Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 124 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.

Jacob's Transgression and Hoshaya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:5

Our sages wrestled with it too. to a fascinating little corner of Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifi...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsEsther

Isaac Among the Fathers and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:6

Our tradition certainly thinks so. We find this idea beautifully illustrated in Bereshit Rabbah 68, a section of the ancient midrashic collection that delves into the Book of Genes...

Patriarchs

Kingdom of Jacob and Beersheba

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:7

That’s the vibe I get from this little passage in Bereshit Rabbah 68. It’s all about Jacob leaving Beersheba, and the Rabbis are picking apart why he made such a point of leaving t...

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Abraham and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:8

The ancient rabbis pondered this very feeling when they explored the verse, "And [Abraham] went to Ḥaran" (Genesis 11:31). What does it really mean to go somewhere? Bereshit Rabbah...

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When God Created

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:9

The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found a beautiful way to express that feeling with a single word: Hamakom (המקום), "The Place," a name for God. But why "The Place"? Gene...

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Jacob's Journey

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:10

It centers on Jacob, later to be known as Israel, at a pivotal moment in his journey. The verse in question: "He encountered the place" (Genesis 28:11). The text tells us that Jaco...

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Jacob's Journey and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:11

As Genesis 28:11 tells us, "He took from the stones of the place..." but what did he do with those stones? That's where the Rabbis pick up the story and run with it in Bereshit Rab...

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Jacob's Vision and Cappadocia

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:12

Dreams have always held a special fascination, and Jewish tradition is no exception. Take the famous dream of Jacob in Genesis 28:12: "He dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set on t...

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Jacob's Vision and Jeremiah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:13

Take the story of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28, where he rests his head on a stone and sees a ladder stretching to heaven. On that ladder, angels ascend and descend. A seemingly sim...

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