Parshat Noach

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The story of Noah and the great flood, the ark, the covenant of the rainbow, the Tower of Babel, and the generations from Noah to Abraham. Genesis 6:9-11:32.

Ishmael in Battle and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 47:4

It's right there in the Torah: "Abraham said to God: 'Would that Ishmael might live before You.'" (Genesis 17:18). Seems straightforward. But like so much in our tradition, there's...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMatriarchs

Yosei: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 48:3

Today, let’s delve into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a classical rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis, that explores just that. The passage opens with a quote ...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJob

Destruction of Sodom and Flood

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:5

That’s the feeling that explodes from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We find it in Genesis 18:20: "The Lord said: Because the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because th...

CreationNoah & FloodRepentance

Noah in the Days of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 1:21

to a fascinating passage from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, that touches on this very dilemma and much more. The verse that k...

Noah & FloodMosesTorahSabbath

Hadrian Before the Flood

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 3:13

Jewish tradition grapples with this very idea, and it finds a rather poetic expression in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. The passage...

Noah & FloodMosesSolomonTemple

Abraham and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 6:1

But what does this seemingly simple commandment truly mean? What deeper lessons about mercy and compassion can we learn from a bird's nest? The Rabbis of the Midrash, specifically ...

CreationAdam & EveNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 11:1

Maybe you stumble over your words during a presentation, or completely blank on someone's name. Imagine the pressure, then, of leading a congregation in prayer and making a mistake...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

Amalekites and Noah

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 11:1

And it's a question that the book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet, wrestles with head-on. The verse in question, from Ecclesiastes 1:11, states, "There is no memory of the former ones;...

Noah & FloodJosephKing DavidSolomon

Noah's Transgression and Methuselah

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 15:1

Jewish tradition grapples with this very human experience, and it does so in a fascinating way, using the story of Noah. We find this exploration in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of...

CreationNoah & FloodSolomonWisdom