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It all revolves around a single, loaded question stemming from the Book of Genesis: "I have gotten a man from the Lord?" (Genesis 4:1). Specifically, was that really what Eve said ...
The ancient sages certainly did! And they wrestled with questions that still resonate today. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, Egypt, grappled with these v...
They often hold some of the biggest secrets. Take the story of Cain and Abel. We all know the basics: brothers, offerings, jealousy, tragedy. But have you ever noticed a subtle dif...
It’s a question that’s haunted philosophers and theologians for millennia, and it surfaces in some truly fascinating ways in ancient Jewish thought. to a snippet from The Midrash o...
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...
The Midrash of Philo grapples with this very point. It’s not about God needing information. It’s about something far deeper: confronting Cain with the enormity of his actions. See,...
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...
The ancient sages certainly did. And they found answers in the most unexpected places. Take, for instance, the story Philo, the 1st century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, tell...
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...
The ones you read and think, "Okay, that happened... but why is it there?" (Genesis 4:25) is one of those lines. "God has raised up for me another seed in the place of Abel whom Ca...
Doors that can swing wide open into the most incredible stories. Take Enoch, for example. (Genesis 5:22) tells us, "Enoch pleased God after he begat Methuselah, two hundred years.”...
The ones that make you stop and say, "Wait, what exactly does that mean?" I was pondering just such a detail the other day, specifically about Enoch. You know, the one who "walked ...
Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher living in Roman Egypt, certainly thought so. He delved into the numerical symbolism of the Torah, seeking hidden meanings within the seemi...
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...
You know, Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam? The one who, according to (Genesis 5:24), simply "was not, for God took him." A verse so simple, yet so… strange. What does it ev...
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...
That feeling isn't new. In fact, it's something that the ancient sages grappled with too. One particular verse that sparked a lot of discussion is from (Genesis 6:3): "My spirit sh...
These are the kinds of questions that the ancient interpreters of the Bible loved to wrestle with! And in a fascinating, though fragmented, text known as The Midrash of Philo, we f...
One such answer comes from a text attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Egypt during the first century. While scholars debate whether he actually pen...
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 ...
The ancient sages wrestled with this feeling too. And in a fascinating passage attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in the first century CE, we find a ...
We're talking about Noah, of course. The righteous man in a world gone completely bonkers. And just before the floodgates open, God says something really interesting: "I will set u...
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 ...
And that's precisely the question posed in The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations and expansions on the Torah attributed to Philo of Alexandria, the great Jewish phi...
It's more than just annoying; some ancient wisdom traditions see it as a dangerous imbalance, a distortion of the very self. Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria in the...
And they weren't afraid to ask the tough questions. Take this one, for example, posed in The Midrash of Philo: Why does the Torah specifically mention that God remembered Noah, the...
Take Noah's Ark, for example. We all know the story: the flood, the animals, the dove with the olive branch. But then you get to (Genesis 8:4), and it hits you with, "The ark settl...
We see potential, and we want to help it blossom. But how do you actually do it? The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations and homilies attributed to the philosopher Ph...
The Torah tells us Noah sent it out not once, but twice. The first time, it came back with an olive branch – a sign of hope! But the second time… nothing. It just... didn’t return....
But pull back for a second. A worldwide flood. The fate of humanity hanging by a thread – or rather, a wooden beam. And then… silence. The waters recede. But when they recede, and ...
Take the moment after the Flood, when the world is starting over. God gives Noah and his family a new covenant, a new set of rules. And smack dab in the middle of it, we find this:...
He saw the world – and especially our inner world – as a kind of living midrash, a constant interpretation of the Torah and reality itself. And in his unique way, he understood the...
Don't eat meat with blood still in it. But, as is often the case with Jewish tradition, there's so much more to unpack here. This verse, part of the covenant God makes with Noah an...
Ever stumble across a verse in the Torah that just... sticks in your craw? A line that seems simple at first glance, but the more you chew on it, the more questions it raises? That...
Take (Genesis 9:6), for example. It says God made humankind in His image. But the verse specifies "...the image of God," not “…His own image.” Why the distinction? Philo, the great...
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...
(Genesis 9:21). It's a head-scratcher. What are we supposed to make of that? The question itself isn't new. Generations of interpreters have wrestled with this verse. And one fasci...
Philo grapples with this very question: Why are the names "Lord" and "God" sometimes used together? His answer? It's all about God's attributes, specifically benevolence and kingly...
They tell a story. They hint at something deeper. Take Noah's sons: Shem, Ham, and Japhet. You'd think their order would be consistent. But it's not! Isn't that peculiar? Sometimes...
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...
We're so used to breezing past those genealogical lists in Genesis, but tucked within them are echoes of ancient understandings about the world and its peoples. Today, let's zoom i...
You might recall Nimrod from (Genesis 10:8). It's a brief mention, almost a genealogical footnote: "Chus was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a giant and a hunter before the L...
We’re promised something amazing, something life-changing, but a little part of us whispers, "Show me. Just a little sign." That tension is ancient. And it’s right there, simmering...
Sometimes, those tiny details hold the biggest secrets. Take (Genesis 15:10), for example. It’s a verse about Abraham, and God's covenant with him. Seems straightforward. "And he t...
to a fascinating little corner of Jewish tradition, a passage from what's known as The Midrash of Philo. Now, Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish philosopher who lived a long, long ti...
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 ...
Take, for instance, that cryptic line in (Genesis 15:16): "For the sins of the Amorites were not as yet completed." What does that even mean? It's a verse that on the surface seems...
