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.

Joseph: Abraham and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:1

We find a fascinating example of this in the story of Joseph and his brothers, a tale filled with drama, reconciliation, and the enduring strength of family. The verse in Genesis 4...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Trials of Joseph and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:2

Specifically, we're going to look at section 94. So, Pharaoh tells Joseph: "Say to your brothers: Do this: Load your animals, and go, and come to the land of Canaan, and take your ...

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Jacob: Judah and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:3

Then, out of the blue, his sons return from Egypt with news that Joseph is not only alive, but a powerful ruler! It's a moment of incredible joy, but also… disbelief. The Torah tel...

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Jacob's Journey and Beersheba

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:4

Jewish tradition is just teeming with those kinds of moments. Take Jacob, for instance, as he's about to head down to Egypt to reunite with his son Joseph. The Torah tells us, "Isr...

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Isaac's Offering and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:5

It centers around the verse: "He slaughtered feast-offerings to the God of his father Isaac" (Genesis 46:1). Why Isaac? Why not Abraham, the patriarch of them all? Rabbi Yehoshua b...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Joseph: Jacob's Vision

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:6

It all begins with Jacob, now also known as Israel, standing at a crossroads. God speaks to him "in the visions of the night," a phrase that already sets a mystical tone. "Jacob, J...

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Issachar: Rabbi Meir at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:7

I was reading in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, and I stumbled across just such a moment. It revolves around a rather pointed exc...

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Joseph and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:8

Turns out, sometimes, there's a whole universe of emotion and history packed into those few words. Take, for example, the passage in Genesis 46:21: "And the sons of Benjamin: Bela,...

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Jacob's Journey and Yokheved

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:9

The verses state, "All the people who were coming with Jacob to Egypt, the products of his loins, aside from the wives of Jacob's sons; all the people were sixty-six" (Genesis 46:2...

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