Parshat Lech Lecha

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God calls Abraham to leave his homeland for Canaan. Covers Abraham and Sarah in Egypt, the separation from Lot, the war of the kings, and the covenant between the pieces. Genesis 12:1-17:27.

Joseph and His Brothers of Hosea

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 28:7

We often hear about its benefits, but Jewish tradition also explores its potential pitfalls, especially when it comes to spiritual well-being. Rabbi Elazar, commenting on the verse...

JosephJobProphecyRepentance

Satan and Creation of Nehemya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:7

We all know the basic plot: humanity, united and speaking one language, decides to build a tower so tall it reaches the heavens. God, not thrilled with this ambition, scatters them...

CreationDemonsSolomonJob

Mitzrayim and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 38:8

We all know the basic story: humanity, unified and speaking a single language, decides to build a tower reaching the heavens. God, not thrilled with this display of hubris, scatter...

CreationMosesSolomonPrayer

Ruth and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 41:4

The book of Genesis, Bereshit, is brimming with these moments. Take Lot, Abraham's nephew. We remember him mostly for his unfortunate choice of neighbors: the wicked inhabitants of...

CreationKing David

Ministering Angels and Ptolemy

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 46:10

But in Bereshit Rabbah, that foundational midrashic text, the rabbis unpack layers of meaning from even a single word. The verse uses the Hebrew word "nemaltem," meaning "you shall...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodTorah

Pillars of Existence and Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:5

The story of Sodom, as recounted in Bereshit (Genesis), is full of chilling moments, but one particular exchange, elaborated upon in Bereshit Rabbah 50, really gets to the heart of...

Creation

Sodom: Ruth at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:10

Jewish tradition is rich with insights into these liminal spaces, and one passage in Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah) 50, really caught my attention. It's all about Lot's escape fr...

CreationAngelsKing David

Destruction of Sodom and David

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:7

to a fascinating link between Lot, of Sodom and Gomorrah fame, and King David, the shepherd-turned-king. It all starts in a cave… Genesis 19:30 tells us, "Lot ascended from Tzoar a...

CreationKing DavidTorah

Dinah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 80:2

That’s a feeling that echoes through the story of Dinah in the Book of Genesis, and it explodes with dramatic force in the rabbinic interpretations. Dinah, daughter of Leah, ventur...

CreationMatriarchsMiracles