Parshat Chayei Sarah

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The death and burial of Sarah, Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac, and Rebekah joins the family. Genesis 23:1-25:18.

Death of Levi and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 92:2

The ancient rabbis pondered this very question. In Bereshit Rabbah 92, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis, we find a fascinating glimpse into the last words, ...

PatriarchsJosephKing DavidSoul

Judah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 93:5

to a fascinating interpretation found in Bereshit Rabbah (93), a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genesis. The passage opens with the simple phrase, "Judah approached...

CreationPatriarchsJosephEgypt

Benjamin: Joseph and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 93:8

The scene is intense. Joseph, after years of separation and playing a cat-and-mouse game with his brothers, is about to reveal his true identity. But let’s back up a little. Rememb...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Isaac's Offering and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:5

It centers around the verse: "He slaughtered feast-offerings to the God of his father Isaac" (Genesis 46:1). Why Isaac? Why not Abraham, the patriarch of them all? Rabbi Yehoshua b...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Moses Among the Fathers and Zimri

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 96:3

The ancient Rabbis certainly noticed it. They saw it woven into the very fabric of the Torah, these moments where authority seems to… loosen. Our story today comes from Bereshit Ra...

PatriarchsJosephMosesKing David

Death of Jacob and David

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 96:4

Jewish tradition grapples with this question in fascinating ways, particularly when we look at the deaths of our patriarchs. Take Jacob, for example. The Torah tells us, “The time ...

PatriarchsMosesKing DavidHoly Land

Death of Joseph and Lakish

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 97:2

The Torah portion Vayechi, at the very end of Genesis, gives us a glimpse into that very idea. Jacob, on his deathbed, blesses his sons. And when he blesses Joseph, it says, "He bl...

PatriarchsJosephMiraclesWisdom

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...

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Samson and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:14

In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, they dig deep into this verse, connecting it to the story of Samson, the legendary strongman from t...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph