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.

Light of the First Day and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 18:11

We read in Exodus 12:37: "The children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Sukkot, approximately six hundred thousand men on foot, beside children." It's a verse that launches us i...

CreationHeavenAdam & EvePatriarchs

Akilas at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 19:4

And it's a feeling that Judaism, in its wisdom, addresses head-on. We find a fascinating exploration of this theme in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Shur and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 24:4

We often gloss over place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Take, for example, the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up in ...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Jacob and Creation of Eden

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:8

The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...

CreationHeavenAdam & EvePatriarchs

Ministering Angels and Abahu

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 30:3

In Jewish tradition, even a single letter can unlock hidden depths. Today, let's dive into a fascinating idea about the words eleh and ve'eleh – "these" and "and these." It's a dif...

CreationAngelsAdam & EveNoah & Flood

Hanina: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 7:1

In Shir HaShirim Rabbah 7, the Rabbis unpack a seemingly simple verse – Song of Songs 2:7: “I administer an oath to you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the hinds o...

CreationHeavenAngelsNoah & Flood

Beitar and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 17:1

The verse in question is Song of Songs 2:17: "Until the day is great and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a fawn on the cleft mountains.” Now, on the su...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Adam Names the Animals and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 9:3

Our Rabbis certainly did. They grappled with this very question, especially when comparing the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. In Shir HaShirim Rabbah, the Rabbis delve into...

Adam & EveNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

From Nothing to Everything and Flee

Midrash Rabbah Shir HaShirim Rabbah 13:1

Today, we're diving into Shir HaShirim Rabbah, specifically section 13, to unpack a verse that speaks to this very feeling: "Flee, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young deer...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveMoses