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(Genesis 2:7). It’s such a simple phrase, yet it's pregnant with meaning. The Midrash, that rich tapestry of Jewish storytelling and interpretation, wrestles with this very questio...
Specifically, I’m thinking of Genesis 2:14. It's not just that the Euphrates river is mentioned. Oh no, we also get that the Pishon "goes round all the land of Evilat," the Gihon "...
God had just created Adam, this perfect being, in this perfect garden. What was missing? Well, the Midrash of Philo, a collection of ancient Jewish interpretations and elaborations...
There’s a fascinating little corner of Jewish thought that suggests a truly different picture of those early days. It’s tucked away in the Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpr...
It's easy to see him as just a sneaky snake, but Jewish tradition, especially in the writings we call midrash, often sees things on a deeper, symbolic level. Philo, the 1st-century...
The verse that phrase alludes to, of course, comes from Genesis 3:19, part of the consequences faced by Adam after eating from the Tree of Knowledge. God tells him, "Till you retur...
Take the story of Cain and Abel. A foundational story. We all know it: the first brothers, the first offering, the first murder. So, why is it that in Genesis 4:5, it says, "And Go...
Cain, in the biblical story, might have known that feeling all too well. We all know the story: Cain and Abel, brothers, offering sacrifices to God. Abel's offering is accepted. Ca...
The ancient sages certainly did. And they found answers in the most unexpected places. Take, for instance, the story Philo, the 1st century Jewish philosopher from Alexandria, tell...
