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.

Righteousness of Isaac

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:2

Jewish tradition certainly sees patterns in the past, especially when it comes to times of hardship. We find a fascinating example of this in Bereshit Rabbah 64, a collection of ra...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Kingdom of Isaac and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:3

Our ancestor Isaac certainly did. The Torah tells us that Isaac went to Avimelekh, king of the Philistines, in Gerar (Genesis 26:1). But where exactly was Gerar? Bereshit Rabbah, t...

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Eiruv: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:4

But did he just follow the big commandments, the obvious ones? Or was there something more? Genesis 26:5 tells us that Abraham "heeded My voice, and observed My commission, My comm...

CreationPatriarchsJobTorah

Rebecca: Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:5

Jewish tradition recognizes that life throws curveballs. But it also offers a comforting perspective: time can be a healer. Our story today comes from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabb...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsElijah

Isaac and Creation of Avimelech

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:6

The scene: Isaac is hanging out in the land of the Philistines, near Gerar. Remember, his father Abraham had his own…issues there. And wouldn’t you know it, history seems to be rep...

CreationPatriarchsPrayerShabbat

Covenant of Avimelekh

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:7

It seems that this feeling, envy, is as old as the hills – or at least as old as the stories in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Le...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidSolomon

Isaac and Creation of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:8

Take the story of Isaac, son of Abraham, diligently re-digging wells in Beersheba. It's a quick mention in Genesis 26:18: "Isaac again dug the wells of water that they had dug in t...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

Blessing of Avimelekh

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:9

The Torah tells us Avimelekh went to him "from Gerar, and a group of his associates, and Fikhol the captain of his guard" (Genesis 26:26). Simple enough. But the Rabbis, bless thei...

CreationJob

Papus and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:10

The story of Isaac and the Philistines in Genesis is a powerful reminder that even in moments of apparent peace, the seeds of conflict can still be sown. And the rabbis, in their i...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsTorah