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.

Rabbi Yehuda and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 15:2

The rabbis of old certainly pondered this question. In Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, we find Rabbi Yehuda and Rabb...

CreationAdam & EveProphecyHoly Land

When God Created and Tanhuma

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 19:4

We usually picture temptation as a simple act, but the Rabbis of the Midrash saw something far more complex, a twisted theological argument designed to undermine trust in the Divin...

CreationHeavenCreaturesAdam & Eve

Righteousness of Noah and Lemekh

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 23:2

We choose them carefully, hoping they’ll embody certain qualities, or perhaps carry on a family legacy. But what if a name wasn't a blessing, but a curse? What if it foreshadowed i...

CreationNoah & FloodMatriarchsElijah

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

Yefet in Battle

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 26:3

(Genesis 9:18). It seems straightforward. But wait a minute... Was Yefet actually the eldest? That's what some of our Sages wondered. Why does Shem get top billing? Why not list th...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Foundations of Being and Shimon

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 26:5

The verse says, "The children of the great men [benei haelohim] saw the daughters of man, that they were fair, and they took for themselves wives, from whomever they chose." Simple...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodMoses

First Days of Existence and Flood

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 26:6

This week, we're diving into a passage from Bereshit Rabbah 26, a rich collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, that wrestles with this very question. The ver...

CreationNoah & FloodMosesKing David

Dawn of the World and Nefilim

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 26:7

Ever read something in the Bible that just makes you stop and say, "Wait, what?" I get that feeling every time I stumble upon Genesis 6:4: "The Nefilim were on the earth in those d...

CreationNoah & FloodSolomonJob

Cosmic Origins and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 27:4

The Torah tells us, in Genesis 6:6, "The Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was saddened in His heart.” Whoa. Heavy stuff. But what does it really mean? The R...

CreationNoah & FloodWisdom