588 texts · Page 12 of 13
The Rabbis certainly did, and their answers, as found in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, are…well, they're Rabbi Berekhya offers us one possibility: the wilderness itself! Can you imagine? T...
There's a reason those moments resonate so powerfully. Rabbi Eliyahu, in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, offers a beautiful interpretation of a verse, tying it directly to the experience of ...
According to Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Song of Songs, Hugras was a Levite, part of the choir that served in the Temple. Now, the Levites...
It's a story about perspective, gratitude, and maybe even a missed opportunity to usher in... the Messiah! The passage begins with a verse from Song of Songs, "Look from the peak o...
It sees potential even in the most desolate places. Take the verse from (Song of Songs 4:13), "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates [shelaḥayikh]." Beautiful. But Shir HaSh...
And it’s a frustration the ancient rabbis grappled with, too. Rabbi Shimon ben Rabbi Yosei bar Lakoneya, a sage whose name echoes through the ages, had something powerful to say ab...
Jewish tradition often uses metaphors to help us understand our place in the world, our relationship with God, and the destinies of nations. Take this story, as told by Rabbi Shmue...
The Torah itself is vast, but then you have the Mishnah, the Talmud... it can feel like an endless ocean. Well, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a fascinating commentary on the Song of Songs,...
This feeling isn’t new. In fact, the ancient rabbis grappled with it, too, and found profound meaning in it. Rav Ḥanan of Tzippori offers a beautiful interpretation of doing acts o...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that treasure trove of Jewish stories and interpretations, finds echoes of this universal joy in the verses about the holiday of Suk...
Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, dives into this very struggle. It all starts with the verse, "If you follow My statutes, and observe My ...
There was an incident involving Miriam daughter of Nakdimon for whom the Sages alloted five hundred gold dinars for a basket of perfume each day. She nonetheless stood and cursed t...
“You heard their taunt, Lord, all their thoughts about me. The lips of those who rise against me and their thoughts are against me all day. Look at their sitting and their rising; ...
“The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music” (Lamentations 5:14).“The elders have ceased from the gate, the young men from their music.” They ceased playi...
“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...
“The matter was pleasing in the eyes of the king and the princes, and the king did as Memukhan had said” (Esther 1:21).He issued the decree and brought in her head on a platter.
And usually, it's not something we relish. In fact, Genesis tells us, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18). But what about God? Think about this: before anything existe...
And in the Midrash of Philo, we find a truly intriguing answer. (Genesis 2:6) poses a bit of a puzzle, doesn't it? "A fountain went up from the earth, and watered all the face of t...
This is precisely the puzzle posed in The Midrash of Philo. It's a beautiful, thought-provoking exploration of the early chapters of Genesis, attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a J...
Philo of Alexandria, a fascinating Jewish philosopher who lived way back in the first century, grappled with this very idea. And in a text known as The Midrash of Philo 16, he unpa...
We know the story: the serpent deceives Eve, she eats from the Tree of Knowledge, and shares with Adam. God, understandably upset, metes out punishments. The serpent is cursed to c...
It's one of those verses that’s sparked endless debate and contemplation throughout Jewish history. The Hebrew there is, of course, "Na'aseh adam b'tzalmeinu kidmuteinu"—and that p...
The ancient sages certainly did! And they wrestled with questions that still resonate today. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, Egypt, grappled with these v...
Like when Noah is safely tucked away in the ark, the Torah tells us, "And the Lord shut him in, closing the doors of the ark" (Genesis 7:16). Okay, so God closed the door. Makes se...
A verse that rolls off the tongue easily: "Sowing-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and spring, shall not cease day nor night." Simple enough on the surface. But what's reall...
(Genesis 9:21). It's a head-scratcher. What are we supposed to make of that? The question itself isn't new. Generations of interpreters have wrestled with this verse. And one fasci...
We all know the story of the Ark, but what happened after the flood? The text tells us that Noah planted a vineyard and "drank of the wine, and was drunken" (Genesis 9:21). A simpl...
We often think of blessings as straightforward – good health, wealth, maybe a loving family. But what if there's a deeper layer to unpack? What if the blessings themselves aren’t e...
Philo tackles a seemingly simple question: why are Shem, Ham, and Japhet, the sons of Noah, listed in that specific order? Some might assume it's based on age, with the first-named...
Let's take a detour into the world of ancient Jewish thought, specifically, a fascinating text known as the Midrash of Philo. Now, Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish philosopher livi...
It’s a question that takes us to the heart of how we understand ourselves in relation to the world, and even to God. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher living in Roman Egypt...
In the beginning God created (Gen. 1:1). May it please our master16Many yelammedenu (“may our master teach us”) passages are included in Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) ...
Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred (Gen. 12:9). R. Berechiah opened the discussion with the verse: We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts; what shall we do...
And I will bless thee and make thy name great, and be thou a blessing (Gen. 12:2). And I will bless thee implies: I Myself will bless thee. I will make thy name great indicates tha...
And Abraham took another wife (Gen. 25:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: But as for me, I will hope continually and will praise Thee, yet more and more (Ps....
And God almighty give you mercy before the man (Gen. 43:14). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: For this let everyone that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when...
This is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them (Gen. 49:28). Scripture does not say “he blessed him” but rather he blessed them. Why is this so? Because he attribute...
And lift thou up thy rod (Exod. 14:16). Ten miracles were performed in their behalf at the sea. The sea was split asunder for them, and became a kind of vault, as it is said: Thou ...
Unto the Lord (Exod. 15:1). They sang unto the Lord and not to a mere mortal. When will they sing unto man? When His right hand and His mighty arm have wrought salvation. That is t...
And Moses said unto Aaron: “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna therein” (Exod. 16:33). I would not know of what substance the jar was fashioned, whether of silver or of gold or...
Another explanation of the verse: And God spoke (Exod. 20:1). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: Then did He see it, and declare it; He established it, yea, and s...
The two different items that were pledged—habol tahbol.22Though Exod. 22:25 speaks only of night garments, the repetition of the word haval (havol tahbol) indicates that two differ...
And thou shalt command (Exod. 27:20). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair (Song 1:15). R. Akiba said: The e...
And he gave unto Moses, etc. (Exod. 31:18). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Thy lips, O my bride, drop honey (Song 4:11). R. Abba the son of Judah said: The c...
Hew these two tablets (Exod. 34:1). Scripture states elsewhere: The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich (Prov. 10:22). This refers to Elisha’s prayer for water, when he said: Thus...
(Lev. 7:11:) “This is the law of the sacrifice for peace offerings.” You find that all of the [other] sacrifices that they would bring, they would bring for sins. In the case of th...
Another interpretation (of Lev. 12:2), “and bears a male”: This text is related (to I Sam. 2:2), “There is no holy one like the Lord, for there is none beside You.” What is the mea...
(Lev. 14:2:) “In the day of his cleansing.” [With what?]20Lev. R. 16:7. With (according to vs. 4) “two live clean birds.” How is his offering different from all [other] offerings? ...
