3,491 texts · Page 73 of 73
The book "HaB'rit," in a chapter written by the author of "Ma'amar Kuf" in "Yashar Levav," touches on this very idea: that the very name of God is ever-present on our lips. When we...
It's a desire that sometimes leads to conflict, as we see when examining certain debates within Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. In this particular instance, we're diving i...
The question of creation... it's one that's gripped humanity for millennia, isn't it? How did it all begin? Was there a before? And if so, what was it like? The rabbis of old grapp...
My dear friend, it all boils down to the core of our faith: the absolute and singular authority of God. Our sages, whose wisdom stretches back to Moses himself, taught us that the ...
It’s a story of intense debate, careful consideration, and a deep commitment to preserving the integrity of Jewish law and thought. It’s a reminder that tradition isn’t static; it’...
Oy vey! Have we, in our zeal for hidden wisdom, inadvertently stumbled into idolatry? It's a question that weighs heavily, especially when considering the influence of the Zohar an...
Philosophers have scratched their heads, trying to unravel the mystery of slumber. But you know, sometimes the answers are closer than we think. Our own tradition, through the wisd...
Stunning, vibrant, utterly unlike anything you've ever encountered. What goes through your mind? The Midrash of Philo, a fascinating exploration of the early chapters of Genesis, w...
Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, grappled with this very question in his own way. In what we call "The Midrash of Philo," he argues that Adam must have be...
It's a question that dances at the heart of a fascinating passage from the Midrash of Philo. Philo, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria in the first century CE, grappled w...
Doors that can swing wide open into the most incredible stories. Take Enoch, for example. (Genesis 5:22) tells us, "Enoch pleased God after he begat Methuselah, two hundred years.”...
We often think of death as the end, a full stop. But what if it's just a… transition? Philo, that brilliant Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, wrestled with this very idea. He was...
There's a perspective, woven into ancient Jewish thought, that offers a slightly different angle?Now, midrash (מדרש) itself, broadly speaking, is a way of interpreting and expandin...
It’s a question that’s puzzled thinkers for ages, and surprisingly, we find some intriguing early thoughts on it in the writings attributed to Philo of Alexandria, an important Jew...
In the Midrash of Philo, we find a fascinating take on fate, divine justice, and the reasons behind catastrophic events like, say, the Flood. Philo addresses those who argue agains...
A microcosm of humanity, bobbing on a turbulent sea. Could you imagine the tensions? The sheer claustrophobia? It makes you wonder. The text known as the Midrash of Philo tackles t...
To a fascinating little corner of Jewish thought that wrestles with exactly this question, found in The Midrash of Philo. Philo, in this particular midrash (rabbinic interpretive c...
Sometimes, it feels like there's a whole hidden world waiting to be unlocked. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in the first century CE, was absolutely convinced ...
Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, writing millennia ago, gives us a fascinating glimpse into this concept of divine ecstasis, or trance. He describes it as "a depa...
The ancient sages certainly did. And they found profound meaning in that feeling. to a fascinating interpretation of a well-known biblical passage, explored in the Midrash of Philo...
That’s the feeling swirling around in this passage from the Midrash of Philo, an ancient commentary attributed to Philo of Alexandria, as it grapples with the moment someone encoun...
That image – of falling on one's face – becomes incredibly potent when we explore the story of Abraham. The Midrash of Philo, an ancient commentary attributed to Philo of Alexandri...
Like the universe is saying, "Okay, sure, but are you really ready for this?" That's the kind of vibe I get from this little nugget of a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) ...
Because the eyes of God, we're told, are everywhere. It's a powerful image, isn't it? From His throne in Heaven, God's eyes observe absolutely everything that takes place in the wo...
The mystics imagined it, and what they saw is The story goes that when God decided to create Adam, it wasn't a snap of the fingers. It was a process. A cosmic sculpting project, if...
The story of Abraham and Isaac, the Akeidah (the binding), grapples with these very questions. Abraham and Sarah, living in the Land of Israel, yearned for a child. Their lives wer...
We're told, in no uncertain terms, that the Land of Israel is the heart of it all. But it doesn't stop there. Jerusalem, we learn, is the heart of the Land of Israel. And within Je...
The very concept of the Temple in Jerusalem, that sacred place, was envisioned at the dawn of creation itself. As Howard Schwartz recounts in Tree of Souls, God, in His infinite wi...
The Lord came unto Abraham in a vision, saying: “fear not” (Gen. 15:1). Scripture says elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Then Thou spokest in vision to Thy godly ones, and saids...
And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that H...
And it came to pass after these things (Gen. 48:1). Scripture states in response to this verse: For such as are blessed of Him shall inherit the land; and they that are cursed of H...
If thou lend money to any of My people (Exod. 22:24). The prophet Jeremiah said: Refuse silver shall men call them (Jer. 6:30). You find that when Israel was exiled from Jerusalem,...
(Numb. 22:2:) “Now Balak [ben Zippor] saw (rt.: r'h).” This text is related (to Deut. 32:4), “The Rock, His work is perfect, because all His ways are justice.” As the Holy One, ble...
(Numb. 34:2:) “When you come into the land.” What is written above the matter (in Numb. 33:52)? “You shall dispossess all the inhabitants of the land from before you.” This text is...
Another interpretation: "As those nations that you are about to dispossess listen to soothsayers and augurs." Jeremiah the prophet said (Jeremiah 10:11), "Thus shall you say to the...
