Kabbalah

1,414 texts · Page 23 of 30

The hidden wisdom of Jewish mysticism: the Ein Sof, the sefirot, the breaking of the vessels, and the path to cosmic repair.

Moses Learned Torah Forty Days and Lost It All

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It's like the universe whispering secrets, if you know how to listen. one such whisper today, found in Sifrei Devarim. The text focuses on a verse about spilling blood: "On the ear...

Jerusalem — Rabbi Shimon in the Holy Land

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It might sound like a strange mix, but delving into ancient Jewish texts, like the Sifrei Devarim, reveals some fascinating insights. We're going to explore a small piece of it tod...

Rabbi Yossi in the Holy Land

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Our tradition, specifically in Sifrei Devarim 72, wrestles with just such a dilemma concerning the ma'aser sheni, the second tithe. Imagine this: someone designates their second ti...

Keeping Mitzvot Expands Your Borders Says Deuteronomy

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It's a short one, but packed with meaning: "When the L-rd your G-d broadens your boundaries..." (Devarim 12:20). Sounds pretty straightforward. God expands our borders. But the Sif...

Why Unblemished Animals Cannot Be Killed in the Azarah

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It's not just about hygiene, my friends. It's a fascinating glimpse into their spiritual world, and it all boils down to avoiding confusion. to Sifrei Devarim 75 to uncover this id...

Rebbi and the Lawgiver

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But the rabbis of the Talmud, masters of interpretation, saw something much deeper. The text we're exploring today comes from Sifrei Devarim, a halakhic midrash on the Book of Deut...

Strengthening Yourself Not to Eat the Blood

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Our tradition teaches that some things run so deep, they require a complete overhaul of how we see the world. That brings us to a seemingly simple verse in Devarim (Deuteronomy 12:...

Teachings of Rabban Gamliel

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He points to the verse in Deuteronomy, where we're told, "Only strengthen yourself not to eat the blood" (Deuteronomy 12:23). It seems straightforward. Don't eat blood. But Rabban ...

Who Bears Responsibility for Consecrated Offerings

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The Sifrei Devarim (literally "Books of Deuteronomy," a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations), in section 77, delves into the specifics of responsibility for consecra...

Yehoshua Receives the Torah

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It’s a powerful emotion, and one that our ancestors understood intimately. Today, let’s talk about that yearning and what it truly means to inherit and dwell in the land of Israel,...

Rabbi Yochanan's Journey

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They’re traveling to learn Torah from Rabbi Yehudah ben Betheira, a renowned teacher, in a place called Netzivim. Sifrei Devarim 80 tells us their story. Their path takes them thro...

Resist the Allure of Assimilation and Stay True

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Especially when "everyone else" seems to be having a grand old time. But what if that "grand old time" is built on shaky foundations? What if following the crowd leads you right of...

You Shall Not Add to or Subtract from Torah

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And it might just surprise you. Deuteronomy, or Devarim (דברים) in Hebrew, chapter 13, verse 1, opens with a powerful statement: "The entire thing that I command you." But it's the...

How to Know When a Prophet Is Leading You Astray

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Maybe they gave you bad advice, or maybe they completely changed their tune on something important. How do you know who to trust, especially when it comes to matters of faith? The ...

What Does It Mean to Walk After God

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It's found in Deuteronomy (Devarim) 13:5: "After the L-rd your G-d shall you go." Sounds straightforward. But what does it actually mean to "go after" God? After all, God isn't exa...

The Meaning of Incitement in the Book of Samuel

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It's a serious business, leading people astray from the one true God. Our text today comes from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It...

Judging Gods Near and Far and the Danger of Idolatry

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There's something deeper going on. Deuteronomy, or Devarim (דְּבָרִים) as it's known in Hebrew, really hammers this point home. And there's this one little verse, Devarim 13:8, tha...

From One End of the Earth to the Other Means the Sun

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We're diving into Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations expanding on the Book of Deuteronomy. Think of it like the ultimate Torah explainer, where every verse is fa...

When Legal Disputes Get Messy in Ancient Israel

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The Torah, our guide through life's complexities, anticipates these moments. Imagine this: you see someone struggling. Maybe their animal is overloaded and collapsing under the wei...

How Many Stones Are Needed for a Stoning

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I do, all the time. Take this one, from Sifrei Devarim (90), a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy. It's about the seemingly simple act of stoning someone as punishment, but trus...

Where Embracing an Idol Crosses Into Real Incitement

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to a fascinating passage from Sifrei Devarim, specifically section 92. It grapples with a really tricky question: where do we draw the line between harmless expression and dangerou...

Inquire Search and Ask Well Before Passing Judgment

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It even demands it. Let's talk about pursuit of truth. What happens when you hear something… unsettling? Something that hints at wrongdoing within a community? Do you just shrug it...

The Condemned City That Embraced Idolatry

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Like you think you understand a passage, and then BAM! – something comes along and flips your understanding on its head? Well, buckle up, because we’re about to explore one such mo...

