Psalms

146 texts · Page 2 of 4

The Psalms of David: poetry of praise, lament, and longing that became the prayer book of the Jewish people for three thousand years.

But (you do mention it) in derogation, viz

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael

The Mekhilta catalogs the names used to describe idolatry and contrasts them with the names used to describe God. The contrast is devastating. Idolatry is mentioned only in derogat...

Noah and the Patriarchs of Laws

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

There's a powerful, almost unsettling image in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Psalms. It speaks of someone being stripped bare, of havin...

Voices of the Psalmist

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

It’s a question that's tickled the minds of theologians and storytellers for centuries. We often picture the Divine as serious, judging, maybe even a little stern. But laughter? Th...

Jesse in Battle

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

And Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, gives us a glimpse into his struggle. The text opens with a raw, almost painful cry: "How long...

David's Songs of Longing During Bitter Exile

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Jewish tradition is filled with stories of hardship, exile, and longing for redemption. But within those stories, like hidden sparks, are glimmers of hope, resilience, and profound...

David Cries Out 'Until When' in His Deepest Despair

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

King David knew that feeling. And he put it into words that still resonate with us today. (Psalm 31:15). "And my soul is greatly troubled (and you incline your ear), and you, Lord,...

Tears That Reach the Gates of Heaven

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

That feeling, that raw emotion, is at the heart of a powerful story preserved in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. It's a story about faith, ...

David — Doeg and the Torah

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The Psalms, those ancient songs of King David, knew all about that feeling. And the Rabbis, centuries later, unpacked those feelings in their own special way, through midrash (rabb...

David and Saul's Fateful Dance of Destiny

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

It's not just a simple story of good versus evil, or the righteous youth triumphing over the jealous king. It's a nuanced dance of fate, faith, and free will. And a passage in Midr...

What 'Death of the Son' Really Means as Purification

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

It’s a question that echoes through the ages, and one that finds a poignant, if somewhat cryptic, resonance in Midrash Tehillim 9. This particular midrash (rabbinic interpretive co...

Poetry of Prayer

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The verse declares, "For the poor shall not always be forgotten; the hope of the poor shall not perish forever." But what does that really mean? Rabbi Yudan, in Midrash Tehillim, a...

Nebuchadnezzar in Jewish Tradition

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, dives into the depths of human nature and divine justice. And Psalm 10, in particular, sparks some...

David Claims God Alone as His Inheritance

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those brilliant interpreters of scripture, have a lot to say about this verse. Specifically, Midrash Tehillim, the col...

The Moment the Sea Split and Israel Walked Through

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. They saw it mirrored in the story of the Exodus, in the dramatic moment when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea and the pursui...

Amalek and the King

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

King David knew that feeling well. And it's his story, illuminated by the ancient wisdom of Midrash Tehillim (a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms), that offers...

By God David Could Leap Over Any Wall

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The Book of Psalms, or Tehillim, is full of David's prayers, his praises, his cries for help. And Psalm 18, verse 30, it’s a powerhouse: "For by You I run upon a troop... and by my...

David's Inner Strength Forged by His Ancestors

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

King David knew that feeling. But he also knew something about inner strength, about training, and about the power of where we come from. The verse we're looking at today comes fro...

David's Relentless Drive to Fulfill God's Will

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

That feeling, that drive, it's woven deep into our stories. to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings that unpacks the book of Psalms, Tehillim in Hebrew. In this pas...

Joshua and True Knowledge

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The verse "day by day he utters speech" (Psalm 19:3) isn't just about the sun rising and setting. It's about each day possessing its own individual character, its own set of wonder...

David's Songs Reveal the Secret Rhythms of Time

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Our ancestors grappled with this too, and they spun some pretty amazing stories to explain it. to one from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of teachings that unpack the Book of Psalm...

When Does Torah Become Truly Trustworthy

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Take Psalm 19, for instance: "The teaching of the LORD is innocent…" But when is it innocent? When is it truly trustworthy? Midrash Tehillim, that beautiful collection of rabbinic ...

The Hidden Beauty Inside God's Commandments

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Psalm 19 isn't just a pretty poem; it's a meditation on the beauty and clarity hidden within God's commandments. And Midrash Tehillim, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpre...

Finding Your Place and the Psalms That Guide You There

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The mystics of old knew that feeling, and they had something profound to say about it, especially when it comes to finding our place in the world and our connection to something bi...

