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.

Moses: Isaiah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 18:1

We often read these epic stories in the Torah and just accept that things happened at the right moment. But what if there's a hidden layer of incredible detail beneath the surface,...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Teachings of Moses and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 19:5

We all know the story of the Exodus, of course, but let's delve into a fascinating piece of Midrash, specifically from Shemot Rabbah 19, which sheds light on the often-overlooked d...

HeavenAdam & EveNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Ephraim at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 20:11

The book of Exodus tells us, “God did not lead them via the land [derekh eretz]” (Exodus 13:17). But what exactly does that mean? Well, Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbi...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Moses's Prayer and Esau

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 21:1

The Israelites are trapped. The sea is before them, Pharaoh's army is closing in from behind. Panic is in the air. They cry out to God, as we read in Exodus 14:10: "The children of...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Foundations of Being and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 21:8

The Israelites certainly did at the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s army was bearing down on them, and the sea was, well, a sea. So what were they supposed to do? Pray? Act? Just give up? The B...

CreationHell/GehennaAdam & EvePatriarchs

Shur and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 24:4

We often gloss over place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Take, for example, the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up in ...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Jacob and Creation of Eden

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:8

The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...

CreationHeavenAdam & EvePatriarchs

Yitro and the Fires of Gehenna of Amalek

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 27:6

He appears in the narrative, offers Moses some crucial advice, and then… well, what do we really know about him? The Book of Exodus tells us, “Yitro heard…” (Exodus 18:1). But hear...

Hell/GehennaPatriarchsMosesKing David

Kingdom of Yitro and There

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 27:9

The ancient rabbis grappled with this very idea, and their insights, preserved in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offer some fascina...

Hell/GehennaPatriarchsJosephMoses