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.

The Tower of Babel and Bursif

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:11

It happens to the best of us. And sometimes, the reason is more profound than just a lack of sleep or a complicated explanation. Our story begins with the Tower of Babel. Remember ...

CreationTorahExile

World to Come and Tera

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:12

Take Terah, for example, the father of Abraham. The Torah introduces him with a doubled name: "These are the descendants of Teraḥ. Teraḥ begot Abram, Naḥor, and Haran, and Haran be...

CreationPatriarchsMessiah

Abraham: Nimrod at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:13

The Torah gives us glimpses, but it's in the rabbinic stories, the aggadah, that we really get a sense of the spiritual climate. One story, found in Bereshit Rabbah 38, sheds light...

CreationPatriarchsDaniel

Marriage of Abram

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:14

The Torah gives us hints, but it's in the rabbinic tradition where things get really interesting, where they piece together the ages and relationships to illuminate the story. Gene...

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Birth of Abraham and Yitzchak

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 39:1

The story of Abraham begins with just such a call. Genesis 12:1—a verse etched into the heart of Jewish tradition—tells us: "The Lord said to Abram: Go you, from your land, and fro...

CreationPatriarchsKing David

Abraham's Song and Berekhya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 39:2

Bereshit Rabbah, a classic compilation of Rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, offers a stunningly beautiful image to explain Abraham’s rise to greatness. It all starts...

PatriarchsSolomon

Abraham Among the Fathers and Abram

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 39:3

Our guide? The ancient Midrash, Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at section 39. "The Lord said to Abram...

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Abraham and Noah of Azarya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 39:5

Our ancestors certainly did. And in the story of Abraham, we find the ultimate tale of answering that call. : God speaks to Abraham, then still Abram, and says, "Lekh lekha" – "Go ...

Noah & FloodPatriarchsSolomonProphecy

Azarya: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 39:6

Specifically, Bereshit Rabbah 39. Rabbi Azarya, quoting Rabbi Aḥa, starts with a verse from Psalms (45:8): "You love righteousness and abhor wickedness. Because of this, God, your ...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsKing David