses to the summit of Mount Pisgah and showed him the entire Promised Land, the vision included far more than hills and valleys. The Mekhilta asks: how do we know th...
David was one of the four righteous people given a divine hint — and unlike Jacob and Moses, David recognized his and acted on it with confidence. The hint came disguised as a pair...
R. Eliezer says: The L–rd swears by His throne of glory: If there comes a man of all the nations to be proselytized, he will be accepted; but Amalek and his household will not be a...
R. Elazar ben R. Yossi Haglili found a disturbing paradox buried in a single verse from Psalms. The verse reads (Psalms 81:8): "In distress you called and I rescued you. I answered...
The Mekhilta methodically eliminates every possible misunderstanding about how the Torah was given at Sinai. Each wrong assumption is raised and then demolished by a specific verse...
God made a statement to Israel that the Mekhilta reads as one of the most intimate promises in Scripture: "And you shall be unto Me." Not unto an angel. Not unto an intermediary. U...
Rabbi Yossi raised a fundamental question about the boundary between heaven and earth. He cited (Psalms 115:16), which declares that "the heavens are the heavens of the Lord, and t...
(Exodus 20:15) describes an extraordinary moment at Sinai: "And all the people saw the sounds and the lightnings." The people did not merely hear the divine voice — they saw it. Ra...
"And all the people saw" — the sounds of sounds and the flames of flames. The Mekhilta asks: how many sounds were there at Sinai, and how many flames? The answer is not a specific ...
When God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai, the Torah says He "descended" upon the mountain (Exodus 19:20). But it also says He spoke "from the heavens" (Exodus 20:22). These two state...
R. Eliezer b. Yaakov says: If you come to My house, I will come to your house. And if you do not come to My house, I will not come to your house. The place that My heart loves, the...
The Torah lists three things a husband must provide for his wife: "she'eirah, kesuthah, and onathah" (Exodus 21:10). These three Hebrew terms are cryptic, and the Mekhilta preserve...
The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael cites a verse from (I Samuel 24:19) that contains one of the most intriguing phrases in all of Scripture: "As stated in the apothegm of the Primal One...
The Mekhilta explores a fascinating taxonomy of what can and cannot be redeemed in Jewish law. Certain consecrated objects can be redeemed — returned to ordinary status through a m...
The Mekhilta expands the concept of theft beyond physical property. They said about certain people: if they could "steal" the Higher Mind — God's mind itself — they would do so. Th...
Abraham called himself a stranger. (Genesis 23:4): "A stranger and a sojourner am I with you." David called himself a stranger. (Psalms 119:19): "I am a stranger in the land." And ...
The Mekhilta catalogs the names used to describe idolatry and contrasts them with the names used to describe God. The contrast is devastating. Idolatry is mentioned only in derogat...
Our tradition teaches that wisdom isn't just something you're born with. It's something you actively seek, something you pray for, something you might even… fast for. The Midrash M...
Even King Solomon, the wisest of all men, felt that way. to Midrash Mishlei – a collection of stories and interpretations that unpack the Book of Proverbs. And right at the beginni...
Midrash Mishlei, a collection of insightful teachings on the Book of Proverbs, begins to unpack this idea with a profound statement: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowl...
Today, we're diving into Midrash Mishlei, a fascinating collection of interpretations on the Book of Proverbs, to explore this very idea. (Proverbs 1:10) warns us: "My son, if sinn...
Oh no, it’s right out in the open, making a joyful noise! (Proverbs 1:20) tells us, "Wisdom calls aloud in the street." But what does that mean? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive ...
Midrash Mishlei, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Proverbs, unpacks this verse in some truly fascinating ways. First off, it equates "Wisdom" with the Torah....
This idea comes to us from Midrash Mishlei, a collection of insightful interpretations of the Book of Proverbs. It's in this text that we find a Rabbi Huna making a pretty astoundi...
That feeling, amplified a thousandfold, is at the heart of our story today, drawn from the ancient wisdom of Midrash Mishlei, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book o...
It's more than just a nice sentiment; it's a springboard for some incredible midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations. The Midrash Mishlei, a collection of inte...
We all do. But what if the key to a blessed life was simpler than we think? (Psalm 1:1-2) opens with a powerful image: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the w...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into that question. And it might surprise you. One interpretation points directly to Ki...
It all starts with the words, "Happy is the man" (Psalm 1:1). But what makes a person truly happy? The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) offers several beautiful interpret...
Believe it or not, the Book of Psalms, or Tehillim in Hebrew, tackles this very idea! Our journey begins with Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Psal...
To Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, and see what it has to say about the path we walk. The very first verse of Psalms – "Who did no...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, certainly thinks so. It offers a beautiful and layered reading of (Psalm 1:1), “Fortunate is the m...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this very question. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord," s...
The opening of Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man," seems simple enough, but according to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, it's packed wi...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, opens by exploring this very idea. It begins with the verse, "For they delight in the Torah of the...
It's an age-old question: how can we possibly dedicate ourselves fully to learning when life keeps pulling us in a million different directions? Well, Midrash Tehillim offers some ...
The mystics certainly did. And what was their water, their sunlight, their very soil? The Torah. Midrash Tehillim, a beautiful collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, opens up a fascinating window into this very question. It uses a beautiful image – the "rose of Sh...
It’s a question that’s haunted humanity for millennia. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, wrestles with this very idea, pulling in ve...
The ancient sages did. And in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, they grapple with this very question, particularly in relation to th...
It’s a question that's tickled the minds of theologians and storytellers for centuries. We often picture the Divine as serious, judging, maybe even a little stern. But laughter? Th...
It's like a vast, intricate conversation spanning centuries. Midrash, the art of interpreting and elaborating on scripture, helps us hear those connections. And Midrash Tehillim, s...
Our exploration begins with a verse from the Song of Songs (7:3): "Your navel is like a round goblet... Your belly is a heap of wheat." The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentar...
Psalm 2, verse 12, gives us pause: "Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him." It's a pot...
That’s the question that echoes in the opening of the third section of Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings that beautifully unpack the Psalms. It begins by looking...
It all starts with the verse, "A Psalm of David." But it quickly spirals into something far grander. The midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) dives deep, exploring the very s...
King David knew that feeling well. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into the context and meaning behind David's songs. A...
King David certainly knew that feeling. In the Midrash Tehillim, a beautiful collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, we find a powerful meditation on the verse, "Many ...
