Parshat Bereshit

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Covers the creation of the world in six days, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the first sin, Cain and Abel, and the generations from Adam to Noah. Genesis 1:1-6:8.

The Great Flood

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 32:8

Sometimes, it's in the details, in the seemingly small phrases, that we find the biggest insights. Take the story of Noah, for instance. We all know the basics: flood, ark, animals...

CreationNoah & FloodTorahProphecy

Pillars of Existence and Shmuel

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 32:11

The rabbis of old grappled with this very question. How high did the water actually get? The Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dives int...

CreationNoah & FloodTorahSoul

Ministering Angels and Ptolemy

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 46:10

But in Bereshit Rabbah, that foundational midrashic text, the rabbis unpack layers of meaning from even a single word. The verse uses the Hebrew word "nemaltem," meaning "you shall...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodTorah

Abraham's Journey and Beware

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 59:10

In the Torah, we find Abraham, the patriarch, facing just such a moment when sending his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son, Isaac. It's a journey fraught with responsibi...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Before the Fall and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 60:8

We find ourselves in Bereshit Rabbah 60, a treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, wrestling with just that. The verse in question, Genesis 24:33, descri...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsTorah

Birth of Leah and Levi

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:4

They're often far more than just labels; they're prophecies, reflections of emotions, and even glimpses into the future. Let's take a look at the story of Leah and the birth of her...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveMatriarchs

The Golden Calf of Levi

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:5

The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, and see what they had to say about...

CreationNoah & FloodMatriarchsJoseph

Joseph: Judah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 84:17

"They sat to eat bread…" Rabbi Aḥva bar Ze’eira points out something profound here. He says, "The transgression of the tribes is remembered forever; it gave hope to the world." Isn...

CreationNoah & FloodJosephPrayer

Simeon and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:5

The story starts with a quote from Genesis 49:5: "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of villainy are their heritage." But what does it really mean? Bereshit Rabbah, an ancient c...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph