Deborah Rebekah's Nurse and the Hidden Mourning at Allon-bacuth

Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 35:8

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"The nurse of Rebekah" (Genesis 35:8). The mother of Rebekah. "Allon" is Greek. While he was observing the mourning of Deborah, the news of his mother came to them. This is what is written, "And God appeared to Jacob... and blessed him" (Genesis 35:9). And what blessing did He bless him with? This is the blessing of mourners. And why was the death of Rebekah not stated? Because of her son Esau. And she was also buried at night because of Esau, so that they would not say: "Such and such shall come upon the womb in which such a man was formed." And what did Deborah seek with Jacob? Rather, at the time when Rebekah said to him, "And I will send and take you from there" (Genesis 27:45), Jacob did not wish to move from Laban. What did Rebekah do? She sent Deborah to Jacob to bring him.

Themes

MourningDeathWomenJacobPatriarchs

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Targum JonathanEsau Committed Five Sins the Day Abraham DiedAbraham married again after Sarah's death. The Torah calls his new wife Keturah. The Targum reveals her true identity in a single phrase: "She is Hagar, who hadTargum JonathanWhy Esau Left Canaan Out of Fear of JacobThe standard Genesis 36 reads like a dry census of Esau's descendants. But the Targum Jonathan, the ancient Aramaic interpretive translation, quietly inserts thMidrash TanchumaRemember What Amalek Esau's Grandson Did to You(Deut. 25:17:) “Remember what Amalek (Esau's grandson) did to you.” This verse is related (to Ps.109:14), “May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before Book of JubileesHagar and Ishmael Wander the Wilderness AloneAbraham is often remembered as this towering figure of faith, but the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text from the Second Temple period, gives us a stark lBook of JubileesAbraham Offers Isaac and God Renews the PromiseHe said, "Because thou hast obeyed My voice, and hast not withheld thy son, thy first-born, but hast offered him up to Me, in order that I might make a great naBook of JubileesJacob Discovers Abraham Has Died in His SleepThen… a chill. An unnatural cold that seeps into your bones. That’s how Jacob discovered the death of his grandfather, Abraham. The Book of Jubilees, a fascinat