The Doe of Dawn and Israel's Coming Redemption

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

That feeling of hope, of a new beginning... it’s captured beautifully in the image of the "cierva de la aurora," the "doe of the dawn." This evocative phrase appears in the heading...

Hezekiah in the Holy Land

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" That haunting opening line of Psalm 22… it's a cry that resonates across millennia. But what if I told you that within it, the ancient R...

Ester in David's Court

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

to Midrash Tehillim, specifically a fascinating interpretation of Psalm 22 and its connection to the phrase "the deer of the dawn." The Midrash, a collection of rabbinic commentari...

Kiston and the King

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The ancient rabbis understood that feeling deeply. They explored it through stories, allegories, and interpretations of scripture that we call midrash (rabbinic interpretive commen...

David Dares to Ask God to Judge Him Fairly

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

King David certainly did. He grapples with this very dilemma in the Psalms, and the Rabbis of the Midrash Tehillim (a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms) dive deep...

David Asked One Thing of God and Got a Surprising Answer

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. In Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, we find a fascinating take on Psalm 27. It revolves around a ...

The Beautiful Parable That Explains Torah's Gift

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, uses a beautiful parable to illustrate this very idea. It centers around the verse: "The Lord is my stre...

When Those Who Feared God Spoke to One Another

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The prophet Malachi tells us, "Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard." (Malachi 3:16). But what does that mean, really? What kind of ...

The Wicked Wither Like Grass in the Sun

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

to one such perspective, found in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its commentary on Psalm 37, tackles the...

My Soul Thirsts for God Like a Deer for Water

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, wrestles with this very idea in Psalm 42. It speaks of God "passing through the camp with an a...

Korah and the King

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

That feeling sits at the heart of a fascinating interpretation in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms. It focuses on Psalm 45, which begin...

God Is Known in Her Palaces as a Refuge

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

And we find a beautiful expression of this in Midrash Tehillim – a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its commentary on...

Rabbi Helbo in Zion

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Jewish tradition understands that feeling, deeply. And sometimes, the most unexpected texts can offer a glimmer of hope. Take this cryptic passage from Midrash Tehillim 48, a colle...

Saul — Kingdom of David

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

King David knew that feeling all too well. He faced it constantly. And Psalm 54? It’s not just a song; it's a window into that struggle, a cry for help when the lies and deceit clo...

Rouse Yourself - Why Do You Sleep O Lord

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The ancient rabbis felt that way too. They wrestled with the idea of a God who seemed distant, even asleep, in the face of suffering. This struggle echoes powerfully in Midrash Teh...

Korah Before the Altar

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Our sages certainly did. They spoke of a profound connection to the Divine, a longing to dwell in God's presence. And they captured it beautifully in Midrash Tehillim, specifically...

Isaiah — David the Shepherd King

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, uses just that image to illuminate the fate of the wicked. In Midrash Tehillim 68, we find a powe...

God Dwells with the Lonely and the Brokenhearted

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The ancient rabbis knew that feeling well. And they found solace, not in denying the reality of loneliness, but in recognizing that even in the most desolate places, God is present...

Whirlwind and Job of Suddenly

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a surprising answer, linking peace to…mountains. Yes, mountains! "Let the mountains bring p...

Death of Hophni

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

That’s a question that the ancient Rabbis wrestled with, and their thoughts are preserved for us in the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. to ...

Psalm 82 and the Cry for Justice Against Corrupt Judges

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The ancient rabbis certainly did. They wrestled with this very idea, and Psalm 82 became a springboard for some powerful teachings about fairness, wealth, and the very foundations ...

Soul of Bar Kappara

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

That feeling, that tension, it's something the ancient sages grappled with too. And they found a powerful way to express it through prayer, a connection to something larger than th...

Rabbi Tanchum at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating perspective, turning familiar verses into profound meditations. One particula...

What Does Mahalath Mean in the Psalms of David

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Psalm 88 opens with a cryptic phrase: "Mahalath Leannoth." What exactly does that mean? The text itself seems to ask the same question. Mahalath, in this context, isn't just some r...

Lord Before the Flood

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Psalm 88, verse 6, hits hard with that feeling: "Free among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave." But what does it mean to be "free among the dead?" It's a question that'...