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Turns out, the Torah has something to say about that. And it's not just about the money, but about the joy we bring to the act of giving. The Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal ...
Well, our Sages grappled with that very idea when it came to Sukkot, the Festival of Booths. Sukkot, as you probably know, is that joyous week where we dwell in temporary shelters,...
Rabbi Akiva, a towering figure of Jewish law and thought, brings up a really interesting point about how we determine the order of tithing. He uses the example of the threshing flo...
R’ Yitzchak expounded on, “On willows in its midst we hung our harps.” (Psalms 137:2) Come and see – the dirt of the land of Israel is for repentance. While they were still in the ...
Beruria and the wife of a Min disputed about the words "Rejoice O barren one”, and the woman asked why she should rejoice because she had not had any children and the answer was, l...
A farmer was harvesting his field when he realized he had forgotten a sheaf of grain. It was sitting in the far corner of the field, left behind in the rush of the day's work. His ...
A woodcutter once complained of his hard life. He worked and carried heavy loads and could scarcely earn enough to live. One day in the wood he prayed to God and then fell asleep. ...
The sages taught that even when tragedy strikes at a moment of celebration, the celebration must not be disrupted. The Midrash (Pesikta 169b, Tanhuma Shemini) records an extraordin...
Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, explores exactly this kind of sudden, heartbreaking reversal. This particular stor...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with these very questions. And Kohelet Rabbah, a rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, dives even deeper. one ...
Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as we know it in Hebrew, is full of Solomon's reflections on life, often tinged with a certain weariness. And one particular verse, (Ecclesiastes 2:25), re...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, gets it. It’s a book that doesn't shy away from the complexities, the contradictions, the sheer messiness of being hum...
And one particular passage in Kohelet (3:12-13) offers a surprising answer: "I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good during their lifetime. Al...
And Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, really digs into that feeling. Our focus today is on a single verse, (Ecclesiastes 4:16): "There is no end to all the p...
And believe it or not, the Book of Ecclesiastes – or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew – grapples with this too. Specifically, (Ecclesiastes 5:18) states: “Also any man to whom God h...
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...
You're not alone. King Solomon, the wisest of men, grappled with this too. In (Ecclesiastes 8:15), he declares, "I praised joy, as there is nothing better for man under the sun tha...
“All wayfarers clapped their hands over you; they whistled and shook their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: Is this the city that was said to be perfect beauty, the joy of the e...
“The Lord accomplished what He devised: He implemented His statement that He commanded from the days of old; He destroyed and had no compassion. He caused the enemy to rejoice over...
“Be glad and rejoice, daughter of Edom, who resides in the land of Utz: the cup will pass to you too; you will get drunk, and you will be overturned” (Lamentations 4:21).“Be glad a...
“The gladness of our heart has ceased; our dance has been transformed into mourning” (Lamentations 5:15).“The gladness of our heart has ceased.” Rav Ḥisda said: Initially, when fea...
“It was during the days of Aḥashverosh…” Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: Aḥashverosh is Artaḥshasta. The Rabbis say: [He was called] Aḥashverosh, since anyone who remem...
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...
These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The father of the righteous will greatly ...
Another comment on This is it that their father spoke unto them. and he charged them, and said unto them: “I am to be gathered unto my people” (Gen. 49:28–29). He said to them: If ...
And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun (Exod. 17:12). Since time was calculated by means of the stars, what did Moses do? He stopped the revolution of the sun, t...
(Lev. 16:1:) “After the death of Aaron's two sons.” It was taught in a baraita (a teaching from outside the Mishnah) in the name of R. Eliezer:37In y‘Eruv. 6:1 (31c); yGit. 1:2 (39...
(Lev. 22:29:) “And when you sacrifice an offering of thanksgiving to the Lord.” R. Pinhas, R. Levi, and R. Johanan said in the name of R. Menahem of Galilee, “In the future to come...
(Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” Tithe ('sr) so that you may become rich ('shr),35In Hebrew letters the roots translated “tithe” and “become rich” are identical. before you...
