Parshat Toldot

1,998 related texts · Page 211 of 222

The birth of Jacob and Esau, Esau sells his birthright, Isaac and the Philistines, and Jacob receives Isaac's blessing through deception. Genesis 25:19-28:9.

Abraham in Exile

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48:3

to a fascinating passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a beautiful and somewhat enigmatic work of Jewish lore. We're going to unravel a little mystery surrounding the Israelite sojo...

PatriarchsJosephTorahHoly Land

Noah's Transgression and Ishmael

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48:16

Not just any hand, mind you, but the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Ishmael, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Chapter 48), unveils a fascinating idea: each finger on God's ri...

Noah & FloodPatriarchsMosesTorah

Haman's Transgression

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 50:6

According to Rabbi José, HAMAN wasn’t just a power-hungry villain; he was an astrologer! He meticulously cast lots – Pur, as the verse says – using the constellations to determine ...

HeavenPatriarchsEstherHoly Land

Birth of Sarah and Miracles

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 52:2

Today, let's talk about a detail tucked away in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval text filled with stories and interpretations expanding on the Torah. Specifical...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMatriarchs

Moses Among the Fathers and Zutta

Midrash Aggadah Seder Olam Zutta 1:2

The Seder Olam Zutta (סדר עולם זוטא), meaning "The Lesser Order of the World," is a historical chronicle believed to have been composed sometime after the completion of the better-...

PatriarchsHoly Land

David's Transgression and the Covenant

Midrash Aggadah Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah 3:1

King David certainly did. In the ancient text Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah, we hear David, may his memory be a blessing, express this very sentiment: "My fear is within my joy, and m...

CreationHeavenDemonsNoah & Flood

Holy Temple Among the Fathers

Midrash Aggadah Yalkut Shimoni on Nach 836:6

The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic teachings on the Bible, sheds light on this very question, drawing from Psalm 87:1-2: "Of the sons of Korah, a song with musical accom...

PatriarchsMosesKing DavidTorah

Joseph and the Patriarchs of Rebbe

Midrash Aggadah Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 145:17

She relentlessly pursued him, but he resisted. But the Yalkut Shimoni, that incredible compilation of Midrashic interpretations, gives us a glimpse behind the curtain. Rebbe – and ...

PatriarchsJobTorahMessiah

Angel of the Lord and Lamentations

Other Texts Sifrei Bamidbar 42:2

It's almost like one verse says one thing, and another… well, it says the opposite! It can be confusing. But Jewish tradition is brilliant at wrestling with these apparent contradi...

HeavenAngelsPatriarchsMatriarchs