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.

The Binding of Isaac and Shekhinah

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 32:14

Our story today circles around the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, a pivotal moment in Jewish tradition. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text filled with aggadi...

HeavenPatriarchsSoulPrayer

Jacob's Transgression and Rebecca

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 32:15

Here he is, a man learned in Torah, yet understandably terrified of receiving his father's curse instead of a blessing. Can you blame him? His mother, Rebecca, steps in, offering a...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsTorah

Isaac's Transgression and Judah

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 32:16

Rabbi Judah paints a vivid picture. He tells us that Isaac, when blessing Jacob, bestowed upon him ten distinct blessings. Now, these weren't just any blessings. They were specific...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsHoly Land

Abraham Among the Fathers

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 34:5

Rabbi Ẓe'era, a sage of the Talmudic era, shared a powerful image: When we pass from this world, our souls don't simply float off into the void. Instead, they gather together, "eac...

PatriarchsSoul

Lord God Among the Fathers

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 34:10

Jewish tradition, rich with layers of meaning and metaphor, grapples with this in some fascinating ways. to one particularly vivid description found in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fa...

Patriarchs

Jacob's Vision and Abraham

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 35:1

Jewish tradition is full of stories that remind us that endings can be far more significant than beginnings. Take the tale of Jacob's vision at Bethel, for instance, a moment forev...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMessiah

Death of Abel

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 35:2

Take lentils, for example. They might seem like just another legume, but in Jewish tradition, they carry a heavy weight of sorrow and mourning. Why is that? Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer,...

PatriarchsTempleMiraclesHoly Land

Jacob's Vision and Angels

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 35:6

Tonight, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapter 35, that does just that. It centers on Jacob, later known as Israel, and a pivota...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaAngels

Jacob's Vision and Jerusalem

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 35:7

Jacob certainly did. We find him waking up, not with a stretch and a yawn, but in sheer terror. Why? Because of a dream, of course. A dream of a ladder stretching to the heavens, a...

HeavenPatriarchsHoly Land