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It’s a universal feeling, and even King David, the shepherd-turned-king, knew it well. That’s why he declared, "A lamp to my feet is Your word, a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105)....
It’s a question that’s been wrestled with for centuries, and the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers some truly fascinating, and at t...
The ancient Israelites grappled with that exact feeling after the Exodus from Egypt. And Midrash Tehillim (a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms) delves right into ...
In Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, we find a fascinating discussion about fear, faith, and the ultimate stability of the divine. The pas...
Even in ancient times, people struggled with the feeling that enemies were gaining ground, that darkness was closing in. And the texts? They spoke to it. They still speak to it. to...
That feeling of being utterly, achingly, lost… it's not new. Our ancestors knew it well. Let’s turn to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psa...
We're about to dive into a fascinating slice of Jewish tradition from Midrash Tehillim, specifically Psalm 78, that does just that, exploring the story of the Israelites in the des...
Our Sages grappled with this fleeting nature of existence, too. In Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, we find a poignant reflection on the bre...
They turned to midrash, a method of interpreting scripture that fills in gaps, answers questions, and breathes life into the text. Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage fr...
We all know the highlights – the Nile turning to blood, swarms of locusts, darkness… But the details, the why and how, are often richer and stranger than we remember. Take the plag...
Our sages certainly did. The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into this very question. Specifically, it wrestles with (Psalm 78:4...
David, our King, isn't shy about expressing that vulnerability. "Turn to me and be gracious to me," he cries out. It's a raw, human plea. He's not just asking for a blessing; he's ...
The prophet Jeremiah, in the name of God, tells us no. "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom...but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am t...
Midrash Tehillim (a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms) poses a seemingly simple question about the opening of Psalm 90, traditionally ascribed to Moses: ...
It's more than just a day off; it's a cornerstone of Jewish life, a sacred pause in the week. But why Shabbat (the Sabbath)? What makes it so special? Midrash Tehillim, a collectio...
He taught that if the Israelites—and by extension, maybe even us—were to observe just one Shabbat (the Sabbath), that day of rest, according to all its intricate laws, redemption w...
We often take the everyday wonders around us for granted, don't we? Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings that illuminate the Book of Psalms, encourages us to do jus...
Take Psalm 103, for example. It’s a song of praise, a declaration of divine forgiveness and goodness. But Midrash Tehillim, an ancient collection of interpretations on the Book of ...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, explores that very feeling in Psalm 103. It speaks of remembering God's commandments, and what that real...
The book of Psalms, Tehillim, offers glimpses, poetic refrains that hint at the immense creative power at play. Psalm 104, in particular, paints a vivid picture: "The deep clothes ...
Jewish tradition, particularly through Midrash (interpretive storytelling), loves to unpack these mysteries. a tiny gem from Midrash Tehillim (commentary on the Book of Psalms), sp...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, gives us a glimpse into just that kind of wonder, through the eyes of none other than Rabbi Akiva...
It sounds like a simple thing, but when you're surrounded by endless sand, under a blazing sun, or a star-filled sky that all looks the same... well, you need a little divine help!...
We celebrate the big, splashy ones – the parting of the Red Sea, the manna from heaven. But what about the quiet, everyday miracles that keep us going? The Midrash Tehillim, a coll...
King David knew the feeling. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, opens a window into David's heart – and perhaps our own. The verse we’re di...
(Psalm 106:23) states, "Therefore He said He would destroy them—had not Moses His chosen one stood before Him in the breach, to turn back His wrath, lest He destroy them." It’s a v...
That feeling…that’s almost the heart of the story of Hallelujah. But what is Hallelujah, really? It's more than just a word; it's an expression, a moment in time. Midrash Tehillim,...
We all know the story: Moses raises his staff, the waters part, and the Israelites walk through on dry land to escape Pharaoh. But Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that ...
This particular midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically on Psalm 117, tackles the idea of praising God, but it does so in a way you might not expect. It starts wit...
The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they poured those feelings, along with their hopes and fears, into their interpretations of scripture. to one such interpretation found in Mid...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. They asked: Does God reward the righteous? And punish the wicked? And if so, how does that all work? Midrash Tehillim, a collection of ra...
It’s something the ancient rabbis wrestled with too, finding a powerful echo of it in the words of King David in the Tehillim, the Book of Psalms. Specifically, we find this reflec...
That feeling, that sense of disorientation and wonder, is at the heart of a powerful story about Rabbi Yochanan and Honi the Circle Drawer. The story begins with a verse from Psalm...
The ancient collection of teachings known as Midrash Tehillim (a commentary on the Book of Psalms) grapples with this very question. Psalm 136 praises God, saying, "To the One who ...
We all know the story: God, in his awesome power, struck down the firstborn of Egypt as the final, devastating blow to convince Pharaoh to release the Israelites from bondage. But ...
We all know the story from Exodus – how Moses stretched out his hand, and the waters parted, allowing the Israelites to escape the pursuing Egyptian army. But did you know just how...
Sometimes, the connection isn’t immediately obvious. Take, for instance, the verses about atonement and taking a census in the book of Exodus. What’s the link? The Pesikta DeRav Ka...
The Pesikta DeRav Kahana, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teachings, gives us a glimpse, almost a first-hand account. Rabbi Yochanan, a prominent sage,...
The Pesikta deRav Kahana, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teachings, offers a fascinating glimpse into that moment. In Pesikta deRav Kahana 12, we find...
We get a glimpse into that mystery in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text that delves into the stories of the Torah with a unique perspective. Forget the simp...
It’s no accident. For millennia, Jewish tradition has seen the moon not just as a celestial body, but as a living symbol of renewal, of cycles, and of profound connection to the di...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, in chapter 8, touches on just that. It paints a picture of a world where the connection to the Holy One, blessed be He, isn't always a given. It suggests th...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and imaginative work of Jewish literature, tells us that on the fifth day, God commanded the waters to bring forth all kinds of winged fowl, b...
We all know the story in broad strokes: the expulsion from Eden, the toil, the hardship. But what about the details? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Jewish tex...
It's more than just a day off. It’s a profound connection to the very act of creation, a weekly reminder of God's rest, and our own. But how do we know this? The Pirkei DeRabbi Eli...
The Torah tells us, "Ye shall keep the Sabbath, for it is holy unto you" (Exodus 31:14). But what does that "keeping" actually look like? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating earl...
It's a portal, a time set apart. And according to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a beautiful, almost novelistic Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), keeping Shabbat (the Sabbath) b...
Our tradition, in its infinite wisdom, offers us a way to navigate that transition: Havdalah (the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat (the Sabbath)). Now, Havdalah (הַבְדָּלָה) lit...
