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It wasn't just random chaos, you know. There's a deeply considered, almost… merciful… method to the madness. The Book of Exodus (7:16-17) sets the stage: "You shall say to him: The...
Sometimes, it's not about luck at all, but about seizing the moment. And in Jewish tradition, the story of Moses and Pharaoh offers a powerful lesson in just that. In (Exodus 8:16)...
The scene: Moses is tasked with confronting Pharaoh yet again. God tells Moses, "Rise early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him: So said the Lord, God of the H...
The Torah tells us, "Behold, I will rain down tomorrow at this time very severe hail, that there has not been like it in Egypt since the day it was founded until now" (Exodus 9:18)...
The Book of Exodus tells us, "Moses extended his staff toward the heavens and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the lan...
It’s a question that our sages grappled with, and the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) in Shemot Rabbah offers a fascinating perspective, connecting it to the story of th...
"Moses extended his hand toward the heavens, and there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, and no one rose from his place...
Our story today comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. Specifically, we're diving into section 15, which grapples with the meanin...
It's not just about freedom from slavery, but about a deeper truth about power, righteousness, and our relationship with the Divine. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpr...
The story of the Exodus, as told in Shemot Rabbah, the compilation of rabbinic sermons on the Book of Exodus, gives us a fascinating glimpse into this idea, focusing on the final p...
Jewish tradition is rich with answers to these questions, and Shemot Rabbah, a classical Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, offers a fascinating glimpse into the Di...
We're looking at section 15, which delves into the very first commandment given to the Israelites as they stood on the cusp of freedom: "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2)....
The verse we're looking at is (Exodus 12:21): “Moses called all the elders of Israel, and said to them: Draw, and take for yourselves lambs for your families, and slaughter the pas...
The verse "Draw, and take for yourselves lambs" (Exodus 12:21) might seem straightforward, but the Rabbis saw layers of meaning. They connect it to the verse "With stillness and pl...
The ancient texts offer some fascinating perspectives. Let's look at (Exodus 12:23), the verse describing the pasach, the Passover: "The Lord will pass to smite Egypt, and He will ...
That's the scene we find ourselves in, in this passage from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. We're talking about the tenth plague, th...
We read in (Exodus 12:37): "The children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Sukkot, approximately six hundred thousand men on foot, beside children." It's a verse that launches us...
It's more than just matzah and retelling the Exodus story. The Torah itself calls it a "night of vigil" – leil shimurim (Exodus 12:42). But what exactly does that mean? What is God...
It's a feeling that Judaism, in its wisdom, addresses head-on. We find a fascinating exploration of this theme in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Boo...
Get out as fast as possible! But (Exodus 13:17) tells us, "It was when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them via the land of the Philistines, although it was near, as Go...
In that moment of desperation, Moses, their leader, turned to God. But what happened next is more surprising than you might think. The Book of Exodus, or Shemot in Hebrew, is fille...
It sounds like something out of a movie, but the Rabbis grappled with this moment, and what it truly meant. The book of Exodus (14:16) tells us, "And you, raise your staff, and ext...
In Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus, they offer a powerful, if somewhat unsettling, answer. The verse in question is God's instruction to M...
It all comes down to what those moments taught us about ourselves and about our relationship with God. to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpr...
That feeling, that's what we're diving into today, looking at a passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The passage opens with a...
It’s a concept that’s wrestled with beautifully in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The verse "I will sing to the Lord, for He is exal...
We dole things out with a closed fist, hesitant, as if we're afraid of running out. But what about the Divine? Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book o...
The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...
The Jewish people know that feeling all too well. In fact, there's a fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that uses...
The verse “Yitro…heard” (Exodus 18:1) sparks a fascinating connection to a seemingly unrelated verse from Job: “The stranger does not stay the night outside” (Job 31:32). What’s th...
Shemot Rabbah (a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus) offers a mind-bending perspective on this, using God as the ultimate example. It begins with the simp...
We often picture a grand, almost theatrical event. But the ancient texts hint at something far more profound, and even a little terrifying. The Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection ...
The passage starts with the phrase, "These are [ve’eleh] the ordinances." That little word "ve’eleh" – "these are" – isn't just a throwaway. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive comm...
In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exploration of this idea, starting with the verse "These are the ordinances....
Well, the answer might surprise you. Rabbi Natan, in Shemot Rabbah, makes a pretty strong statement: justice is fitting for God precisely because He upholds it without showing favo...
Rabbi Shimon, in Shemot Rabbah, really zeroes in on this. He points out the verse in Exodus (21:18), "If men quarrel and one strikes the other." Rabbi Shimon emphasizes that "nothi...
The Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, dives deep into this question, particularly in section 30. It all starts with a verse from Isaiah...
Rabbi Abahu offers a powerful insight into this very question, drawing from the book of Exodus. "Three pilgrimage festivals you shall hold a festival to Me during the year" (Exodus...
Our tradition teaches that wealth, valor, and wisdom are not inherently good or bad – it's how we use them that truly matters. Shemot Rabbah (31) delves into this very question, dr...
It’s not just about giving what you have, but about how you give it. In the book of Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a powerfu...
Jewish tradition has a powerful answer to that feeling, and it all revolves around how we treat the poor and vulnerable among us. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilie...
Sometimes you're on top, sometimes you're on the bottom. It's a powerful image, and one that resonates deeply in Jewish tradition. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrashic ...
It’s all about how we interact, how we support each other, and what happens when that balance is disrupted. Consider this: the Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Rabbinic comme...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this, and in Shemot Rabbah (that's the Book of Exodus explained and expanded upon by the Rabbis) we find a fascinating exploration of this very ide...
It’s a question that's plagued philosophers and theologians for centuries, and it all starts, strangely enough, with a box. A very special box, mind you – the Ark of the Covenant. ...
Jewish tradition certainly has. to a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that explores just that. The text open...
A collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, there are four specific things that God longs for from His creation. The passage begins with the verse, "And you sha...
In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exchange. God tells Moses, "And you, draw near to you." Now, Moses isn't exa...
