2,594 texts · Page 31 of 55
"Seven days shall it be with its mother" — the Torah requires a first-born animal to remain with its mother for seven days before it can be given to a Kohen (a priest). But the Mek...
The Mekhilta addresses a practical problem. First-born animals that are consecrated cannot be nursed by their consecrated mothers, because the mother's milk has sacred status. But ...
"Do not place your hand with an evildoer" (Exodus 23:1). The Torah issues this warning in the context of bearing false witness, but the Mekhilta unpacks it with a vivid courtroom s...
"Do not place your hand with an evildoer": This was the practice of the "clean-minded men of Jerusalem." They would not go to a feast until they knew who was going with them, and t...
The Mekhilta explains how a capital case is decided by a court of twenty-three judges. If twelve judges vote to acquit and eleven to convict, the defendant is acquitted — the major...
"And it shall be with you" — the Mekhilta interprets this as meaning "in your domain." When you find a lost animal, it must be kept in your care, under your control, until its owne...
"help shall you help with him": What is the intent of this? From (Devarim 22:4) "Lift up shall you lift up with him" I might think that only loading (is commanded). Whence do I der...
"Help shall you help with him" — the Torah commands assisting someone whose animal is struggling. But the Mekhilta distinguishes between two different types of assistance: unloadin...
Shimon ben Shetach once had a single scheming witness — a zomem, one proven to have conspired to give false testimony — executed. Yehudah ben Tabbai was horrified. He said to Shimo...
A man stands trial in a human court. The evidence is examined. The witnesses are questioned. And by the strict standards of Torah law, the defendant walks free — acquitted, vindica...
The Mekhilta presents one of the most hopeful arguments in all of rabbinic literature, built on a simple logical structure called kal va-chomer — an argument from lesser to greater...
"and you shall gather in its produce (11) and the seventh year, etc.": to include (as forbidden) the fruits of the sixth year which enter the seventh year. This tells me only of th...
"They shall not appear before Me empty-handed" — the Torah requires that the pilgrims who come to the Temple on the three festivals must bring something. But what? The Mekhilta say...
Variantly: "They shall not appear before Me empty-handed": but with burnt-offerings. But perhaps, with peace-offerings. It follows (that it is with burnt-offerings), viz.: "Rejoici...
The Shema — "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4) — is the most foundational declaration in all of Judaism. But the Mekhilta noticed something odd a...
The prophet declares in (II Kings 21:12): "Thus said the L-rd, the God of Israel." The Mekhilta stops on this phrase and asks a question that seems almost impertinent. Is God only ...
(Exodus 23:18) "You shall not slaughter in the presence of chametz the blood of My sacrifice": You shall not slaughter the Pesach (Passover) offering while chametz is still present...
The Mekhilta has established that eating meat cooked in milk is forbidden. But what about deriving other forms of benefit — selling the mixture, using it as animal feed, or extract...
"You shall not cook a kid" — but the Torah speaks of cooking a kid specifically in its mother's milk. What about cooking it in the milk of an animal that is not its mother — say, a...
The Mekhilta pushes the meat-and-milk prohibition further. What about cooking an animal's flesh in its own milk? Not the mother's milk, not a sister's milk, but the milk the animal...
Can goat's milk be used to cook sheep's flesh? The species are different — goats and sheep — but both are domesticated livestock. The Mekhilta extends the prohibition through yet a...
This tells me only of non-consecrated food (as being thus forbidden). Whence do I derive (the same for) consecrated food? How can you ask? If it is forbidden with non-consecrated f...
R. Yishmael and R. Elazar b. Azaryah and R. Akiva were once walking on the road, with Levi Hasadar and R. Yishmael the son of R. Elazar b. Azaryah walking behind them, when this qu...
The Shabbat (the Sabbath) carries a responsibility that extends beyond rest. According to the Mekhilta, every person who observes the Sabbath becomes a witness. And the testimony t...
"That soul shall be cut off from the midst of its people" — the Mekhilta asks what this verse adds to "those who profane it shall be put to death," which has already been stated. B...
A reminder of forces far beyond our control. But have you ever wondered, according to Jewish tradition, why they happen? One powerful image suggests that earthquakes are a direct r...
There's this beautiful image tucked away in the Midrash Konen (found in Beit ha-Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) 2:25), this idea that "the wings of heaven are tied to th...
They say he was so strikingly handsome, he resembled an angel. And his story, well, it begins a bit like a fairy tale. His parents, had longed for a child for many, many years. His...
It's wild, and it's connected to none other than King Solomon and the building of the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The story goes that the demons were, shall we sa...
Not literally, of course. But what if it could? There's an old story, a cautionary tale really, that speaks to just that. It's found tucked away in the Talmud (B. Hagigah 13a), and...
The Torah tells us that Isaac eventually married Rebecca. But did you know that, according to some traditions, they faced a long period of infertility? Twenty-two years, to be exac...
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...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, dives into the depths of human nature and divine justice. And Psalm 10, in particular, sparks some...
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" It's a raw, honest cry of frustration and bewilderment. But what if that feeling of distance isn't quite what it seems? The Midrash T...
The Book of Psalms, or Tehillim, is full of David's prayers, his praises, his cries for help. And Psalm 18, verse 30, it’s a powerhouse: "For by You I run upon a troop... and by my...
Our ancestors grappled with this too, and they spun some pretty amazing stories to explain it. to one from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of teachings that unpack the Book of Psalm...
Take Psalm 19, for instance: "The teaching of the LORD is innocent…" But when is it innocent? When is it truly trustworthy? Midrash Tehillim, that beautiful collection of rabbinic ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, grapples with this very feeling. Specifically, Midrash Tehillim 31 dives into (Psalm 31:22), "Bles...
to one such perspective, found in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its commentary on Psalm 37, tackles the...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, wrestles with this very idea in Psalm 42. It speaks of God "passing through the camp with an a...
That feeling sits at the heart of a fascinating interpretation in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms. It focuses on Psalm 45, which begin...
Jewish tradition understands that feeling, deeply. And sometimes, the most unexpected texts can offer a glimmer of hope. Take this cryptic passage from Midrash Tehillim 48, a colle...
The ancient rabbis knew that feeling well. And they found solace, not in denying the reality of loneliness, but in recognizing that even in the most desolate places, God is present...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a surprising answer, linking peace to…mountains. Yes, mountains! "Let the mountains bring p...
We find this drama vividly portrayed in Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its interpretation of Psalm 78. It's a moment dripping with irony. Moses, trying to help, warns Pharaoh to...
That’s a question that the ancient Rabbis wrestled with, and their thoughts are preserved for us in the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. to ...
Jewish tradition offers a comforting image of how God deals with our shortcomings. It's found within Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretive teachings on the Book of Psalms....
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating perspective, turning familiar verses into profound meditations. One particula...
