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Jewish tradition has some fascinating, layered answers. to one, found in Kohelet Rabbah, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) (interpretive) commentary on the Book of Ecc...
The story begins with a loss. When Rabbi Bon ben Rabbi Ḥiyya passed away, Rabbi Zeira rose to eulogize him, choosing the verse: “Sweet is the sleep of the laborer.” (Ecclesiastes 5...
The book of Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, dives right into this question, offering a perspective that might just flip your e...
It’s a question that’s echoed through the ages, and Jewish tradition offers some fascinating insights. Rabbi Simon, in Kohelet Rabbah, a commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, mak...
The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 7:8): "The end of a matter is better than its beginning; one of patient spirit is better than one of proud spirit." The rabbis, as they often...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, tackles this very question, and it does it in such a wonderfully human way. It all starts with...
Sometimes, the explanations seem… unexpected, even poetic. to a passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, where we explore ...
Today, we’re diving into a story from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes, where we see just such a situation unfold. The story cen...
There’s a fascinating story in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Book of Ecclesiastes, that tackles this very question. It involves a sharp-tongued rabbi...
It tells us: “Go, eat your bread joyfully, and drink your wine goodheartedly, as God has already accepted your actions” (Ecclesiastes 9:7). But what does that mean? Kohelet Rabbah,...
The grief is so intense that the townspeople declare a ban: anyone who dares announce the Rabbi's death will face dire consequences. Can you imagine the tension? The air thick with...
Sometimes, the answer isn’t just in swords and shields. Sometimes, it's in something far more powerful: wisdom. Our story comes from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interp...
Kohelet Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes, tackles this idea head-on with the verse: "If the spirit of the ruler comes u...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, delves into this very human experience, urging us to be mindful of our thoughts and words, esp...
"Distribute a portion to seven, and also to eight, as you do not know what evil will be upon the earth" (Ecclesiastes 11:2). Simple enough. But what does it mean? That’s where Kohe...
"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the land," it says, "and if the tree falls in the south, or in the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it sh...
They found wisdom in the most unexpected of places: a farmer's field. The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it's known in Hebrew, offers some surprisingly practical advice tucke...
It wasn't just about accumulating knowledge, but about understanding the very essence of reward, redemption, and the mysteries of the universe. The verse from Ecclesiastes (12:9-10...
It all starts with a verse from Ecclesiastes (12:11): "The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails well fastened are the collectors of wisdom; they are given from one shep...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, as it’s known in Hebrew, ends with this rather stark line: "For every action God will bring to judgment, for every unknown, whether good or ev...
In this little snippet of that text, we find a moment of intense connection, and a gentle but firm assertion of self. The verse we're focusing on is ((uth 1:1)6): "Do not beseech m...
"These are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; each came with his household" – that’s how the Book of Exodus begins. But what does that have to do wit...
The Torah tells us that Pharaoh, increasingly paranoid about the growing Israelite population, ordered the Hebrew midwives to kill all newborn baby boys (Exodus 1:16). But the midw...
What exactly does that mean, "He made houses for them?" The text presents two perspectives, attributed to Rav and Levi. One suggests that God rewarded the midwives with priestly ho...
Take this one from (Exodus 2:6), describing Pharaoh’s daughter discovering the infant Moses adrift in the Nile: "She opened it and saw the child [yeled], and behold, a boy [na’ar] ...
It's easy to picture the pyramids, the scorching sun, and the relentless labor. But what about the small acts of defiance, the glimmers of hope that hinted at a future redemption? ...
Where is God, exactly? Is He up in the heavens, completely removed from our earthly struggles? Or is He still somehow… here? The book of Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic int...
It might seem like just a simple Hebrew word meaning "was," but in the world of Jewish thought, it can unlock hidden meanings, destinies, and connections. Shemot Rabbah, a collecti...
We all know the story of the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the triumphant journey to freedom. But was it really the entire nation that crossed over? Pharaoh, in his stub...
It wasn't pretty. And it certainly wasn't subtle. Our story picks up right after Moses and Aaron deliver their fateful message: "Let my people go!" (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh, predictab...
The verse in question: "Moses emerged from the city, from Pharaoh, and spread his hands to the Lord; the thundering and hail ceased, and the rain did not pour upon the earth" (Exod...
Our story today comes from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. Specifically, we're diving into section 15, which grapples with the meanin...
Jewish tradition is rich with answers to these questions, and Shemot Rabbah, a classical Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text, offers a fascinating glimpse into the Di...
It goes way beyond just family lineage. In fact, according to Shemot Rabbah, it points to something truly messianic. The verse in (Exodus 13:2) commands us to "Consecrate to Me eve...
The verse says, "it was when Pharaoh let the people go," (Exodus 13:17) which leads us to (Song of Songs 4:13): "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates." Rabbi Levi uses a pa...
Eleven! As it says, "From Egypt to the Land of Israel there are eleven journeys, which can be conducted in eleven days." (Shemot Rabbah 20). So, why did it end up taking them forty...
Jewish tradition recognizes that very tension within us, and even within the relationship between God and Israel. Shemot Rabbah, a classic midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
The Israelites, fresh from their miraculous escape from Egypt, certainly did. The book of Exodus tells us, "Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went out to the wilderness of...
The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...
Remember the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven? God instructed the Israelites to gather only what they needed for each day, except on Friday, when they were to collect a dou...
The Torah tells us in Exodus (16:29), "See that the Lord has given you the Shabbat (the Sabbath); therefore, He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Remain each man where...
Rabbi Levi makes a staggering claim in Shemot Rabbah: a single, perfectly observed Shabbat (the Sabbath) could bring about the Messiah. He says, “If Israel observes Shabbat properl...
The Jewish people know that feeling all too well. In fact, there's a fascinating passage in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, that uses...
We all know the story, but the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, delve into the details, revealing layers of meanin...
Can you picture them all crying out at the same moment? Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, tells us that God hears them all concurrently...
Shemot Rabbah, the collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, points this out explicitly. "Come and see," it urges, "how excellent this portion is!" What's so ex...
It's a pretty radical concept, really. Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of Midrash on the Book of Exodus, dives right into this. It starts with the verse "These are the ordinanc...
Shemot Rabbah, a treasure trove of interpretations on the Book of Exodus, brings us a powerful insight through a teaching connected to the verse, "These are the ordinances" (Exodus...
