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.

Avin: Esau at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 23:6

It’s a question that’s echoed down the centuries, and one that the ancient rabbis grappled with too. In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, ...

CreationPatriarchsTorahMessiah

The Tree of Life and Huna

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 25:1

The passage begins with a seemingly simple verse from Leviticus (19:24) about planting fruit trees: “When you will come into the land and plant any food tree, then you shall regard...

HeavenAdam & EveMosesSolomon

Saul Among the Heavenly Host

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 25:8

It all starts with a verse from the Song of Songs (5:15): “His calves [shokav] are pillars of marble [amudei shesh].” But what do calves and marble pillars have to do with… well, a...

AngelsAdam & EveNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Abraham: Nimrod and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 28:4

It's like a cosmic echo, a recurring theme of the powerful and the hungry, of oppression and redemption. Vayikra Rabbah 28, a section of the ancient Midrash Rabbah, explores just t...

CreationPatriarchsMosesEsther

Joseph: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 30:10

Take, for instance, the four species we use on Sukkot – the etrog (citron), the lulav (date palm frond), the hadass (myrtle), and the aravah (willow). They aren't just random plant...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

From Nothing to Everything and Sukkot

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 30:12

It uses the four species taken on Sukkot, the Festival of Tabernacles, as a metaphor for the Jewish people. It comes from Vayikra Rabbah, a Midrashic collection on the book of Levi...

CreationMosesTorahHoly Land

Sin of the First Pair and Isaiah

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 34:15

It turns out, according to ancient wisdom, there just might be. to Vayikra Rabbah 34 and see what treasures we can unearth. Our journey begins with a verse from Isaiah (58:8): "The...

CreationAdam & EveKing DavidSolomon

Marriage of Abraham and Blessings

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 1:11

The opening of Psalm 1, "Blessed is the man," seems simple enough, but according to Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, it's packed wi...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAdam & Eve

Deborah: Moses and Creation

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 4:16

It turns out, that instinct might be deeply woven into the fabric of our tradition. Because according to Midrash Tehillim, that feeling is intrinsically linked to music. Specifical...

CreationMosesKing DavidSolomon