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And usually, it's not something we relish. In fact, Genesis tells us, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18). But what about God? Think about this: before anything existe...
We often think of the act of creation as a singular event, a cosmic poof and then… nothing. But what if the story isn't quite that simple? What if creation is less of a noun and mo...
Are we, heaven forbid, idolaters, bowing down to wood and parchment? Rabbi Menasheh ben Yisrael, of blessed memory, addressed this very concern in his book, Teshuat Yisrael. He fel...
The great medieval philosopher Maimonides, in his "Guide for the Perplexed," grapples with this very question in Chapter 6. He presents two fascinating possibilities. The first sug...
It’s a question that has fascinated thinkers for millennia, and one place we find a really intriguing take is in the writings of Philo of Alexandria. Philo, a Jewish philosopher wh...
It’s a question that’s haunted humanity for ages, and our tradition, with its rich tapestry of stories, offers some pretty fascinating answers. Today, we're diving into one of thos...
In (Genesis 3:22), we read, "Behold, Adam has become as one of us, to know good and evil." One of us? Who is the "us" here? It's one of those little lines that can send you spirali...
The ancient sages certainly did. And they found answers in the most unexpected places. Take, for instance, the story Philo, the 1st century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, tell...
The ones that make you stop and say, "Wait, what exactly does that mean?" I was pondering just such a detail the other day, specifically about Enoch. You know, the one who "walked ...
It's more than just a family tree, folks. It’s a key to understanding, well, practically everything! We find this question posed directly in the Midrash of Philo. A midrash (plural...
That feeling isn't new. In fact, it's something that the ancient sages grappled with too. One particular verse that sparked a lot of discussion is from (Genesis 6:3): "My spirit sh...
Take Noah, for example. The world’s about to be… well, let’s just say thoroughly cleansed. And yet, (Genesis 6:8) tells us, almost as an aside, that Noah "found grace in the sight ...
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 ...
And they weren't afraid to ask the tough questions. Take this one, for example, posed in The Midrash of Philo: Why does the Torah specifically mention that God remembered Noah, the...
Take Noah's Ark, for example. We all know the story: the flood, the animals, the dove with the olive branch. But then you get to (Genesis 8:4), and it hits you with, "The ark settl...
Take (Genesis 9:6), for example. It says God made humankind in His image. But the verse specifies "...the image of God," not “…His own image.” Why the distinction? Philo, the great...
The Torah tells us, quite simply, that "Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard" (Genesis 9:20). Seems straightforward. But this simple verse sparks a fascinatin...
You might recall Nimrod from (Genesis 10:8). It's a brief mention, almost a genealogical footnote: "Chus was the father of Nimrod, who began to be a giant and a hunter before the L...
We’re promised something amazing, something life-changing, but a little part of us whispers, "Show me. Just a little sign." That tension is ancient. And it’s right there, simmering...
Take the writings attributed to Philo of Alexandria, for example. Now, there’s some debate about whether these are actually from Philo himself, but the collection known as “The Mid...
This particular piece tackles the tricky subject of a virtuous man taking a concubine, even though he already has a wife. How could that possibly be seen as righteous? Well, Philo ...
Like there's a surface narrative, and then... something deeper, waiting to be uncovered? That's precisely what the ancient sages believed about the Torah. They saw layers upon laye...
It’s a question that takes us to the heart of how we understand ourselves in relation to the world, and even to God. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher living in Roman Egypt...
One such moment comes to us in (Genesis 17:18). Abraham, after hearing God's promise of a son, Isaac, through Sarah, turns to God and says, "O may my son Ishmael live before thee!"...
Jewish tradition grapples with this question in some pretty fascinating ways, using metaphors and imagery to try and wrap our finite minds around something truly beyond comprehensi...
And the Lord said: Behold, man has become one of us (Gen. 3:22). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Behold, this only have I found, that God made man upright (Ec...
These are the generations of Noah. Blessed be the name of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who chose Israel from among the seventy nations of the world, as it is wri...
And Noah, the husbandman, began and planted a vineyard (Gen. 9:20). Noah degraded himself when he began to till the soil. R. Judah the son of R. Shalum said: At first Noah was call...
And the whole earth was of one language (Gen. 11:1). What is written in Scripture before this verse? These are the families of the sons of Noah … and of these were the nations divi...
Come, let us go down there and confound their language (Gen. 11:7). He confounded their speech to such a degree that no one was able to understand his companion’s speech. Originall...
And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1). May it please our master to teach us whether a slave obtains his freedom if his owner assigns all his property to him as a ...
And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have br...
Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). R. Isaac stated; No generation lacks scoffers. While Nabal was shearing his flock, David sent some of his young men to him with the request: Give,...
And the Lord said unto Jacob: “Return unto the land of thy fathers” (Gen. 31:3). May it please our master to teach us whether an Israelite may light a candle with another candle up...
Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred (Gen. 31:3). What is written above concerning this? Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the fl...
And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne unto Jacob, went out (Gen. 34:1). May it please our master to teach us whether a woman is permitted to walk about on the Sabbath...
And the Lord said to Aaron: “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses” (Exod. 4:27). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: God thundereth marvelously with His voice; gr...
And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go (Exod. 13:17). The word let go (shallah) indicates “to escort,” as in the verse Abraham went with them to bring them (leshal...
And I will get me honor upon Pharaoh (Exod. 14:4). This verse tells us that whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts retribution from the nations, His name is exalted in the wo...
Then Moses sang (Exod. 15:1). May our master teach us whether one may place a plaster upon a sore on the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: It is forbidden to place a plaster u...
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel … then shall they give every man a ransom (Exod. 30:12). When Moses heard this, he said: Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath ...
And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of speaking (Exod. 31:18). R. Tanhuma began the discussion with the verse: Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us c...
The Lord said to Moses: “Hew these two tablets of stone” (Exod. 34:1). May it please our masters to teach us: How many verses of the Torah must the reader recite? Thus did our mast...
(Lev. 5:1:) “And if a soul sins in that it hears a voice swearing […, if he does not speak out, he shall bear his iniquity].” This text is related (to Eccl. 5:1), “Do not be rash w...
(Lev. 14:2:) “This shall be the law of the leper.” This text is related (to Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Everything depends on the tongue. [If] on...
(Lev. 14:2:) “This shall be the law of the leper.” Let our master instruct us: For how many things does leprosy come? Thus have our masters taught: The affliction comes [upon one] ...
(Ps. 36:7:) “Your righteousness (rt.: tsdq) is like the mighty mountains; [Your judgments are like the great deep].” R. Judah bar Simon said, “The charity (rt.: tsdq) which You did...
R. Tanhuma opened [his discourse] (with Job 41:3), “Who has advanced Me anything that I shall repay him; everything under the heavens is Mine.”40Lev. R. 27:2; PRK 9:2. This refers ...
