Parshat Lech Lecha

9,573 related texts · Page 959 of 1064

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.

Abbahu: Solomon at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 11:1

The ancient rabbis, in Kohelet Rabbah, that treasure trove of commentary on Ecclesiastes, dive deep into this verse. Rabbi Tanhuma suggests a simple, elegant idea: the world came i...

CreationNoah & FloodMosesKing David

Zekharya in Heaven

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 16:1

The verse from Ecclesiastes (3:16) sets the stage: “Moreover, I have seen, under the sun, in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of justice there is wickedn...

HeavenHell/GehennaMosesKing David

Esau and Creation of Yosei

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 7:1

The Book of Ecclesiastes – or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew – grapples with this very feeling. It asks us: what do we do when we see injustice seemingly rewarded? Specifically, K...

CreationPatriarchsSolomonEsther

Zion and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 8:3

Like that perfect cup of coffee, or maybe... mitzvot? That’s the question bubbling up from Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes. In chapter 8, we f...

MosesTempleHoly Land

Edom and Adam

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 8:5

The ancient Rabbis certainly did. In Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes, we find a series of stories, almost like little parables,...

Adam & EveMosesTorahTemple

David and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 10:2

Jewish tradition has some fascinating, layered answers. to one, found in Kohelet Rabbah, a midrashic (interpretive) commentary on the Book of Ecclesiastes. It offers a powerful, po...

CreationAngelsKing DavidSolomon

Wisdom of Rabbi Shimon and Eila

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 11:4

That’s a feeling woven deep into the tapestry of Jewish tradition, a feeling the rabbis grappled with intensely. how they expressed it. The story begins with the passing of Ḥiyya b...

CreationPatriarchsJosephSolomon

Eve Among the Fathers and Zeira

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 11:5

The story begins with a loss. When Rabbi Bon ben Rabbi Ḥiyya passed away, Rabbi Zeira rose to eulogize him, choosing the verse: “Sweet is the sleep of the laborer.” (Ecclesiastes 5...

PatriarchsMosesTorahMessiah

Eli Before the King

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 19:1

The Book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, certainly grapples with this very human feeling. And within Kohelet Rabbah, the rabbinic commentary on Ecclesiastes, w...

SolomonHoly Land