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.

Abraham's Offering and Bilam

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 55:8

to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, specifically section 55, and see what wisdom we can unearth. The pas...

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Pillars of Existence and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 56:2

The Bible tells us the bare bones of the story, but the Rabbis, in their endless quest to understand God's word, delve deeper, seeking hidden meanings and profound truths. In Beres...

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Sarah in Battle

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 58:1

It's rarely a mistake. More often, it’s a little breadcrumb, a hint that there's something deeper going on. Take the verse in Genesis 23:1: "Sarah’s lifetime was one hundred years ...

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Birth of Ishmael and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 61:6

In Bereshit Rabbah, the classic midrashic (interpretive) text on Genesis, we find a fascinating discussion, a divergence of opinions on the nature of Abraham's inheritance to Isaac...

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Jacob's Journey and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:11

As Genesis 28:11 tells us, "He took from the stones of the place..." but what did he do with those stones? That's where the Rabbis pick up the story and run with it in Bereshit Rab...

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Birth of Asher

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:10

Sometimes, the answer lies hidden in the stories of our ancestors, like the tale of Asher, one of Jacob's twelve sons. In Genesis 30:12, we read, "Zilpa the maidservant of Leah gav...

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Trial of Jacob and Laban

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:11

We're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 74, which shines a light on the trials and tribulations of Jacob while working for his less-than-honest father-in-law, Laban. The passage focuses o...

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Jacob and the Angels of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:17

The Torah tells us, "Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God encountered him" (Genesis 32:2). Simple enough. But the Rabbis, never content with the surface level, dive deep in...

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Timna's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:14

Take Timna, for example. Her story, though brief, speaks volumes about the magnetic pull of righteousness. We find her mentioned almost in passing in Genesis 36:12: "Timna was a co...

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