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The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, certainly thought so, at least in one rather pointed verse. "I find more bitter than death," it says, "the woman whose heart is snar...
The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible grapples with these very feelings. There's a verse in chapter 9, verse 11, that really gets to the heart of it: "I again saw under the sun tha...
Not just the biblical Ruth, but the Ruth we meet in the rabbinic imagination – a figure so compelling that her story continues to resonate with us centuries later. We all know the ...
"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...
Our story begins in ancient Egypt, where the Israelites are flourishing, a little too flourishing for the liking of the Pharaoh. He sees their growing numbers as a threat, and so, ...
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...
Specifically, we're diving into Shemot Rabbah 1, which offers a fascinating take on (Exodus 1:21): "It was because the midwives feared God, He made houses for them.” But what exact...
"A man from the house of Levi went and he took a daughter of Levi" (Exodus 2:1). Simple enough. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Shemot Rabbah, ...
That feeling isn’t new. In fact, it echoes through one of the most powerful stories in the Torah. We all know the story of Moses. Born into slavery, hidden away, destined for great...
The Torah tells us, "His sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter: ‘Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’" (Exodus 2:7). But why specifically ...
Like a well, for instance. It's more than just a source of water; it’s often a meeting place, a place of destiny. Our sages point this out in Shemot Rabbah, noting how the well is ...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. In the book of Exodus, we read, “It was during those many days that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed d...
Our story begins in (Exodus 3:7): “The Lord said: I have seen My people’s affliction that is in Egypt, and I have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, as I know their p...
Something that makes you think, "Surely, there's someone better suited for this!" Well, you're not alone. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, had a moment of reluctance. to a f...
to a strange and intense little story from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. It revolves around Moses, the man destined to lead the Isr...
Our starting point is the verse "This month shall be for you" (Exodus 12:2). But Shemot Rabbah, in its characteristic way, finds a connection to (Micah 6:4): "I sent Moses, Aaron, ...
But Jewish tradition teaches us that justice, true justice, is at the very heart of the Divine. And that the way we act in the world has cosmic repercussions. In Shemot Rabbah, a c...
It turns out this very human experience is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. We find this idea beautifully explored in Shemot Rabbah, specifically in its interpretation of the ver...
The story begins, as we all know, with the parting of the Red Sea. A moment of unimaginable salvation for the Israelites, fleeing slavery in Egypt. Moses leads the people, and as t...
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...
The passage starts with the phrase, "These are [ve’eleh] the ordinances." That little word "ve’eleh" – "these are" – isn't just a throwaway. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive comm...
According to Rabbi Elazar, it's justice. That’s why, as Shemot Rabbah tells us, God gave us laws after the Ten Commandments. If justice is perverted, everything crumbles. God, in h...
This week, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Exodus. It all starts with God choosing Betzalel to b...
The text suggests that these three actions originated from Moses' own reasoning, and, remarkably, his reasoning turned out to be in sync with God's own. The first instance involves...
The Torah portion of Terumah introduces us to Betzalel, the artisan chosen to construct the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. But where did he get all that skill? Shemot Rabbah, a classical...
It’s a question that bubbles up from the depths of Jewish tradition, and Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of Rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, offers some fascinatin...
They saw echoes of that very struggle in the beautiful, often enigmatic, Song of Songs – Shir HaShirim in Hebrew. Specifically, they found a powerful metaphor in the verse, "For, b...
Take a single line from Shir HaShirim Rabbah (Song of Songs Rabbah), a beautiful and intricate exploration of the Song of Songs. We're going to dive into just a few verses and see ...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Song of Songs, we find a powerful, poignant lesson woven into the seeming...
The mystics of old certainly did. to a fascinating interpretation of a verse from the Song of Songs, a book overflowing with symbolism and hidden meanings. "Your branches [shelaḥay...
The Torah itself is vast, but then you have the Mishnah, the Talmud... it can feel like an endless ocean. Well, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a fascinating commentary on the Song of Songs,...
We're diving into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a Midrash – a collection of rabbinic teachings – on the Song of Songs. Specifically, we're looking at verse 7:8, "This, your stature, is lik...
It’s a question that has puzzled scholars and storytellers for centuries. The Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text focusing on the Book of Leviticus,...
It’s a question that’s haunted thinkers for millennia, and Jewish tradition grapples with it in fascinating ways. We find a glimpse into this in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically sectio...
It wasn't just a quick glance. The Torah tells us in (Leviticus 13:12) that the priest examines the afflicted individual in “the entire view of the eyes of the priest.” But what ex...
We often think of disease as random, a matter of bad luck. But what if certain behaviors, certain flaws in our character, actually pave the way for illness and hardship? That’s wha...
Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 16, dives deep into this, starting with the verse, "This shall be the law of the leper." (Leviticus 14:2). Seems strange. What does leprosy hav...
It's not just about hygiene. In the rabbinic imagination, as we see in Vayikra Rabbah 17, tzara'at becomes a physical manifestation of spiritual failings. It's a fascinating, if un...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this question, and their insights, preserved in texts like Vayikra Rabbah, offer some truly fascinating answers. Rabbi Abba bar Avina, a sage of ol...
Vayikra Rabbah 22, a fascinating collection of stories and teachings, explores just that. It suggests that everything – from frogs to plants to even inanimate objects – can be inst...
Turns out, according to the ancient rabbis, even the Israelites felt that way sometimes. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Levitic...
It's like a cosmic echo, a recurring theme of the powerful and the hungry, of oppression and redemption. Vayikra Rabbah 28, a section of the ancient Midrash Rabbah, explores just t...
In fact, it goes even deeper. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic teachings on the Book of Leviticus, opens up this very idea. ...
There was an incident involving the two children of Tzadok the priest, who were taken captive, one male and one female. This one fell to a certain officer and that one fell to a ce...
There was an incident involving Miriam daughter of Nakdimon for whom the Sages alloted five hundred gold dinars for a basket of perfume each day. She nonetheless stood and cursed t...
There was an incident involving Miriam bat Baitus, the baker, who was taken captive and redeemed in Akko. They purchased a mantle for her.180The local Jewish community ransomed her...
“To their mothers they say: Where is grain and wine? While fainting like corpses in the city squares, while their souls are poured into their mothers' bosoms” (Lamentations 2:12).“...
“All wayfarers clapped their hands over you; they whistled and shook their heads at the daughter of Jerusalem: Is this the city that was said to be perfect beauty, the joy of the e...
