Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 104 of 325

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 Avun

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:2

to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, that grapples with just that question in the fiery destructi...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAngels

Throne Room on High and There

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:3

Ever catch a whiff of sulfur and feel a little... uneasy? There's a reason for that, according to ancient Jewish wisdom. It all circles back to the idea of divine justice and the c...

HeavenHell/GehennaKing DavidSoul

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:4

That feeling is at the heart of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We all know the story: wickedness, fire, brimstone. But what about the sheer, physical devastation? How did it actu...

CreationAngelsJob

Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:6

It's one of those stories from Genesis that's always felt a little... abrupt. "His wife looked behind him, and she became a pillar of salt" (Genesis 19:26). Poof! Salt. But the Rab...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchs

Destruction of Sodom and David

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:7

to a fascinating link between Lot, of Sodom and Gomorrah fame, and King David, the shepherd-turned-king. It all starts in a cave… Genesis 19:30 tells us, "Lot ascended from Tzoar a...

CreationKing DavidTorah

Lot's Journey

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:8

The story, as told in Genesis 19:31, has Lot’s daughters deeply concerned. "Our father is old," they say, "and there is no man on earth to consort with us in the way of the world."...

CreationNoah & FloodKing DavidMessiah

Lot at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:9

The verse that kicks it all off: "Lot's two daughters conceived from their father" (Genesis 19:36). Simple enough on the surface. But immediately, the rabbis of the Midrash dive in...

CreationPatriarchsSolomonTorah

Moav's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:10

The passage begins with a verse from Jeremiah (48:30): "I know its fury, the utterance of the Lord, and its lies [badav] are unfounded [lo khen]." This verse becomes the springboar...

CreationHeavenMatriarchsTorah

Destruction of Sodom and Moav

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:11

The story, as you might recall, is…well, let’s just say it’s complicated. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters are living in a cave. The daughters, be...

CreationPatriarchsRepentance