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We all know the story of Pharaoh, the archetypal oppressor of the Israelites. But Shemot Rabbah delves into the why behind his horrific decree to cast newborn sons into the Nile (E...
"A man from the house of Levi went and he took a daughter of Levi" (Exodus 2:1). Simple enough. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Shemot Rabbah, ...
The Torah tells us, "The woman conceived and bore a son; she saw that he was good and she hid him for three months" (Exodus 2:2). But what lies beneath that simple verse? The ancie...
To one of those moments, found within the pages of Shemot Rabbah, a classical collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. "She took for him a wicker basket…" Why ...
That feeling isn’t new. In fact, it echoes through one of the most powerful stories in the Torah. We all know the story of Moses. Born into slavery, hidden away, destined for great...
We all know the basics: baby Moses in a basket, found by Pharaoh's daughter. But what if I told you there's a whole world of interpretation swirling around just a few verses? to on...
Take this one from (Exodus 2:6), describing Pharaoh’s daughter discovering the infant Moses adrift in the Nile: "She opened it and saw the child [yeled], and behold, a boy [na’ar] ...
The Torah tells us, "His sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter: ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’" (Exodus 2:7). But why specifically ...
It’s a story filled with palace intrigue, near-fatal tests, and a touch of divine intervention. We all know the basics: baby Moses in a basket, found by Pharaoh's daughter. But She...
That’s the kind of feeling that propelled Moses into his destiny. to the book of Exodus, specifically Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of Exodus. It all star...
It's easy to picture the pyramids, the scorching sun, and the relentless labor. But what about the small acts of defiance, the glimmers of hope that hinted at a future redemption? ...
As is so often the case with Torah, the rabbis unpack layers upon layers of meaning. What did it really mean when it says "he saw that there was no man"? The ancient rabbis of Shem...
The story goes that Moses, having slain an Egyptian taskmaster, intervenes in a quarrel between two Hebrews. And what does he get for his trouble? A stinging rebuke: "Who appointed...
The book of Exodus tells us that Moses fled Pharaoh after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave (Exodus 2:15). But Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretati...
Like a well, for instance. It's more than just a source of water; it’s often a meeting place, a place of destiny. Our sages point this out in Shemot Rabbah, noting how the well is ...
It all centers around Moses, and a rather interesting agreement he makes with Jethro (also known as Yitro), his future father-in-law. Remember, Moses has just fled Egypt after, sha...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. In the book of Exodus, we read, “It was during those many days that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed d...
In fact, they wrestled with it in their interpretations of the book of Exodus, specifically (Exodus 2:25): "God saw the children of Israel, and God knew." What did God see? What di...
To one, from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The verse we're looking at is simple, yet profound: “God saw the children of Israel, and...
Our story begins, as so many do, in the book of Exodus. "Moses was herding the flock of his father-in-law Yitro, the priest of Midyan, and he led the flock into the wilderness, and...
Where is God, exactly? Is He up in the heavens, completely removed from our earthly struggles? Or is He still somehow… here? The book of Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic int...
It’s a question that's been asked for centuries, and Jewish tradition offers a pretty compelling answer: it's not about grand pronouncements or immediate displays of power. Instead...
It might seem like just a simple Hebrew word meaning "was," but in the world of Jewish thought, it can unlock hidden meanings, destinies, and connections. Shemot Rabbah, a collecti...
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of the bush. He looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2). ...
In the story of Moses, that moment is captured in a single, powerful scene – the burning bush. The book of Exodus tells us (3:3) that Moses said, "I will turn now, and see this gre...
In the book of Exodus, Moses has that very experience. But it's not quite what you might expect. The text tells us, "He said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the G...
Our story begins in (Exodus 3:7): “The Lord said: I have seen My people’s affliction that is in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, as I know their p...
We find ourselves in (Exodus 3:8), where God tells Moses, "I have come down to deliver them from the hand of Egypt and to take them up from that land to a good and expansive land, ...
That's the situation Moses found himself in. In (Exodus 3:11), Moses cries out to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should take the children of Israel out of ...
In the Book of Exodus, we find Moses at the burning bush, tasked with the monumental mission of freeing the Israelites from slavery. He's understandably apprehensive. It’s a daunti...
It all starts with that pivotal moment when Moses encounters God at the burning bush. Remember the verse? "God said to Moses, 'I will be what I will be,' and He said, 'So shall you...
The verse in question comes from (Exodus 3:15): "God said further to Moses: So shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Is...
The passage we're looking at begins with God instructing Moses: "Go and gather the elders of Israel, and say to them: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, of Isaac, a...
In the book of Exodus, specifically (Exodus 3:19), God tells Moses, "And I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, except by a mighty hand.” It's a pretty direct warning. ...
To that, drawing from the ancient wisdom of Shemot Rabbah, a classic rabbinic commentary on the Book of Exodus. In (Exodus 3:20), God says, "I will extend My hand, and smite Egypt ...
Turns out, Moses did. And, according to the Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, it didn't go unnoticed. The story begins, as we k...
It's often because the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw connections we might miss. Take the story of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus, chapter 4. God gives him three signs ...
That feeling isn't exactly new. In fact, we see it playing out in one of the most pivotal moments in the Torah: Moses's reluctance to answer God's call. It all unfolds in the book ...
That's the situation Moses found himself in. In Shemot Rabbah, the great collection of Midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) (interpretive stories) on the Book of Exodus, we...
Something that makes you think, "Surely, there's someone better suited for this!" Well, you're not alone. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, had a moment of reluctance. to a f...
We all know the story: God commands Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites. But Moses hesitates. He protests, famously declaring, "I am not a man of words"...
The ancient rabbis saw that struggle playing out in the life of Moses, as he stood on the cusp of his world-changing mission. The book of Exodus (4:18) tells us, "Moses went and re...
The book of Shmot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a fascinating perspective on this very idea, focusing on Moses, Jethro (Yitro in He...
Even some of the biggest figures in Jewish history felt that way. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations on the Book of...
To one of those fascinating in-between moments, found in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The text focuses on a seemingly simple phras...
The Torah touches on this very human act in some surprising ways. We find a fascinating exploration of brotherly love, and the significance of a kiss, in Shemot Rabbah, a collectio...
It wasn't just a random event, a quirk of fate. According to Rabbi Ḥama, there was a very specific, almost divinely orchestrated reason. Imagine Moses growing up comfortably in his...
A seemingly insignificant phrase can carry immense weight, altering the course of destiny. to a curious observation from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on ...