Protecting the Innocent When a City Falls to Collective Guilt

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The ancient text of Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, wrestles with just that. It's not just about punishing the wicked; it's about ...

What Happens to Property When a City Is Condemned

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We're talking about a situation where a whole city goes bad. Really bad. So bad that it becomes an Ir Nidachat (עִיר נִדַּחַת), a city condemned to utter destruction. Now, what hap...

Make a Fence Around the Torah to Protect the Commandments

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Sifrei Devarim, an early rabbinic commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, touches on just that. It explores the idea of reciprocity, of cause and effect in the spiritual realm. The ...

What Does It Mean to Be a Holy People

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That feeling is at the heart of a powerful idea in Judaism: the concept of being a chosen people. But what does it really mean? It’s a question that’s sparked debate and wonder for...

Yaakov and the King

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We find this idea woven throughout Jewish tradition, particularly when we explore the concept of being a chosen people. But what does it really mean to be chosen? The book of Sifre...

Split Hooves and Chewing Cud as Signs of Purity

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It’s more than just a label, it's a whole system, steeped in tradition and symbolism. Today, we’re diving into a single verse from Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy, to unlock...

Why the Torah Lists Kosher Animals Instead of Treif

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We can find some interesting hints in the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. One thing the Sifrei points out right away: there are mo...

Second Chances

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to some of those rules, found within the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations connected to the Book of Deuteronomy. Imagine yourself back then. You're about to sla...

Can Ritual Purification Birds Be Eaten Afterward

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We're going to dive into one today, all thanks to a seemingly simple verse in Deuteronomy. (Deuteronomy 14:11) states, "Every clean bird you may eat." Okay, straightforward enough....

Rabbi Akiva and the First Humans

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But bear with me. to a tiny passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early Jewish legal interpretations related to the Book of Deuteronomy, and see what we can uncover. The pas...

What a Ger Toshav Can Eat and the Rules of Neveilah

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Especially when it comes to something like... well, let's just say something you wouldn't eat yourself. What are the rules? Who can you give it to? The ancient text Sifrei Devarim,...

Being a Holy People and Relations with Converts

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It’s a question that pops up constantly when you dive into Jewish texts. Let’s look at a fascinating little corner of Sifrei Devarim (Deuteronomy), specifically section 104. It dea...

The Laws of Tithing Every Produce of the Land

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to a tiny verse from Sefer Devarim, the Book of Deuteronomy, that sheds light on how they managed their harvests and their obligations. (Deuteronomy 14:22) tells us: "Tithe shall y...

The Hidden Code Behind Tithing Shall You Tithe

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We're going to crack a little piece of that code today, diving into the intricate world of ma'aser, or tithing. Specifically, we're looking at a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a coll...

Which Produce Must Be Tithed and What Is Exempt

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In Jewish tradition, the concept of tithing, or giving a tenth of your produce, is a big deal. It's rooted in the idea that everything we have ultimately comes from a higher power,...

Which Produce Must Be Tithed and Why Preparation Matters

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This particular section, Sifrei Devarim 105, gets down to brass tacks: what produce is considered edible enough to require the giving of a tenth, or ma'aser, to the Temple? The pas...

Even the Fruit of the Oak Counts as Tithe

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They’re there for a reason, of course. Take this one, from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It’s a deep dive into the seemingly sim...

Wanderings of Bnei Chanan

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That tension, that push and pull, is at the heart of a fascinating little passage in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early rabbinic legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy...

What Does 'Too Long' Mean in Deuteronomy

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The book of Deuteronomy – Devarim in Hebrew – touches on this very feeling. It's a book filled with laws and teachings, a kind of farewell address from Moses before the Israelites ...

What Your Soul Desires with the Tithe Money

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Specifically, we're looking at verse 14:26, which talks about what to do with the tithe money – the ma'aser sheni – when you bring it to Jerusalem. The verse says, "And you shall g...

Redeeming the Second Tithe When You Live Far Away

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It’s not always as straightforward as you might think. to a fascinating corner of Jewish law found in Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the book of Deuterono...

How the Shmita Year Resets the Obligation to Tithe

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It could get complicated, fast. We're diving into a fascinating little corner of Jewish law today, found in Sifrei Devarim 109. Sifrei Devarim is a collection of legal interpretati...

Shemittah - The Year All Debts Were Wiped Clean

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Poof! Gone. Wiped clean. Sounds like a fantasy. But Jewish tradition actually envisions such a thing. It's called shemittah. And it's wild. The verse in Sifrei Devarim lays it out ...

The Sabbatical Year and Its Hidden Layers of Complexity

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Sometimes, diving into Jewish law feels like stepping into a time machine set to "complicated." But stick with me, because buried within those intricate arguments, there's often a ...

How Shmita Release of Debts Mirrors the Land's Rest

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I do all the time! Take this passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy. It's short, but packed with meaning. It essentially asks...