Midrash Rabbah

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The great Midrash Rabbah, a collection of aggadic midrashim on the Torah and the Five Megillot. These rabbinic commentaries explore the deeper meanings of Scripture through parable, allegory, and legend.

Abraham: Shem and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:1

We find ourselves pondering this in Bereshit Rabbah 49, where Rabbi Eleazar raises a fascinating question. How do we understand instances in the Torah where individuals seem to be ...

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Abraham: Covenant of Circumcision

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:2

But how do you BECOME ready? Our exploration starts in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Here, in section 49, we find a fasc...

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Wisdom of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:3

Our sages certainly did. And they found a fascinating answer, tucked away in the very words God used when speaking to Abraham. The passage we're looking at comes from Bereshit Rabb...

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When God Created of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:4

The Torah portion Vayera, and specifically Genesis 18:19, offers a glimpse into this very idea: "For I love him, so that he will command his children and his household after him, t...

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Destruction of Sodom and Flood

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:5

That’s the feeling that explodes from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We find it in Genesis 18:20: "The Lord said: Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because th...

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Sodom: Rabbi Shimon at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:6

That’s kind of the vibe we get from a fascinating passage in Bereshit Rabbah (49), a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. It centers around the verse in G...

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Abraham in Battle of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:7

Genesis 18:22 tells us, "The men turned from there and went to Sodom, and Abraham was still standing before the Lord.” Seems straightforward. But hold on... The opening phrase, "Th...

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Righteousness of Abraham and Joshua

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:8

What does it mean to approach God? That's precisely what the Rabbis grapple with in Bereshit Rabbah 49. The text opens with that powerful line from Genesis, "Abraham approached, an...

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Destruction of Sodom and Abba

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:9

We all know the story: God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wickedness. But Abraham, ever the righteous advocate, steps in. He challenges God, asking, "Far b...

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