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.

Sarah's Transgression and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 48:19

Because today's little story from Bereshit Rabbah, the great commentary on the Book of Genesis, is all about the power of the seemingly impossible. The verse we’re focusing on is G...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchs

Wisdom of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:3

Our sages certainly did. And they found a fascinating answer, tucked away in the very words God used when speaking to Abraham. The passage we're looking at comes from Bereshit Rabb...

CreationPatriarchs

When God Created of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:4

The Torah portion Vayera, and specifically Genesis 18:19, offers a glimpse into this very idea: "For I love him, so that he will command his children and his household after him, t...

CreationPatriarchsTorahPrayer

Abraham: Mikhael and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:2

It’s a question that the ancient rabbis grappled with, and their answers are, well, The Book of Job (23:13) gives us a starting point: "He acts through one, and who can respond to ...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs

Lot and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:6

It's a tough story, full of uncomfortable choices, and the rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that treasure trove of early commentary, don't shy away from wrestling with it. Remember the s...

CreationPatriarchs

Abraham and the Angels of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:7

The story, of course, is from Genesis 19:9. Lot, Abraham's nephew, has welcomed two angelic guests into his home. The men of Sodom, consumed by lust and cruelty, surround the house...

CreationPatriarchsTorahJudgment

Lot and the Angels of Tzoar

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:12

The story revolves around the destruction of Sodom, a city known for its wickedness. Lot, Abraham's nephew, is being led to safety, and the angel says to him, "Hurry; escape there,...

CreationJudgment

Destruction of Sodom and Moav

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:11

The story, as you might recall, is…well, let’s just say it’s complicated. After the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters are living in a cave. The daughters, be...

CreationPatriarchsRepentance

Birth of Sarah and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 53:9

The verse we're looking at is Genesis 21:7: "She said: Who would have announced to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I bore a son for his old age.” It's Sarah, speaking ...

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