Midrash

There are so many differences of opinion as to what happened and what it means--how can they all be right?

Translations and renditions of stories from the Midrash and the Talmud

Tracing the evolution of Kabbalistic and Chassidic thought, how Zoharic thought is incorporated into Chassidic philosophy.

Why did G-d create the world? What is the purpose of the mitzvot? Chabad Chassidism integrates rationalist and mystical approaches with a distinctly Midrashic orientation, so that the intimate essence of G-d can openly resonate in the place of otherness.

In the rabbinic tradition, the tensions and ambiguities of the Torah's texts are embraced as a gateway to the spiritual exercise of scriptural interpretation and meaning making. Adam's encounter with G-d in the Garden of Eden provides an example of how th...

She took a thousand slaves and a thousand slave-girls, lined them up in two rows, and announced: "You marry him, and you marry her."

A story from the Midrash.

Yosef was a poor man who spent all his money on Shabbat. He bought a giant fish right before Shabbat and was richly rewarded for his devotion to Shabbat

The father frequently staggered around in public, even collapsing in a drunken heap in the gutter. He became the object of mockery and ridicule.

A Torah scholar was once traveling by ship together with many merchants, each transporting his wares. To while away the time, they took turns describing their goods and boasting of their business acumen. Finally they turned to the scholar, who had been bu...