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What’s the deeper, almost mystical, undercurrent?We're going to look at a teaching that grapples with the verse from Genesis (2:24): “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his...
Our starting point here is a fascinating text referred to as "The Midrash of Philo." Now, when we say "Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)," we're talking about a particular...
Take this one little verse from Genesis, 2:25: "And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed." Simple enough. But wait a minute. Why does it even need to tell us ...
It wasn't just about the lush vegetation or the talking animals, although I’m sure those were According to this Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Adam and Eve weren't ash...
Turns out, there's more to it than just a quick wardrobe fix. Our sages saw layers of meaning woven into that very first act of covering up. In The Midrash of Philo, we find a fasc...
Especially when we’re talking about THE CREATOR of the universe! to a tiny, but profound, little corner of Jewish thought to explore this. We're going to look at a question posed i...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Egypt during the Roman era, tried to harmonize Greek philosophy with Jewish scripture. The text we're looking at here – let's call it Midra...
But in Jewish tradition, nothing is ever just simple. There's always a deeper layer, a hidden meaning waiting to be uncovered. So, why this order? The Midrash of Philo, a collectio...
to what some of our sages have said about it. The verse reads, “Unto the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; ...
That internal struggle... it's been a topic of contemplation for millennia. And interestingly, sometimes it's been explored through the lens of gender. Now, I know what you might b...
We know the story: the serpent deceives Eve, she eats from the Tree of Knowledge, and shares with Adam. God, understandably upset, metes out punishments. The serpent is cursed to c...
Take the story of Cain and Abel. A foundational story. We all know it: the first brothers, the first offering, the first murder. So, why is it that in (Genesis 4:5), it says, "And ...
We get a glimpse into the story of the very first murder in the Torah, but the text leaves so much unsaid. What drove Cain to such a horrific act? Was it simply jealousy over God f...
Philo's writings, sometimes called "The Midrash of Philo," offer a unique blend of Jewish tradition and Greek philosophy. They delve into the deeper meanings behind the Torah, expl...
God asks him, "Where is your brother Abel?" And Cain replies, cool as you please, "I do not know: am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9). Now, this moment, this exchange, gets so...
What does it symbolize? The Torah is full of these deceptively simple questions that open up to reveal universes of meaning. Take the story of Cain and Abel. A primal scene. Siblin...
Much older. The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations and expansions on the Hebrew Bible attributed to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, explores just that id...
This comes from the story of Cain, right after, well, you know. He's just murdered his brother Abel, and God confronts him. The earth itself is now cursed because of the spilled bl...
Jewish tradition has been grappling with this very idea for millennia. The Midrash of Philo—a collection of interpretations and elaborations on the Torah attributed to the philosop...
The ancient texts grapple with this feeling, painting a stark picture of the despair that comes from feeling forsaken. As the Midrash of Philo poignantly puts it, "In truth there i...
The Midrash of Philo gives us some fascinating possibilities to consider. Imagine being Cain. He’s just committed fratricide. His brother Abel lies lifeless, and the weight of his ...
It’s easy to just chalk it up to ancient myths, but what if there's more to it? What if those numbers are telling us something deeper? That’s exactly what I was pondering when I st...
It's more than just a family tree, folks. It’s a key to understanding, well, practically everything! We find this question posed directly in the Midrash of Philo. A midrash (plural...
Take Noah, for example. The world’s about to be… well, let’s just say thoroughly cleansed. And yet, (Genesis 6:8) tells us, almost as an aside, that Noah "found grace in the sight ...
That feeling, that nagging sense of injustice, it's not new. Not by a long shot. In fact, it’s a question that echoes all the way back to the very beginning, to the story of Noah a...
Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Egypt during the Roman era, did just that. He delved deep into the Torah, seeking hidden wisdom and allegorical interpretatio...
It's not about bloodlines or earthly possessions, according to Philo. It's something far more profound. Philo, in his Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), tackles this very ...
It’s a question that sits at the heart of much Jewish thought, and one that the ancient sage Philo of Alexandria grapples with in his writings. Philo, a Jewish philosopher who live...
It might sound a bit out there, but ancient wisdom suggests there's more truth to that feeling than you might think. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, saw ...
The Torah tells us, in (Genesis 7:19), about the flood: “And the water overflowed fifteen cubits above all the highest mountains.” Simple enough on the surface. But if we dig a lit...
We all know the story: Noah, the ark, the animals, and the rain that just wouldn't stop. But what about that crucial moment when the waters finally receded? (Genesis 8:2) simply st...
We all remember the flood, the ark, and the animals marching two-by-two. But the raven? And why did Noah send out a dove later? What's the deal? The text itself, (Genesis 8:7-8), s...
But sometimes, it's those little details that hold the biggest secrets. That single olive branch. (Genesis 8:11) tells us, "The dove returned to him in the evening, and there in it...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria in the first century CE, delved deep into the Torah, seeking wisdom and hidden meanings. And in one particular midrash – a kind of ...
A verse that rolls off the tongue easily: "Sowing-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring, shall not cease day nor night." Simple enough on the surface. But what's reall...
Take the phrase, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6). Sounds simple enough. An eye for an eye. But is it really that simple? The ancient rabb...
The ancient sages certainly thought so. And they weren't afraid to use vivid language to make the point. Take this passage from the Midrash of Philo. It's a bit intense, but stick ...
The Torah tells us, quite simply, that "Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard" (Genesis 9:20). Seems straightforward. But this simple verse sparks a fascinatin...
It's like the biblical text is hinting at something more, inviting us to dig a little deeper. Take, for example, the story of Noah and his sons after the flood. It's a well-known t...
It's in these tiny seeming inconsistencies that some of the most fascinating interpretations are born. Take the story of Noah and his sons, for instance. We all know the story: the...
Philo tackles a seemingly simple question: why are Shem, Ham, and Japhet, the sons of Noah, listed in that specific order? Some might assume it's based on age, with the first-named...
"I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of the Chaldaeans to give thee this land for an inheritance" (Genesis 15:7). It's not just a generic "Hey, I'm God!" introdu...
Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, writing millennia ago, gives us a fascinating glimpse into this concept of divine ecstasis, or trance. He describes it as "a depa...
We find ourselves pondering this very question in a fascinating corner of Jewish thought, a place where ancient wisdom meets profound insight. The question arises from the Book of ...
We find him in (Genesis 17:3), and the Torah tells us, "Abraham fell on his face." But... why? What was going on in that moment that caused Abraham, the patriarch, the man of faith...
We often take them for granted, but in the ancient world – and particularly in the Jewish tradition – names held incredible power. They weren't just labels; they were reflections o...
The question centers around a powerful promise God makes to Abraham in (Genesis 17:6): "I will greatly increase thee, and set thee among the nations, and kings shall proceed from t...
Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, grappled with this very question. And his answer, preserved in "The Midrash of Philo," is surprisingly insightful. He suggests th...
