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"Those who profane it shall be put to death" — the Torah states the punishment for violating the Sabbath. But the Mekhilta asks: from this verse, we know only the punishment. Where...
The Mekhilta has established the punishment and warning for daytime Sabbath labor. But what about labor performed at night — during the evening hours of the Sabbath? The day-based ...
Rabbi Yehudah ben Betheira addressed a question that must have been painfully real for Jews living under foreign occupation: what happens when enemy armies force you to violate the...
"For whoever does work upon it, that soul shall be cut off" — the Mekhilta specifies that this refers to "a complete work." The full prohibition applies only when a person complete...
What is the intent of (Exodus, Ibid. 150 "And the seventh day, a Sabbath of resting, holy to the L–rd"? From (Leviticus 23:4) "These are the festivals of the L–rd, callings of holi...
The Torah commands: "And the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath for their generations" (Exodus 31:16). The Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael connects this ve...
Rebbi — Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the compiler of the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law) — makes a staggering claim about the Sabbath. If a person keeps even one Shabbat (the ...
"It is a sign forever" — the Mekhilta derives from this phrase that the Sabbath will never be lost from Israel. No matter what happens — exile, persecution, assimilation pressures ...
"He rested and was restored" — the Torah says God rested on the seventh day. But from what did He rest? From labor, or from judgment? The Mekhilta uses the word "restored" to deter...
(Exodus 35:1) "And Moses assembled, etc." What is the intent of this section? From (Ibid. 25:8) "and they shall make for Me a sanctuary," I might think both on a weekday and on the...
It would follow (that labors for the sanctuary would override the Sabbath, viz.:) If the sacrificial service, which comes only from the enablers, (i.e., the vessels, etc.) override...
Two verses in the Torah appear to contradict each other on the subject of work during the six days before Shabbat (the Sabbath). One verse says "Six days may work be done," using a...
(Exodus 35:2) says: "And on the seventh day it shall be holy for you." The Mekhilta explains why this clarification was needed. Israel might have reasoned as follows: the daily off...
(Exodus 35:3) commands: "You shall not light a fire in all of your dwellings" on the Sabbath. The Mekhilta connects this verse to a completely different discussion about the shemit...
Furthermore, it follows a fortiori, viz.: If on shemitah, transgression of which is liable to neither kareth (cutting-off) nor judicial death penalty, he rests from shemitah even t...
Variantly: "You may not light a fire in all of your dwellings": From (Leviticus 6:6) "A perpetual fire shall burn on the altar," I might think, both on the weekdays and on the Sabb...
One of the disciples of R. Yishmael asked: What is the intent of "You shall not light a fire"?—From (Devarim 21:21) "And if there be in a man a sin whose judgment is death, then he...
The Torah says "You may not light a fire in all of your dwellings" on the Sabbath. But what about executions ordered by a court? The judicial death penalty of burning requires fire...
The Mekhilta concludes its treatment of the Sabbath fire prohibition with a clean summary of the legal principle. Lighting a fire was one of the thirty-nine proto-labors forbidden ...
The idea of greeting the Sabbath Queen, or Shabbat Malkah, has captured the hearts and minds of Jewish mystics and everyday people for centuries. We find this beautiful custom echo...
Our tradition tells a story about Adam, the very first human, that hits on just that feeling. Imagine this: Creation is fresh, the world is brand new, and Adam is experiencing ever...
It’s pretty funny. : in this world, you could theoretically wander into an orchard on Shabbat (the Sabbath) and pick a fig. The tree wouldn’t exactly yell at you. It just stands th...
The passage from (Proverbs 1:22-33) kicks things off: "'How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?'... 'and fools hate knowledge.'" The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive com...
It tells us, "Go and observe the ant, lazybones!" (Proverbs 6:6). But what does that really mean? According to a beautiful teaching in Midrash Mishlei, this little verse packs a po...
"A woman of valor, who can find?" (Proverbs 31:10). It's a powerful opening to a beautiful poem. But what does it really mean? What does it point to? Midrash Mishlei, our text for ...
It's more than just a nice sentiment; it's a springboard for some incredible midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) interpretations. The Midrash Mishlei, a collection of inte...
We all do. But what if the key to a blessed life was simpler than we think? (Psalm 1:1-2) opens with a powerful image: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the w...
To Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, and see what it has to say about the path we walk. The very first verse of Psalms – "Who did no...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this very question. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord," s...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into this very verse. It's not just about avoiding bad company, though that's certa...
The opening of Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man," seems simple enough, but according to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, it's packed wi...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, opens by exploring this very idea. It begins with the verse, "For they delight in the Torah of the...
It draws a powerful parallel between water and Torah, showing how both are essential for life, growth, and well-being. The midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) begins by refe...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Psalms, offers a pretty powerful image to explain it. It starts with the question: "Why did the nations rage?" Th...
Midrash, the art of interpreting scripture by filling in the gaps, expanding on hints, and drawing out deeper meanings, wrestles with this very idea. Midrash Tehillim, a collection...
David, millennia later, giving voice to the unspoken gratitude of humanity's dawn. Rabbi Samuel, whose teaching is recorded in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), ident...
It’s a question that’s echoed through the ages, and one that our tradition wrestles with beautifully. Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psal...
Midrash Tehillim, a beautiful collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers a powerful contrast to this feeling. It tells us that while worldly gifts can be lost, the...
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, ...
It’s a question that's haunted humanity for… well, forever. We see suffering all around us, and it often seems the most righteous among us bear the heaviest burdens. So, what's goi...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse, particularly when it comes to (Psalm 11:7): "For the Lord is righteous,...
Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers us a glimpse into that very question. Specifically, in Midrash Tehillim 12, we find a fascinating ba...
King David felt that way too, and the ancient rabbis grappled with that feeling in the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms. Specifically, we're ...
It's a fascinating little passage, packed with layers of meaning. The verse we're looking at is "Therefore my heart rejoices, and my soul is glad; even my flesh shall rest in hope....
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a powerful glimpse into David's humility. It tells of David declaring, "I am a stain." A powe...
A discussion of "rana," which can be translated as a cry or supplication. But it's not just any cry; it's a cry of righteousness. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) dra...
(Psalm 18:26) offers a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, answer: "With a pious person, act piously; with an upright man, be upright; with a pure one, be pure; and with a crooked...
It's no wonder that the Psalmist David, gazing up at that same sky millennia ago, wrote, "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalm 19:1). But what does that declaration actuall...
