Parshat Bereshit

7,771 related texts · Page 479 of 864

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.

Jacob Wrestles the Angel and Moses

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 7:93

The rabbis certainly debated it, comparing and contrasting the merits of our most revered patriarchs and prophets. And wouldn't you know it, the discussions could get a little… spi...

HeavenHell/GehennaAngelsAdam & Eve

The Great Flood and Temple

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 5:101

It wasn’t just bricks and mortar. It was a turning point, a cosmic shift that reverberated through the world. Ginzberg, in his Legends of the Jews, paints a vivid picture. Remember...

CreationNoah & FloodTempleMessiah

Elijah's Transgression and the Altar

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 7:12

That’s the kind of pressure Elijah was under. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Elijah needed to rebuild an altar, dig a trench, and get everything ready in...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodElijah

Yom Kippur and the Origins of the World

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Mishlei 23:1

Proverbs 23:5 speaks to this feeling, saying, "When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings." But what does this really mean? One fascinating i...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Rabbi Simon and the Origins of the World

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Mishlei 23:3

Turns out, it does! And like any good friend, it’s got some warnings mixed in with the… well, potential for celebration. This all comes to light in a fascinating passage from Midra...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 1:5

The ancient sages pondered similar questions when interpreting the very first verse of the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar, which begins: “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Si...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Moses: David and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:6

We know, according to tradition, that God created the world in six days. But what about since then? The Talmudic sages pondered this very question. In Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Levi: Kehat and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 3:12

It wasn't a random free-for-all. The Book of Numbers gives us a fascinating glimpse into a highly structured encampment around the Mishkan, the Tabernacle. And Bamidbar Rabbah, a c...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodMoses

The Ark of the Covenant and Gershon

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 6:8

We tend to focus on the big, dramatic stuff, like the Ark of the Covenant. But what about the meticulous work of the Gershonites? Our story comes from Bamidbar Rabbah, a fascinatin...

CreationNoah & FloodMosesKing David