1,056 passages in Rabbinic Midrash
Individual passages from Bereshit Rabbah, shown in source order. Page 20 of 22.
The verse in question is from (Genesis 38:15): “Judah saw her and thought her to be a harlot, because she covered her face.” What's so significant about this seemingly simple obser...
How Judah and Tamar's Union Led to Kingship is the question behind this passage from Bereshit Rabbah. Remember the story? Judah, grieving the loss of his wife, encounters Tamar, di...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Judah — Shem at the Dawn of Creation. "It was about three months later that it was told to Judah, saying: Tamar your daughter-in-law acted as a harlot; mor...
The story of Judah and Tamar, found in Genesis 38, is a powerful exploration of just that. And the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, examine the layers of this narrative in Bereshi...
Sometimes, it takes more than human testimony. Sometimes, it requires a little…divine intervention. Our story begins with Judah, of the tribe of Judah, and Tamar, his daughter-in-l...
It's amazing what you can find when you start digging! Take the story of Tamar giving birth to twins, Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:27-30). Did you know that even the way the word "t...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Kingdom of Peretz. As is often the case, the Rabbis see so much more beneath the surface. The text emphasizes the word "breach" (peretz). "What breach have...
It's like peeling an onion – each layer reveals something new, something unexpected. Take the verse from (Genesis 39:1): "Joseph was taken down to Egypt and Potiphar, the official ...
That feeling isn't new. Our ancestors wrestled with it too. The source explores a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of ...
The familiar story is this: Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt. But the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah (86) ask us to consider this: "“[Potiphar…an Egyptian man,] purchased him [from th...
(Genesis 39:2) tells us, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.” But Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic...
A reader can imagine a golden aura, a constant stream of good fortune. But what if it’s something more subtle, more… human? " Sounds straightforward. But the Rabbis, in Bereshit Ra...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Joseph Rises to Overseer in Potiphar's House. Remember Joseph? Sold into slavery in Egypt? He ends up in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian official. And t...
The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is a perfect example, and the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that rich collection of Genesis interpretations, really dig into the nuances of thi...
Why the Rod of Wickedness Cannot Rest on the Just is the question behind this passage from Bereshit Rabbah. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Yitzḥak, two wise voices from the past, ...
The Book of Job certainly seems to think so. "For He pays a person for his action," it says (Job 34:11). And the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that magnificent collection of rabbinic ...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 87. Bereshit Rabbah is a midrash, a collection of rabbinic interpretations and expansions on the Book of Genesis. It's wh...
The verse in question, (Genesis 39:8), reads, "He refused, and he said to his master's wife: Behold, my master, having me, does not know what is in the house, and he has placed eve...
The verse in question is (Genesis 39:10), describing Joseph's unwavering resistance to Potiphar's wife: "It was as she spoke to Joseph, day after day, and he did not heed her to li...
The story, as we know, revolves around Joseph and Potiphar's wife. (Genesis 39:11) tells us, "It was on a certain day, he came into the house to perform his labor, and there was no...
The scene: Joseph, a handsome young man, working in the house of his Egyptian master, Potiphar. Potiphar's wife, overcome with desire, makes a move. (Genesis 39:12) tells us, "She ...
The familiar story is this: Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph, he resists, and then, scorned, she falsely accuses him, leading to his imprisonment. But the ancient rabbis, nev...
The story of Joseph in Egypt, as recounted in Bereshit Rabbah, offers a powerful, and surprisingly intimate, glimpse into just that. The familiar version gives us the outlines of t...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to The Butler and Baker Sin Against the King of Egypt. The text then quotes (Psalm 39:9): "Deliver me from all my transgressions; do not disgrace me among the...
This particular passage, from section 88, tells us about the downfall of two unfortunate souls: the butler and the baker of the Egyptian Pharaoh. What did they do? Were they plotti...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. They saw God's hand even in moments of anger, betrayal, and… well, poisoned drinks. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic rabbi...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) (interpretive) text that expands on the book of Genesis. We find Joseph, already a long...
The Torah is brimming with them, and Jewish tradition loves to unpack their layers of meaning. Take the dream of the chief butler in the Joseph story. In (Genesis 40:9), he recount...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a classical Rabbinic text that intricately interprets the Book of Genesis. The chief baker, seeing Joseph's successful interp...
Remember the story? Joseph, wrongly imprisoned, interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler. He asks the butler, once restored to his position, to remember him and mention him ...
The book of Genesis tells us, "It was at the conclusion of two years, and Pharaoh was dreaming: and, behold, he stood at the Nile" (Genesis 41:1). But Bereshit Rabbah, that incredi...
We all have those moments where we feel like our efforts are fruitless. But what if even the most difficult experiences held a hidden benefit? Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabb...
This, the rabbis say, is Joseph. But then comes a twist. "And did not turn to the proud" (Psalms 40:5) – because Joseph asked the chief butler to remember him and mention him to Ph...
It opens with a simple question: "And Pharaoh was dreaming" – do not all people dream? What’s so special about his? The answer, according to Rabbi Yoḥanan, is that a king’s dream p...
Pharaoh knew that feeling all too well. (Genesis 41:8) tells us, "It was in the morning and his spirit was troubled; he sent and summoned all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wi...
How Egypt's Magicians Failed to Interpret Pharaoh's Dream is the question behind this passage from Bereshit Rabbah. The passage begins, "He sent and summoned…" referring to Pharaoh...
It seems that even in the hallowed pages of the Bible, we see echoes of this self-serving behavior. to the story of Joseph, the coat of many colors, and Pharaoh's dream. Remember t...
Jewish tradition certainly has. There's a fascinating story in Bereshit Rabbah 89 that makes you think twice about speaking carelessly. The story begins simply enough. A woman appr...
As we read in (Genesis 41:14), "Pharaoh sent and summoned Joseph, [and they rushed him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his garments, and came to Pharaoh]." But did you ever st...
The rabbis of Bereshit Rabbah, an ancient and profound commentary on the Book of Genesis, don't just take things at face value. They see echoes, connections, and hidden meanings wo...
Sometimes, it's from the most unexpected places. Take the story of Joseph in Egypt. He rises from prisoner to become second-in-command to Pharaoh. And within that rise, hidden in P...
The story of Joseph in Egypt is a classic tale of rags to riches, but the Rabbis see a deeper, more poetic justice at play. to a fascinating interpretation from Bereshit Rabbah 90,...
Names aren't just labels; they're stories waiting to be unpacked. Take Joseph, for example, and the rather unusual name Pharaoh gives him: Tzafenat Paane’aḥ. What does it even mean...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Joseph and Creation of Tiberias. The verse in (Genesis 41:47) tells us, "The earth produced, during the seven years of plenty, in abundance." But what kind...
One minute you're celebrating abundance, the next you're facing scarcity. The story of Joseph in Egypt gives us a powerful glimpse into this precarious balance, and the ancient rab...
Jacob, seeing a famine in the land, tells his sons, "Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?" (Genesis 42:1). Simple enough. But the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive co...
The story begins with Jacob observing his sons. "Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?" he asks them. But what exactly did he mean? According to this Midrash (rabbinic interpreti...
Our journey begins with a seemingly simple verse from (Genesis 42:5): "The sons of Israel came to acquire grain among [betokh] those who came, as the famine was in the land of Cana...
