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.

Noah's Transgression of Shem

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 36:8

We often rush past Noah and the ark, but there's a tiny section in Genesis 9:26-27 that's sparked centuries of interpretation. It’s a passage about blessings, expansions, and dwell...

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Yefet and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:1

We find ourselves in Bereshit Rabbah 37, grappling with the descendants of Noah, specifically the lineage of Yefet. Genesis 10:2 lays it out: “The sons of Yefet: Gomer, and Magog, ...

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Ezekiel and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:2

Take, for example, the sons of Ḥam (חָם), Noah's son: "Kush, and Mitzrayim, and Put, and Canaan" (Genesis 10:6). We see the names that echo through history – Mitzrayim, which is Eg...

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Esau: Nimrod and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:3

It's like a chameleon, shifting its color to match the background. Take the Hebrew word hu, meaning "he is" or "he was." It seems simple enough. But in Bereshit Rabbah, a collectio...

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Nebuchadnezzar and Creation of Shinar

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:4

Today, let's dive into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 37, a rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis, that explores just that. We're going to look at the story of the...

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Kingdom of Mitzrayim

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:5

to a fascinating little corner of Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah) – specifically, section 37 – and unpack some seriously cool wordplay hidden in the names of ancient nations. We'r...

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Birth of Ham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:6

We find a list in the Book of Genesis, chapter 10, verses 15-19, detailing the descendants of Canaan, son of Ham. "And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Ḥet," the Torah tells u...

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Birth of Shem

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:7

The passage starts with a seemingly simple verse: "And to Shem, father of all the children of Ever, brother of Yefet the eldest, children were also born" (Genesis 10:21). But hold ...

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When God Created of Huna

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:8

Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 37, which delves into the lineage of Noah’s descendants. The verse we're focusing on is Genesis 10:26: "And Yoktan begot Almodad, and...

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