4,128 texts · Page 84 of 86
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...
The verse in question is (Genesis 2:5): "And God made every green herb of the field, before it was upon the earth, and every grass before it had sprung up." Seems a bit… backwards....
This is precisely the puzzle posed in The Midrash of Philo. It's a beautiful, thought-provoking exploration of the early chapters of Genesis, attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a J...
Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, offers a fascinating perspective in his writings, specifically here in The Midrash of Philo. He suggests that paradise is...
It’s a question that’s captivated thinkers for ages, and the Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations and expansions on the Hebrew Bible attributed to the Jewish philosoph...
(Genesis 2:15). But not the man created in God’s image? It’s a question that has puzzled thinkers for centuries. What’s the deal? Some folks, taking a rather literal view, suggest ...
Our sages saw layers of meaning in every word, every phrase. And when we slow down and look closer, we can too. Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, certainly did. He...
That iconic image from the Garden of Eden, planted right in the middle of Paradise (Genesis 2:9). What exactly was it? And why was it so important? Well, people have been pondering...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria nearly two thousand years ago, offers a fascinating interpretation. He cuts right to the heart of it: the tree isn't just about som...
One intriguing perspective comes to us from the writings attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Egypt during the time of the Second Temple. In "The Mi...
Yet, when we delve into ancient Jewish thought, we find just that kind of imaginative, symbolic thinking. Let's take a journey to explore one such fascinating idea, found in the Mi...
"Thou shalt eat," He says, in the singular. A direct, one-on-one instruction. Simple enough. But then comes the prohibition, the big "Don't." And suddenly, the language changes. Go...
The question is simple: Why does the creation of animals and flying creatures get mentioned again after we already had the whole six-day creation story in Genesis 1? It seems a bit...
Philo, the great Jewish philosopher of Alexandria, who lived in the first century CE, offers some mind-bending insights. In his Midrash of Philo, he suggests that those things crea...
After all, this is God we're talking about! Surely, the Almighty doesn't need Adam's help with a little taxonomy. (Genesis 2:19) tells us "He brought the animals to Adam, that he m...
Our starting point here is a fascinating text referred to as "The Midrash of Philo." Now, when we say "Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)," we're talking about a particular...
It wasn't just about the lush vegetation or the talking animals, although I’m sure those were According to this Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Adam and Eve weren't ash...
It's easy to see him as just a sneaky snake, but Jewish tradition, especially in the writings we call midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), often sees things on a deeper, sym...
There's a fascinating little puzzle tucked away in the Book of Genesis, specifically (Genesis 3:3). It's a tiny addition to God's command, seemingly insignificant, but it opens up ...
Get ready, because the answer might surprise you. Our source today is "The Midrash of Philo," a fascinating, often overlooked text. Here, we find a unique take on the serpent in th...
A passage that offers a rather… pointed perspective. The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher from the 1st cent...
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...
That’s the feeling at the heart of a fascinating question posed about the story of Adam and Eve: What does it really mean when the Torah tells us, "Because they knew that they were...
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...
To blend into the pre-Creation wilderness and hope nobody noticed. But no. They hid "in the middle of the trees of the Paradise" (Genesis 3:9). In the very place they committed the...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Egypt during the Roman era, tried to harmonize Greek philosophy with Jewish scripture. The text we're looking at here – let's call it Midra...
In Jewish tradition, nothing is ever just simple. There's always a deeper layer, a hidden meaning waiting to be uncovered. So, why this order? The Midrash of Philo, a collection of...
That internal struggle... it's been a topic of contemplation for millennia. And interestingly, sometimes it's been explored through the lens of gender. Now, I know what you might b...
The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations and expansions on the Hebrew Bible attributed to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, offers a fascinating perspective....
We often skim over details, assuming we understand them, but sometimes, a closer look reveals incredible insights. Take, for example, the story of Adam and Eve after they eat from ...
It's one of those verses that’s sparked endless debate and contemplation throughout Jewish history. The Hebrew there is, of course, "Na'aseh adam b'tzalmeinu kidmuteinu"—and that p...
Take the image of the cherubim, those powerful, enigmatic beings guarding the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled. What do they really represent? Philo, a Jewish philos...
It all revolves around a single, loaded question stemming from the Book of Genesis: "I have gotten a man from the Lord?" (Genesis 4:1). Specifically, was that really what Eve said ...
The ancient sages certainly did! And they wrestled with questions that still resonate today. Philo, the 1st-century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, Egypt, grappled with these v...
Philo, a Jewish philosopher living in Alexandria in the first century CE, grappled with this idea. He saw that virtue, that inner goodness, could actually make someone "older" in a...
Philo, in his writings, believed that understanding “right division” – what we might call proper order – is key to understanding… well, everything. He argued that right division an...
Ancient Jewish wisdom grapples with this very struggle, this internal conflict that defines the human experience. And sometimes, it gets Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher w...
We all know the story: Cain's offering wasn't accepted, Abel's was, jealousy flared, and tragedy struck. But what about the consequences? Why a mark of protection, instead of swift...
It's not just about counting sheep; ancient Jewish thought saw numbers as keys unlocking profound spiritual truths. to one such exploration, found in the writings attributed to Phi...
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...
These are the kinds of questions that the ancient interpreters of the Bible loved to wrestle with! And in a fascinating, though fragmented, text known as The Midrash of Philo, we f...
One that theologians and philosophers have wrestled with for centuries. We find it even bubbling up in the ancient texts. Take, for example, the passage that talks about God "repen...
That’s the kind of divine regret we find hinted at in (Genesis 6:7), when God says, "I am indignant that I made them." Now, hold on. Does that sound. God, feeling indignant? Isn't ...
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...
Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in Egypt during the Roman era, did just that. He delved deep into the Torah, seeking hidden wisdom and allegorical interpretatio...
The ancient sages wrestled with this feeling too. And in a fascinating passage attributed to Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher who lived in the first century CE, we find a ...
It's not about bloodlines or earthly possessions, according to Philo. It's something far more profound. Philo, in his Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), tackles this very ...
It’s a question that sits at the heart of much Jewish thought, and one that the ancient sage Philo of Alexandria grapples with in his writings. Philo, a Jewish philosopher who live...
