Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 71 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.

Adam and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:2

It makes you wonder about the person who let it get that way. Well, the ancient rabbis saw something similar in the story of Adam and Eve. Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collecti...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveSolomon

Kingdom of Adam

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:3

One fascinating interpretation comes from Bereshit Rabbah 21, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis. It starts with a verse from Job: "Though his exaltedness asc...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveKing David

Adam in Exile

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:5

And as always, the rabbis of old had some fascinating ideas. The verse from Job (14:20) sets the stage: “You grant him power forever, and he is gone; You alter his countenance and ...

AngelsAdam & EveElijahDaniel

The Tree of Life and Abba

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:6

The verse we're looking at is Genesis 3:22, right after Adam and Eve eat from the Tree of Knowledge. God says, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; an...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveRepentance

The Garden of Eden and Nechemya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:7

We all know the story: the serpent, the forbidden fruit, and then… exile. But what did that exile really mean? The Book of Genesis tells us, "The Lord God sent him out of the Garde...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveKing David

The Garden of Eden and Lakish

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:8

We all know the story: they ate the forbidden fruit, gained knowledge, and were banished. But what was the nature of that banishment? Was it a final, crushing blow, or something…el...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveTemple

The Garden of Eden and Cain

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 21:9

At least, that's what we learn from Bereshit Rabbah 21, a fascinating passage in the ancient rabbinic commentary on Genesis. Rav tells us that "in every place, the eastern directio...

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Birth of Cain and Adam

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 22:1

to a fascinating interpretation from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. We're looking at Chapter 22, which grapples with the ...

CreationAdam & EveKing DavidJudgment

Adam and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 22:2

The Torah touches on this in the story of Adam and Eve, and the Rabbis of the Midrash have some fascinating things to say about it. In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic hom...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveTorah