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But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw so much more. The Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dedicates a whole section to unp...
It's right there in Genesis 17:17: "Abraham fell upon his face, and he laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, a ...
It's right there in the Torah: "Abraham said to God: 'Would that Ishmael might live before You.'" (Genesis 17:18). Seems straightforward. But like so much in our tradition, there's...
Specifically, we're looking at section 47, which tackles the tricky subject of God's promises to both Ishmael and Isaac. The passage centers around Genesis 17:20, where God says, "...
Our story revolves around a verse from Genesis 17:22: "He concluded speaking with him, and God ascended from upon Abraham." This simple line, as interpreted by the sages in Bereshi...
to a fascinating, and frankly, rather unusual story from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Genesis 17:23 tells us that Abrah...
Take the story of Abraham, for instance. We all know he was commanded to circumcise himself and his household. But did you ever stop to consider the details of that commandment, an...
We read the stories, we know the milestones – but sometimes the weight of those moments gets lost. Take the act of circumcision, the brit milah, at the ripe old age of ninety-nine....
The ancient rabbis grappled with that all the time, and their discussions, preserved in texts like Bereshit Rabbah, offer some fascinating, and sometimes surprising, insights. We f...
