Parshat Toldot

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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.

Isaac and Creation of Avimelech

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:6

The scene: Isaac is hanging out in the land of the Philistines, near Gerar. Remember, his father Abraham had his own…issues there. And wouldn’t you know it, history seems to be rep...

CreationPatriarchsPrayerShabbat

Isaac and Creation of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 64:8

Take the story of Isaac, son of Abraham, diligently re-digging wells in Beersheba. It's a quick mention in Genesis 26:18: "Isaac again dug the wells of water that they had dug in t...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMoses

Isaac's Transgression and Rebecca

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 65:4

But the Midrash, specifically Bereshit Rabbah 65, really digs into why that bitterness is directed at Isaac first. Why Isaac first? That's the question the rabbis grapple with. And...

CreationPatriarchsSoulPrayer

Isaiah: Isaac and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 65:5

The Torah tells us, "It was when Isaac was old, and his eyes dimmed from seeing, he summoned Esau his elder son, and said to him: My son, and he said to him: Here I am" (Genesis 27...

CreationPatriarchsMosesProphecy

Esau's Prayer

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 67:4

Our story hinges on a moment of profound anguish: "When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out, a very great and bitter cry, and he said to his father: Bless me too, my f...

CreationPatriarchsEstherTorah

Angels of Mercy and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:2

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman begins our story in Bereshit Rabbah 68, by interpreting a verse from Psalms (121:1) as referring directly to Jacob’s experience. “A song of ascents. I lift ...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsKing David

Jacob's Journey and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 68:11

As Genesis 28:11 tells us, "He took from the stones of the place..." but what did he do with those stones? That's where the Rabbis pick up the story and run with it in Bereshit Rab...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidSolomon

Jacob and Creation of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 69:6

That’s almost what happened to Jacob in a pivotal moment of his life, a moment beautifully captured in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book...

CreationPatriarchsKing David

Jacob's Journey and Temple

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 69:7

It's like you've stumbled onto sacred ground without even realizing it. That's kind of what happened to Jacob in the Book of Genesis, and it's explored in a beautiful passage in Be...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsKing David