558 texts · Page 9 of 12
Very seriously. to a fascinating, and frankly a little spooky, passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms. It touches on somethin...
Our tradition teaches that even then, sacred work continues. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, sheds light on Psalm 134, "A Song of Ascents: ...
You know, the Torah tells us that on the fourth day of creation, God made the two great lights (Genesis 1:16). But have you ever stopped to think about what that really meant? Acco...
Jewish tradition has explored this very idea for centuries, particularly when grappling with the mystery of evil. One fascinating text, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a compilation of sto...
The story of the exile to Babylon, as told in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 33, gives us a glimpse into that perilous time. Rabbi Tachanah recounts a dark period. Israel was exiled to Bab...
Jewish tradition wrestles with these questions constantly, and one particularly fascinating perspective comes from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a collection of stories and interpretatio...
We all know it's a time of intense reflection, fasting, and prayer. But according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text, there's a cosmic drama unfolding alo...
King David certainly did. In the ancient text Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah, we hear David, may his memory be a blessing, express this very sentiment: "My fear is within my joy, and m...
That feeling isn’t new. In fact, there's a beautiful passage in the Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 499 that speaks directly to this. It uses the image of extinguished candles to describe t...
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the Hebrew Bible, offers a fascinating and poignant glimpse into the deaths of Aaron and Moses. Specifically, Yalkut Shim...
Jewish tradition often sees them as holding special weight, particularly when they come from someone like King David or Solomon. Let's look at a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a coll...
In the book of Sifrei Devarim, they grappled with just that. They explored the idea of people so lost, so rebellious, that they were called "men of belial." What does belial mean? ...
We’ve all been there. But what if I told you that according to one ancient interpretation, that seemingly small act could be seen as something far more serious? Sifrei Devarim 117,...
In Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations related to the Book of Deuteronomy, we encounter a fascinating discussion about the stoning of a rebellious son, a sorer um...
The passage begins with the seemingly simple phrase, "If men strive together." But who exactly is included in this "striving"? The text asks whether this applies only to conflicts ...
You're not alone. Sifrei Devarim 306 uses a pretty wild image to describe this feeling: "as se'irim upon the herbage." What are se'irim? Think demons, or goat-like spirits. The tex...
It’s a question our sages grappled with, and their answers are, well, breathtaking. to Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuterono...
That feeling isn't new. Our ancestors wrestled with it too, and the ancient text Sifrei Devarim (a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy) speaks directly to this. It quotes Deutero...
It talks about being "mezei with hunger and embattled by reshef." What does that even mean? The text interprets "mezei with hunger" as being so desperately hungry that you’re pract...
Everyone knows the Priestly Blessing: "The Lord bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24-26). What most people do not know is that the Targum Jonathan expands those three elegant vers...
The Talmud claims you are never alone. According to Berakhot 6a, the sage Abba Binyamin taught that if the human eye were granted permission to see demons, no living creature could...
After the expulsion from Eden, Adam separated from Eve for 130 years. According to Eruvin 18b, during that long estrangement, he fathered an entirely different kind of offspring—de...
"There are four corners in the earth. From the eastern corner, light comes into the world. From the southern corner, the dew of blessing comes into the world. From the western corn...
"Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) Job": This is mentioned in the Yalkut Shimoni for Job, reference 997, and in "Matnot Kehuna" on Leviticus, chapter 96. God said to Job, ...
Story of Eldad the Danite, Narrative B In the name of the LORD God of Israel, blessed be His name, of our God the King, King of kings, Who chose Israel from among all nations and g...
When God created the first man from the dust of the earth, He looked at Adam standing alone and said what the Torah itself records: "It is not good for this man to be alone" (Genes...
Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai boarded a ship bound for Rome on a mission to the emperor. That night, on the water, a figure appeared in his dream. It was Ashmedai, king of the demons. "A...
We are taught that R. Jose says: "once upon a time I was walking on a road and I entered one of the ruins of Jerusalem to pray. Elijah, blessed be his memory! came and watched me a...
The Talmud in Berakhot records a teaching that reads like a warning from a horror story: "For three reasons shall no person enter a ruin." The three dangers listed are suspicion, s...
...It is written (Ps. 119:62) At midnight do I constantly rise to give thanks unto Thee. Did David rise at midnight? Behold! He arose at the beginning of the night, for it is said,...
(Fol. 5a) R. Levi b. Chama, in the name of Simon b. Lakish said: "At all times let man stir up his good inclination against the evil inclination), for it is said (Ps. 4:5) Tremble,...
Furthermore, said R. Levi b. Chama, in the name of Resh Lakish : "What is meant by the passage (Ex. 24:12) And I will give thee the tablets of stone, with the law and the Commandme...
(2) (Fol. 3b) R. Abahu said: "Cyrus was a worthy king, and therefore were his royal years counted in accordance with those of the kings of Israel [beginning with Nissan]." R. Josep...
(3) (Fol. 10b) We have been taught that R. Eliezer says: "In the month of Tishri the world was created; in the month of Tishri the Patriarchs [Abraham and Jacob], were born, and in...
(10) R. Isaac said: "A year which is poor (Israel appears humble) in the beginning, will be rich in the end (Israel's request will be granted). What is the reason for it? For it is...
(17) R. Jochanan said: "Repentance, is a great thing, for it tears (cancels) the [evil] decree against man; as it is said (Isa. 6, 10) Obdurate will remain the heart of this people...
(24) (Fol. 21b) It is written (Ps. 12, 7) The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver refined in the crucible of earth, purified seven times. Rab and Samuel both explain it. On...
The wicked kingdom once decreed that the Jews should not keep the Sabbath, nor circumcise their children, nor keep the law of purification according to the Bible. Reuben the son of...
A Jew and a heathen disputed about their religion. Satan disguised as a man decided in favour of the heathen, who tork all the money. The Jew overheard the discussion of this Satan...
An heathen said to R. Johanan b. Zakkai: “The ceremonies of the red heifer look like witchcraft/' He replied: “What are you doing against demoniac possession?’’— “Herbs and fumigat...
The story of the weasel and the well. Once a young girl, beautifully dressed, lost herself in the desert on her way home. Getting very thirsty and seeing a well with a rope and a b...
Rabbi Eleazar ben Shimeon was not a small man, and the Talmud does not hide this fact. Multiple stories describe his extraordinary physical size, his immense strength, and — as thi...
King Solomon wished to build a temple with unhewn stone, as he was not allowed to use iron, that being forbidden by law. So he tried to obtain Shamir which he was told was in the p...
Matia b. Haresh was tempted by Satan in the form of a beautiful woman. He blinded himself rather than see her and fall a victim to temptation. The angel Raphael cured him afterward...
(147.) R. Akiba began his life as a very poor man and ended it as a very rich one. He had a large crown made for his wife set with many precious stones, and when his children asked...
Beruria — the brilliant, sharp-tongued wife of Rabbi Meir — encountered Rabbi Yose HaGelili on the road one day. He asked her a simple question, but he asked it in five words when ...
The Exempla of the Rabbis preserves a sprawling collection of tales about Solomon and the power of the divine Name. In these stories, Solomon commands demons, builds the Temple wit...
A Jewish man who was lame heard a rumor that spread through the cities of the ancient world: an idol in a certain temple was healing the lame. Pagans who could not walk entered the...
