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.

Death of Jacob of Benjamin

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 91:10

The scene: a devastating famine grips the land. Jacob's sons have returned from Egypt with grain, but it’s gone. They need to go back, but the mysterious Egyptian ruler—who we, the...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMessiah

Balaam: Joseph and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 93:10

The verse says, "He raised his voice in weeping…. And his brothers could not answer him" (Genesis 45:2-3). It's a powerful moment! But what does it really mean? Well, Abba Kohen Ba...

CreationJosephMosesKing David

Jacob's Transgression of Ephraim

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 97:5

It’s a beautiful custom, wishing them the qualities we admire in these two brothers. But there's something even more interesting hidden within that blessing, something that goes ba...

CreationPatriarchsPrayerSabbath

Birth of Reuben and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:4

It's a wild ride of interpretations, isn’t it? The passage opens with Jacob's words: "Reuben, you are my firstborn." Now, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi], the compiler of the Mishnah, offers...

CreationHell/GehennaPatriarchsMatriarchs

Messiah's Transgression and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:9

But peel back the layers, and you'll find a fascinating tapestry of interpretations woven by our sages. The Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah 98, for example, don't just see a vineyard. Th...

CreationKing DavidSolomonTorah

Trial of Joseph and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:18

The Torah describes Joseph as a "fruitful tree, a fruitful tree alongside a spring; branches run over the wall" (Genesis 49:22). But what does that really mean? The rabbis in Beres...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Marriage of Joseph and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:20

We all know the story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, but the ancient rabbis saw layers of complexity there, hints of struggle just beneath the surface. to a fascinating passage fro...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Jacob in Battle and Babylon

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 99:2

Specifically, we're looking at section 99, which explores a verse from Amos: "For the Lord God will not do anything, [unless He has revealed His secret to His servants the prophets...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Ehud and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 99:3

Sometimes, a single verse can unlock a whole world of meaning, revealing connections between different figures and events throughout Jewish history. to one such verse from Genesis ...

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