Mysticism

1,124 texts · Page 99 of 125

Explore 1,124 Jewish texts related to the theme of Mysticism, drawn from Midrash, Kabbalah, Apocrypha, and classical Jewish literature.

Pharaoh: Joseph and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 14, a Midrash, or interpretation, on the Book of Numbers, that explores this very tension. The passage starts with a seemingly simple ...

The Golden Calf of Sinai

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The Book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, picks up the story after the tumultuous events at Sinai. In Bamidbar Rabbah 15, a Midrash, or interpretive commentary, delves into a seemin...

Akhan and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Take, for example, the verse in Numbers: "This will be the land that will fall [tipol] to you as an inheritance." (Numbers 34:2). "Fall?" the Rabbis asked. Does land just fall? Isn...

Yoav at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The text opens with a powerful image. "The power of His deeds He told to His people" (Psalms 111:6). According to Bamidbar Rabbah, God could have simply created a new land for the ...

Gadites: Joshua at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

In the ancient world, and even described in the Torah, there was a system in place to offer refuge. We're talking about the cities of refuge, places of sanctuary for those who unin...

Saga of Joseph and Hoshaya

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

The sages of old grappled with this very question, and their insights are captured in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. to the very ...

Stars and Firmament of Glory

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Jewish tradition, particularly in the ancient collection of Midrashim called Bereshit Rabbah, grapples with this very question. It's a mind-bending exploration, and honestly, a pre...

First Days of Existence and Isaiah

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon starts us off with a powerful verse from Daniel (2:22): "He reveals the deep and the hidden [umsatrata]." Now, what exactly is being revealed? Rabbi Yehuda c...

Yom Kippur and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

He sees the very first verses of Genesis as a foreshadowing of the choices we all face. "The earth was emptiness (tohu vavohu)" – he says, that represents the actions of the wicked...