Midrash Rabbah

2,921 texts · Page 89 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.

Abraham's Offering and Elazar

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 39:16

We get glimpses, fragments really, in the Torah, but the Rabbis, through their interpretations, give us access to a deeper understanding of his actions. Take, for example, the vers...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Abraham's Offering and Behold

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:1

It's easy to imagine them springing forth, fully formed, ready to face any challenge. But what about the times before the heroism, the moments of vulnerability, the struggles that ...

CreationPatriarchsJosephKing David

Abraham's Song and Yehoshua

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:2

Like, you're on your path, feeling good, and then BAM! Suddenly, everything changes. Maybe it's a job loss, a health scare, or just a general feeling of being lost. How do we react...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Saul: David and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:3

The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Genesis, makes a fascinating claim. It says that there have been ten famines throughout...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Barak at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:4

Abraham suddenly notices his wife is beautiful – like, really beautiful – and expresses concern that the Egyptians will kill him to get to her. He asks her to pretend to be his sis...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Kingdom of Abraham of Sarah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:5

The rabbis of old, wrestling with this very question, spun a fascinating tale in Bereshit Rabbah 40, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. The story begi...

CreationHell/GehennaAdam & EvePatriarchs

Kingdom of Abraham and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:6

The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found evidence of it woven right into the fabric of the Torah itself. Take the story of Abraham, our forefather. He goes down to Egypt to...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Kingdom of Pharaoh

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 41:1

But the rabbis of the Midrash, those brilliant interpreters of our tradition, saw so much more. Bereshit Rabbah, that treasure trove of rabbinic thought, delves into this very vers...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsMoses

Sarah: Pharaoh and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 41:2

Take the tale of Pharaoh and Sarah in Genesis. We know the basic outline: Abraham and Sarah enter Egypt, Abraham says Sarah is his sister, Pharaoh takes Sarah into his house, and t...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsMatriarchs