1,056 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Bereshit Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 15 of 22.
The ancient rabbis grappled with these questions constantly, poring over scripture for answers. One particularly poignant example comes from Bereshit Rabbah 65, as it tries to unde...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis.Esau. You remember Esau. Jacob's twin brother, the one who traded his birthrig...
The ancients certainly did. And in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of Rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, we find a fascinating glimpse into their thoughts on death, destiny...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Media at the Dawn of Creation. "Now, please take your gear" – the Rabbis see even in this simple request a deeper instruction. It's not enough to just brin...
The story of Jacob and Esau, and their mother Rebecca, is definitely one for the ages. It's a story ripe with sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, and a mother's desperate attempt...
That feeling, that raw, unfair sting, is at the heart of the story of Jacob and Esau, and the stolen blessing. The scene is set: Isaac, now old and with failing eyesight, calls for...
The scene: Jacob is about to deceive his father Isaac in order to receive the blessing meant for his brother Esau. He's understandably nervous. "Behold," he says to Rebecca, "Esau ...
It turns out, even the clothes in the Torah have a tale to spin. to a fascinating Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) about Esau's special garments, found in Bereshit Rabbah...
Take the story of Jacob, disguised as Esau, receiving Isaac's blessing. It's a pivotal moment, full of deception and destiny. Okay, hides of goat kids. That sounds… itchy. Rabbi Yo...
The scene is set: Jacob, disguised as his brother Esau, deceives his aging and blind father Isaac to receive the blessing meant for the firstborn. The Torah tells us, "He came to h...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Isaac Grew Suspicious of How Fast Jacob Found Game. The story, as we find it in Genesis 27, is fraught with tension. Isaac, old and blind, asks Jacob how h...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, actually speaks to this very feeling, using one of the most iconic scenes in Genesis. Think about Jacob and Esau. The story unfolds in (Genesis 2...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, specifically section 65, to explor...
In the story of Jacob and Esau, as told in (Genesis 27:23), that sense of smell takes on a whole new, almost mystical, significance. The verse tells us, "He did not recognize him, ...
It’s a powerful scene, thick with emotion. But according to Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, there's so much more going on ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to The Dew of Heaven and Its Layers of Blessing. The rabbis, masters of close reading and insightful connections, find a clue in the Book of Job. Remember Job...
Jewish tradition, in its beautiful and often poetic way, offers a compelling answer: the people of Israel. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic i...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to The Blessing That Keeps on Giving Again and Again. The text suggests blessings, yes, but also "a hidden place." A place, as the commentary puts it, "where ...
Can words truly shape destiny? The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found layers of meaning hidden within the simplest verses. to one of those verses, and see what secrets we...
The Torah tells us the story, of course, but the Rabbis of old, in their infinite wisdom, weren't content with just the surface narrative. They dove deep, poring over every word, e...
When a Non-Jew Blesses God May We Say Amen is the question behind this passage from Bereshit Rabbah. Our sages teach that if a non-Jew blesses the Name – meaning God – we can actua...
Our story begins with Esau, the elder twin of Jacob. He approaches his father, Isaac, with a request, a plea for a blessing. (Genesis 27:31) tells us, "He, too, prepared delicacies...
What was that trembling? And why is it so significant? Our sages, delving into the depths of the text, find layers of meaning in that tremor. Bereshit Rabbah, a classic midrashic (...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is one that resonates with that feeling, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) grappled with it intense...
Our ancestors grappled with this very question of agency and divine intervention. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Boo...
Our story hinges on a moment of profound anguish: "When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out, a very great and bitter cry, and he said to his father: Bless me too, my f...
Take the tale of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. The familiar version gives us the basics: Jacob deceives his father, Isaac, and steals Esau's blessing. But what happens after? What was Is...
" It sounds pretty good. But the sages of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, dig a little deeper. They ask, what does it real...
"By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother; it will be when you will revolt, you will remove his yoke from your neck" (Genesis 27:40). It’s a confusing mix of do...
That feeling is at the heart of our story today, a story about brothers, blessings, and a whole lot of bad blood. It all stems from that infamous scene: Jacob, aided by his mother ...
In (Genesis 27:42), we read, "The words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebecca, and she sent and summoned Jacob her younger son, and said to him: Behold, your brother Esau cons...
Take the story of Jacob and Esau, a tale filled with sibling rivalry, deception, and a mother's desperate attempt to protect her son. When Rebecca realizes the danger Jacob is in a...
The kind that makes you want to throw your hands up and say, "Enough!" Well, pull up a chair, because the story of Rebecca and Isaac, and the mess with Esau's wives, takes family d...
"Isaac summoned Jacob and he blessed him. He commanded him and said to him: Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan" (Genesis 28:1). Simple enough. But Rabbi Abahu sees som...
Take the tale of Esau, brother of Jacob. He wasn't exactly winning any popularity contests with his parents. (Genesis 28:8) tells us, "Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were ob...
Our ancestor Jacob certainly did. His journey to Ḥaran, fleeing the wrath of his brother Esau, is more than just a road trip; it's a masterclass in facing your fears. "Jacob depart...
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman begins our story in Bereshit Rabbah 68, by interpreting a verse from Psalms (121:1) as referring directly to Jacob’s experience. “A song of ascents. I lift ...
The rabbis of old grappled with this question, too. And they found answers woven into the very fabric of our sacred texts. Rabbi Abbahu, a fascinating figure from the 3rd century, ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Isaac and Creation of Yosei. Well, according to a fascinating passage in Bereshit Rabbah 68, a Midrash (rabbinic commentary) on the book of Genesis, God is...
Our sages wrestled with it too. to a fascinating little corner of Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifi...
Our tradition certainly thinks so. We find this idea beautifully illustrated in Bereshit Rabbah 68, a section of the ancient midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to The Well of the Oath and Why Jacob Left Beersheba. "From Beersheba," the text begins. Rabbi Yudan and Rav Huna offer two interpretations. Rabbi Yudan focus...
The ancient rabbis pondered this very feeling when they explored the verse, "And [Abraham] went to Ḥaran" (Genesis 11:31). What does it really mean to go somewhere? Bereshit Rabbah...
Maybe you drove past a friend's house without stopping, or forgot to say thank you to someone who deserved it. The Torah tells us that Jacob, fleeing from his brother Esau, "left B...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found a beautiful way to express that feeling with a single word: Hamakom (המקום), "The Place," a name for God. But why "The Place"? (Gen...
It centers on Jacob, later to be known as Israel, at a pivotal moment in his journey. The verse in question: "He encountered the place" (Genesis 28:11). That Jacob "sought to pass,...
Would rest his head. God then performed a miracle and made all the stones into one. According to another tradition, Jacob placed all the stones under his head and they were fused t...
As (Genesis 28:11) tells us, "He took from the stones of the place..." but what did he do with those stones? That's where the Rabbis pick up the story and run with it in Bereshit R...
