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We often read the Torah focusing on the big picture, but sometimes, it's in the details that we find the most fascinating human drama. Take the story of Jacob's death and burial in...
The story of Joseph and his brothers, as told in Genesis, is a classic example. But what happens after the happy reunion, after Jacob's death and the grand funeral procession back ...
After years of slavery in Egypt, orchestrated by his own brothers’ jealousy, Joseph rose to become second-in-command to Pharaoh. When famine struck, who should come begging for foo...
The book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, opens with the simple phrase, "These are the words…" And immediately, the ancient interpreters of our tradition, the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbin...
In Hebrew, it’s Eleh hadevarim – Eleh meaning "these," and devarim meaning "words." But as with so much in Jewish tradition, there's a whole universe of meaning packed into those f...
(Deuteronomy 1:10) states, "The Lord your God has multiplied you, and, behold, you are today as the stars [of the heavens in abundance larov]." Seems straightforward. God has made ...
It begins with the phrase "you have circled enough," and then dives into what it really means to be patient, to trust, and to understand the long game of history. The verse in ques...
In (Deuteronomy 3:2), God tells Moses, "Do not fear him, as I have delivered him and his entire people and his land into your hand; you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon, king of...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this feeling too – the feeling of connection, or disconnection, from the Divine. They asked: What does it mean to say God is near? And how can we k...
The scene opens with a seemingly simple verse from Deuteronomy, “For who is a great nation that has God near it, as is the Lord our God in all of our calling to Him.” (Deuteronomy ...
This is a theme that echoes powerfully through Jewish tradition, and it's something we see vividly in the Devarim Rabbah. This particular passage delves into the profound consequen...
Jewish tradition actually has a lot to say about that, especially the power of teshuvah (repentance), or repentance. And let me tell you, some of these stories are wild. Devarim Ra...
Devarim Rabbah, in its unique way, uses a verse from Deuteronomy as a springboard to delve into just that. The verse in question is (Deuteronomy 4:39): "You shall know this day and...
It all starts with the verse from Deuteronomy, "You shall know this day, and restore to your heart" (Deuteronomy 4:39). Rabbi Meir interprets this in a fascinating way. He suggests...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating discussion from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, focusing on the Shema, Judaism's central...
That feeling, that singular connection, is at the heart of Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. Specifically, the second section, where it...
It's a poignant moment, and the book of Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, sheds light on the depth of that experience. "You are crossin...
We all know the story of the first set, shattered in anger at the sight of the Golden Calf. But why two in the first place? Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of ...
To a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, that unpacks the importance of listening, humility, and the consequence...
We’re often told to be good listeners, to value the opinions of those around us. But what happens when those opinions lead us astray? Or, conversely, what if listening to someone –...
We often think of grand gestures, elaborate rituals, and monumental structures. But what if the most precious thing in God's eyes is something far simpler, something we can practic...
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai points out that there were actually three commandments the Israelites received upon entering the land: to wipe out the memory of Amalek, to appoint a ki...
The verse in Deuteronomy (20:10) sets the stage: "When you approach a city to wage war against it, you shall call to it for peace." Seems counterintuitive. But in Devarim Rabbah, t...
The Jewish tradition certainly does. In fact, it links our speech directly to our relationship with the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
The ancient sages grappled with these questions, and their insights, preserved in texts like Devarim Rabbah, offer a powerful guide. to a passage that unpacks the verse from (Prove...
Take reading from the Torah, for example. The verse we're looking at is from (Deuteronomy 29:2): "Moses summoned all Israel, and he said to them: You have seen everything that the ...
In (Deuteronomy 30:12-14), we find the verse, "It is not in the heavens… It is not beyond the sea… Rather, the matter is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, delves into the meaning of a verse from Ecclesiastes (9:11): "I again saw under the sun that the race...
We often think of death as the great leveler, the fate that awaits us all. But Jewish tradition suggests that for some, like Moses, the end is… different. Special. : Moses, the man...
It's not just poetic flourish. According to Devarim Rabbah, there's a profound and multifaceted reason why Moses calls upon them as witnesses, as partners, as something more. Rabbi...
The verse in question comes from (Proverbs 31:29): "Many women have performed valiantly, but you have surpassed them all." But who is the "you" being referred to here? According to...
The Book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, opens with Moses preparing to bless the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic inter...
It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it? Yet, according to Devarim Rabbah, this is precisely the monumental struggle Moses faced at the end of his life. Rabbi Yoḥanan tells us th...
It’s a question that comes up right at the beginning of Kohelet Rabbah, the ancient rabbinic commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It kicks off by asking about the opening line: ...
It starts with a bang: "Vanity of vanities, said Kohelet; vanity of vanities, everything is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). But what does that even mean? What is this "vanity," this he...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, suggests that "all matters are wearying" – especially matters of heresy. But what does that re...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Ecclesiastes, wrestles with this very question, offering us some pretty intense stories. One tale recounts a...
Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's called in Hebrew, is full of his reflections, and one line in particular always gets me: "For with much wisdom is much vexation; and one who increa...
The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with this tension beautifully. And the Rabbis in Kohelet Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive c...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, grapples with this very idea, and the rabbinic commentary on it, Kohelet Rabbah, digs even deeper. It all starts with that famous li...
This question has been debated for centuries, and today, we're diving into a fascinating discussion about it from the ancient text of Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic inter...
The verse from Ecclesiastes (3:16) sets the stage: “Moreover, I have seen, under the sun, in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of justice there is wickedn...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, grapples with this very human experience. "I returned and saw all the oppressions that are performed under the sun; and behold the tears of th...
It turns out, that feeling has deep roots in Jewish thought. We find it beautifully expressed in (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12): “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward fo...
In fact, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Kohelet Rabbah, connects them to something much deeper: the consequences of our actions and, specifically, our...
It all starts with the verse from (Ecclesiastes 5:6): "So it is with a multitude of dreams and vanities and many words; rather, fear God.” The verse seems to be saying that too muc...
To a fascinating little parable found in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 6:5): “He has als...
The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 7:8): "The end of a matter is better than its beginning; one of patient spirit is better than one of proud spirit." The rabbis, as they often...
