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Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai points out that there were actually three commandments the Israelites received upon entering the land: to wipe out the memory of Amalek, to appoint a ki...
The story revolves around Miriam's affliction with tzara'at, often translated as leprosy, after she and Aaron speak critically of Moses. When Moses witnesses his sister's suffering...
The Jewish tradition certainly does. In fact, it links our speech directly to our relationship with the Divine. Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy,...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, digs deep into the verse from Ecclesiastes (8:8): “There is no person who rules the spirit, to retain...
In Jewish tradition, we find a fascinating story in Devarim Rabbah that touches upon just such a concept when it comes to the death of Moses. The text starts by asking, "What is he...
It's not just about being polite! It’s about life itself. (Deuteronomy 32:1) begins, “Listen, heavens, and I will speak, and the earth will hear the sayings of my mouth.” A simple ...
It's not just poetic flourish. According to Devarim Rabbah, there's a profound and multifaceted reason why Moses calls upon them as witnesses, as partners, as something more. Rabbi...
To a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah that explores this very idea, using the example of Moses himself. The passage opens with a question drawn from the Psalms (24:3): “Who ...
The verse in question comes from (Proverbs 31:29): "Many women have performed valiantly, but you have surpassed them all." But who is the "you" being referred to here? According to...
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, gives us a glimpse into that incredible scene, a cosmic struggle between life and death, between Mose...
It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it? Yet, according to Devarim Rabbah, this is precisely the monumental struggle Moses faced at the end of his life. Rabbi Yoḥanan tells us th...
Like everyone else is contributing, and you're just... there? Our sages grappled with this feeling, and their stories, preserved in texts like Kohelet Rabbah, offer surprising comf...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, wrestles with this too. "The wind goes to the south, and turns to the north; around and around the wind turns, and on its rounds the...
Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, grapples with this very feeling. It opens with the powerful image of rivers flowing into the sea: "All the rivers go to the...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, suggests that "all matters are wearying" – especially matters of heresy. But what does that re...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, touches on this very feeling. It asks: "Is there anything of which one can say, 'Look! This is new'? It has already existed long ago, before o...
Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes traditionally attributed to Solomon, wrestles with just that. And Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, digs even deeper. Let's...
The book of Ecclesiastes, Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly grapples with that feeling. "I hated life," it says, "because the actions performed under the sun were distressing to me; as ...
That's what some of our sages suggest when interpreting the famous verse from Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) 2:24: "There is nothing better for a man than for him to eat and drink, and ind...
The verse from Ecclesiastes (3:16) sets the stage: “Moreover, I have seen, under the sun, in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of justice there is wickedn...
The Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, unpack it even further in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes. Specifically, we’re looking at Kohelet Rab...
Today, we're diving into a passage from Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, to explore what it has to say about the ultimate fate ...
(Ecclesiastes 4:3) dances with it: "Better than both of them is one who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil actions that are done under the sun." Now, Kohelet Rabbah, a col...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, has something to say about that. "A handful of tranquility is better than two handfuls of toil and herding wind" (Eccl...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s known in Hebrew, dives right into that feeling. One particular verse, (Ecclesiastes 4:8), really hits home: "There is one and not anoth...
It’s a topic explored further in the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, Kohelet Rabbah, and it's a fascinating, and frankly, a little scary. The verse in question is (Ecclesiaste...
It's a reminder that divinity can work through anything. Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, puts it this way: "The ad...
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...
Kohelet, or Ecclesiastes, that sometimes-bleak but always-honest book of the Bible, wrestles with this feeling. Chapter 6, verse 2, hits hard: "A man to whom God gives wealth, asse...
The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Kohelet Rabbah, take this even further, using stories and interpretations to unpack the weight of those feelings. O...
The ancient rabbis, in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on Ecclesiastes, really dig into this idea. The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 6:6-7): “Were he ...
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...
We all do. But what if I told you that ancient wisdom offers a powerful image to help us understand – and maybe even control – that inner fire? The verse from Ecclesiastes, 7:9, wa...
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...
Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, takes on this very question, diving deep into the meaning of the verse: "Wisdom will bolster the wise more than ten rulers ...
Kohelet Rabbah, the commentary on Ecclesiastes, digs into this very question, offering some fascinating, and at times surprising, answers. The verse from Ecclesiastes, "Wisdom will...
King Solomon, wisest of all men, apparently felt that too. (Ecclesiastes 7:23) reads, "All this I attempted with wisdom; I said: I will become wise, but it is far from me." What do...
They saw echoes and connections everywhere, even in the way the Bible phrases things. Take the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it’s known in Hebrew. It’s full of these little l...
The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with this very feeling. And one verse in particular, Kohelet 7:28, has sparked a lot of discussion: "What my ...
To (Ecclesiastes 8:8): “There is no man who rules the spirit to retain the spirit, and there is no rule over the day of death. There is no release in war, and wickedness will not r...
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...
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...
Take the verse from Ecclesiastes (10:8): “One who digs a pit will fall into it; and one who breaches a fence, a serpent will bite him.” It's a powerful image. But what does it real...
We find ourselves in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in question is (Ecclesiastes 10:15): “The toil of the fools wil...
Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, grapples with this very question, using the famous story of King Solomon and the two mothers t...
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...
