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.

Destruction of Sodom and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:10

We'll be looking at Bereshit Rabbah 49, which unpacks Abraham's famous negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom. Remember the story? God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah b...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Destruction of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:11

Abraham, our patriarch, certainly did. In Genesis 18:27, during that intense negotiation with God over Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham says, “Behold now, I have presumed to speak to my...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsRepentance

Abba: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:12

Our ancestor Abraham certainly did. We find him in a tense back-and-forth with God in Genesis, pleading for the city of Sodom. It's a story we all know. God's about to destroy Sodo...

CreationPatriarchsJudgment

Destruction of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:13

The story of Abraham pleading with God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah is more than just a negotiation; it’s a glimpse into the very nature of divine justice and collective responsibil...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsSolomon

Abraham and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:14

The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw echoes of legal proceedings in the very interactions between God and Abraham, and their interpretations offer us a fascinating glimpse in...

CreationPatriarchsJudgment

Lot and the Angels of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:1

Seriously, imagine beings of pure light and energy, tasked with divine missions. Do they zip around at the speed of light? Or do they… well, dawdle a bit? Our story begins, as so m...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsProphecy

Abraham: Mikhael and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:2

It’s a question that the ancient rabbis grappled with, and their answers are, well, The Book of Job (23:13) gives us a starting point: "He acts through one, and who can respond to ...

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Lot and Creation of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:3

It's like a linguistic puzzle, where sometimes a single letter can shift the whole meaning of a word. And that brings us to a curious little detail in the Torah, one that our sages...

CreationHell/GehennaJosephKing David

Abraham and the Angels of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:4

The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, gives us a glimpse into this very idea through the contrasting actions of Abraham and Lot. We find ourselves in Genesis chapter 19, where Lot enc...

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