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.

Ephraim's Legacy

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 2:3

to a story about the name Ephraim, and how it’s so much more than just a name. The Midrash, specifically Vayikra Rabbah, that treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations, offers us ...

PatriarchsKing DavidTorahProphecy

Aaron: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 10:1

It all starts with the verse: “Take Aaron, and his sons with him, and the vestments, and the anointing oil, and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams, and the basket of un...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 11:5

It’s a powerful idea, and it’s one that our sages explored deeply. There's a fascinating passage in Vayikra Rabbah 11 that tackles just this – the idea that God interacts with us i...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMoses

Creation of the World and Akiva

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 14:4

The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found profound metaphors in the everyday to explain the divine orchestration of it all. We find a fascinating exploration of this in Vayi...

CreationMatriarchsKing DavidJob

Noah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 17:5

After all, it's not exactly a flattering name given Canaan's, shall we say, complicated backstory. Vayikra Rabbah, a fascinating collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Lev...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

Nadab and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 20:11

We find ourselves in Vayikra Rabbah, specifically chapter 20, digging into the story of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, and their brothers Elazar and Itamar. You remember Nadab and ...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Halls of the Angels and Aivu

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 23:5

And believe it or not, there's an ancient teaching that uses a similar image to describe the Jewish people's relationship with… well, pretty much everything. It all starts with a l...

HeavenPatriarchsKing DavidMessiah

Saul Among the Heavenly Host

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 25:8

It all starts with a verse from the Song of Songs (5:15): “His calves [shokav] are pillars of marble [amudei shesh].” But what do calves and marble pillars have to do with… well, a...

AngelsAdam & EveNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Light of the First Day and Hashanah

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 29:1

The verse from Leviticus 23:24 sets the stage: "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first of the month, shall be a rest for you, a remembrance by ...

CreationAngelsAdam & EvePatriarchs