Questions tagged [midrash]
Exegetical interpretation, often of verses in Tanach. The term also refers to books based on these interpretations, e.g., Midrash Rabba, Midrash Tanchuma, et al.
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Why did Eliav ben Reuven name his son Dathan?
As we know from Bereshis 37:17 the name of the place where Yosef encountered his brothers was called Dothan:
The man said, “They have gone from here, for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothan.” So ...
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The Apparent Contradiction between 2 Chronicles 21:12 and 2 Kings 2:9
How could the king of Judah have received a letter from Elijah after the latter had been taken up to heaven?
And it was that they were going, walking and talking, and behold a fiery chariot and fiery ...
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What does בדאית mean (Bereshit Rabbah 48:18)
“The Lord said to Abraham: Why is it that Sarah laughed, saying: Shall I indeed bear a child, and I have grown old?” (Genesis 18:13). “The Lord said to Abraham: Why is it that Sarah laughed, saying: [...
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Why was Avraham concerned about the impurity of Niddah, but not about impurity of the dead?
The (Pirkei De’Rabbi Eliezer 36:16) says that the reason why Avraham didn’t serve the bread to the guests was because Sarah became a Niddah while preparing the bread, thus causing the bread to become ...
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Source that Adam Harishon drank 926 *luggim* of wine
I heard that Adam Harishon drank 926 luggim of wine from the etz hadaat (according to R' Yehuda's opinion in Berachot 40a that it bore grapes).
This seems plausible according to the tradition that ...
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Why take three hadasim if symbolize two eyes?
The Midrash Vayikra Rabbah (30:14) writes:
רַבִּי מָנֵי פָּתַח (תהלים לה, י): כָּל עַצְמֹתַי תֹּאמַרְנָה ה' מִי
כָמוֹךָ, לֹא נֶאֱמַר פָּסוּק זֶה אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל לוּלָב, הַשִּׁדְרָה
שֶׁל לוּלָב ...
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14th-18th Centuries Commentaries on Eicha Rabbah
I'm looking for commentaries on Eicha Rabbah from the 14th-18th centuries (in print or manuscripts, preferably accessible online). I'm already familiar with Rabbi Shmuel Ashkenazi's Yefeh Anaf, Chida'...
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Does anyone know all the midrashim that were written by tannaim and amoraim?
I'm looking for a list of all the Midrashim, who wrote them, and when they were written.
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Rav Huna and Rav Yirmiya in Bereshit Rabbah
I'm trying to find out who were the Rav Huna and Rav Yirmiya cited in Bereshit Rabbah 1:4:
"Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak: The contemplation ...
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The Calf Incident and the Apis Bull - the 40 Days Reflex?
There seems to be a similarity between the Golden Calf Incident and Egyptian religious rites as described on wikipedia:
The calf was kept at Nilopolis for forty days, after which a barge with a ...
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What did Chava say to Adam?
Gen. 3:17 explicitly says that Hashem punished Adam "because you listened to the voice of your wife" (ולאדם אמר כי-שמעת לקול אשתך). What did she say? It's not there in the text.
I would have ...
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Eisav and Yaakov grabbing months
There’s that famous midrash/Zohar that Yaakov took Nissan, Iyar, and Sivan as his months, making them months of miracles and good, while Eisav took Tamuz, Av, and Elul as his months, making them ...
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Who is Rabbi Abba bar Mimi
As mentioned here https://library.alhatorah.org/?r1=Shir_HaShirim_Rabbah_1:10 in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, this Rabbi Abba bar Mimi is given as the prime example of someone who would discuss and debate ...
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Joseph's innocence and Potiphar's family- Any Rabbinic Source?
Are there any Rabbinic sources that claim a member of Potiphar’s household witnessed Joseph’s innocence in the incident with Potiphar’s wife?
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How could Korah know the number of parshiyos in the Torah?
The answer here notes that when Korach argued with Moshe and Aharon, according to Midrash Tanchuma Korach 1, Korach mentioned that the number of parshiyos in the Torah is 275. How could he know this ...