Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 62 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.

Foundations of Being and Lakish

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 12:13

This particular section, Bereshit Rabbah 12, explores the lasting impact of creation. Rabbi Yitzḥak and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish—two prominent voices of their time—offer us contrast...

CreationJob

Shammai at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 12:14

We find a fascinating discussion about this in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. The passage focuses on the verse, "On the d...

Creation

Life of Lord God

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 12:15

The sages of old grappled with this very question. How could a benevolent God create a world so full of suffering? The answer, according to Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of...

Judgment

When God Created and the Crown

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 12:16

And their answer, as we find it in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, is surprisingly poetic. Imagine a king. A newly crowned king, b...

CreationKing David

Adam and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 13:1

Turns out, the very beginning of creation might have felt the same way. Genesis 2:5. It's a verse that seems simple enough, but it's packed with layers. "All the shrubs of the fiel...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveShabbat

Court of the Priests

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 13:2

Our tradition teaches us that the natural world is alive with meaning, constantly communicating, if only we have ears to hear. In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies...

TemplePrayerHoly Land

Lord God at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 13:3

It might be more profound than just needing water for our lawns. Our tradition teaches that rain, the earth, and humanity itself are deeply intertwined, almost inseparable. It’s a ...

CreationAdam & EveDivine Names

Songs of David and Jeremiah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 13:4

According to some of our oldest texts, rain isn’t just water falling from the sky. It’s something far more profound. Rabbi Hoshaya, a sage from the Talmudic era, makes a pretty bol...

King DavidJobProphecyWisdom

Way of the Patriarchs and Rain

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 13:5

Our Sages pondered that feeling deeply, especially when thinking about rain. Not just the physical rain, but what it represents. What is rain in the grand scheme of things? In Bere...

PatriarchsKing DavidTempleProphecy