Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 58 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.

Solomon and the Queen of Behold

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 9:8

But what if I told you that suffering, that very thing we try so hard to avoid, might actually be… good? That's what the ancient rabbis were debating in Bereshit Rabbah, a collecti...

SolomonJobMessiah

Splendor of the Heights and Gehenna

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 9:9

I know, it sounds crazy. But Jewish tradition often holds a mirror up to our assumptions, challenging us to see things from a different angle. Take Gehenna, for example. That’s oft...

HeavenAdam & EveJudgment

Celestial Servants and Shmuel

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 9:10

We often grapple with the existence of suffering in a world supposedly created by a benevolent God. Jewish tradition certainly doesn’t shy away from this question. In fact, there's...

AngelsDeathJudgment

Acts of Creation and Shimon

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 9:11

It's easy to read the phrase "and God saw that it was good" as a simple pat on the back, a divine seal of approval. But Jewish tradition often finds layers of meaning beneath the s...

CreationHell/GehennaJudgment

When God Created and Shimon

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 9:13

But sometimes, the smallest details hold the biggest secrets. The Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, picked up on something fascinating in the very first chapter of Bereshit, Genesi...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveTorah

Shabbat and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 9:14

Genesis 1:31-2:1 tells us, "It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day, [and heaven and earth were finished...]" Seems straightforward. But Rabbi Yudan, in Bereshit Rabbah – ...

CreationHeavenSabbathShabbat

Maker of Heaven and Earth of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 10:1

Our sages pondered that very thing, and they found a fascinating exception. The Torah portion of Bereshit, Genesis, opens with the creation. And in Genesis 2:1, we read, "The heave...

CreationKing DavidJobTorah

Wisdom of Solomon

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 10:2

It's more than just setting the scene; it's about revealing the beauty hidden within creation itself. Rabbi Ḥama kicks things off with a powerful image, quoting Proverbs 25:4: “Rem...

CreationSolomon

Life of Hadrian

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 10:3

We’re talking about the primordial stuff, the ingredients God used when He, blessed be He, created everything. It’s a question that’s captivated mystics and philosophers for millen...

Creation