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.

Birth of Rachel and Aviya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:5

The verse we're looking at is Genesis 30:23, where Rachel, finally blessed with a son, exclaims, "God has removed my disgrace!" But what exactly is this "disgrace" she's referring ...

CreationMatriarchsJosephProphecy

Joseph: Esau and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:7

That’s the kind of feeling we get when we delve into Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. Specifically, let’s look at verse 30:...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Laban: Dina and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:9

We find a classic example of that – and its consequences – in the story of Jacob and Laban. It all revolves around a seemingly simple agreement about sheep, and honesty... or the l...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsSolomon

Jacob's Transgression and Huna

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:10

The Torah tells us, "Jacob took for himself rods of fresh poplar, and almond, and plane; he peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white that was in the rods” (Genesis 30:37). ...

CreationAngelsPatriarchs

Jacob: World to Come

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:11

We often think of money, houses, cars... but what about flocks? Genesis 30:43 tells us that Jacob, the patriarch, "became exceedingly prosperous." Now, "prosperous" is an understat...

CreationPatriarchsMessiah

Gamliel: Rachel at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:2

It turns out, this isn't just a modern consideration. The ancient rabbis were thinking about this too! Our story today comes from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a collection of ...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchs

Laban's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:3

Jacob, our patriarch, knew that feeling all too well. He was working for his father-in-law, Laban, and things were…complicated. In Genesis 31, we hear Jacob expressing his frustrat...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsProphecy

Death of Rachel

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:4

But the rabbis of the Talmud saw something more. Rabbi Yudan offers one explanation: Rachel died first "because she spoke before her sister." It's a fascinating idea, suggesting pe...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsSolomon

Kingdom of Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:6

Genesis 31:22 tells us, "It was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled." Three days! That's all it took for word to reach Laban. But here’s where it gets interesting. R...

CreationPatriarchs