Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 160 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.

Asher's Transgression of Naphtali

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 99:12

We start with Asher. Jacob's blessing, "From Asher, his bread is rich, and he will provide royal delicacies," (Genesis 49:20) seems straightforward enough. But the rabbis in Beresh...

CreationJosephMosesProphecy

Jacob and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:1

Psalm 100:3 declares, "Know that the Lord is God." But it's the next part that really sparked their interest: "He made us, and we are His" (Psalm 100:3). Or is it? See, the Hebrew ...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Jacob's Transgression and Israelite

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:2

The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, gives us a peek into just that, focusing on the patriarch Jacob and the sage Rabbeinu Yehuda ...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsJoseph

Jacob: Joseph and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:3

The sages grappled with this question, and their answers reveal fascinating insights into divine justice and human fallibility. Our story begins, as it often does, in the Book of G...

CreationPatriarchsJosephProphecy

Moses: Joseph and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:4

Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 100, which delves into the mourning of Jacob. The verse in Genesis 50:3 tells us, "Forty days were completed for him, as so are the d...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Jacob: Maker of Heaven and Earth

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:5

We often read the Torah focusing on the big picture, but sometimes, it's in the details that we find the most fascinating human drama. Take the story of Jacob's death and burial in...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsJoseph

Death of Jacob and Atad

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:6

The Torah portion of Vayechi recounts the death of Jacob and the journey to bury him in the Cave of Machpelah. We read in Genesis (50:10-11): “They came to the threshing floor of A...

CreationHell/GehennaPatriarchsJoseph

Lakish: From Nothing to Everything

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:7

Take mourning rituals, for example. The familiar seven-day period of intense mourning, the shivah. Where did that come from? Well, let's dive into Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collec...

CreationAdam & EveNoah & FloodJoseph

Death of Joseph of Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:8

The story of Joseph and his brothers, as told in Genesis, is a classic example. But what happens after the happy reunion, after Jacob's death and the grand funeral procession back ...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaPatriarchs