Parshat Behar

958 related texts · Page 58 of 107

The sabbatical year, the jubilee year, laws of land ownership, and the prohibition against usury. Leviticus 25:1-26:2.

Jacob: Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 11:7

to a fascinating comparison between Abraham and Jacob, two of our patriarchs, and see what Bereshit Rabbah 11 has to tell us. The key? Shabbat. Yes, that's right, the Sabbath. Rabb...

CreationPatriarchsSabbathShabbat

Acts of Creation and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 20:5

According to Bereshit Rabbah 20, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, this wasn't just a symbolic statement. The text paints a dramatic picture: When God, bles...

CreationAngelsAdam & EveJoseph

The Great Flood and Planted

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 26:2

We all know the story: the ark, the flood, the animals two by two. But have you ever stopped to wonder about the timing of it all? It's not just about the rain, but about the gener...

CreationHell/GehennaAngelsNoah & Flood

Light of the First Day and Tanhuma

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 33:3

Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, delves into this very idea, exploring how God’s mercy permeates everything. The verse from...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMatriarchs

Noah's Transgression of Canaan

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 36:7

The passage in Genesis (9:24) tells us, "Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him." Now, Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic int...

CreationNoah & FloodJosephJob

Marriage of Abram

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:14

The Torah gives us hints, but it's in the rabbinic tradition where things get really interesting, where they piece together the ages and relationships to illuminate the story. Gene...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsProphecy

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

Kedorlaomer's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 42:6

We're looking at Chapter 42, which grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Twelve years they served Kedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled" (Genesis 14:4). It sound...

CreationHoly LandExile

Abram and Creation of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 43:2

The passage opens with Abram, later known as Abraham, learning that his brother has been taken captive. The text connects this to a verse from Isaiah (33:15): "He seals his ears fr...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidProphecy