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Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're diving into chapter 65, which grapples with the character...
The scene: Jacob is about to deceive his father Isaac in order to receive the blessing meant for his brother Esau. He's understandably nervous. "Behold," he says to Rebecca, "Esau ...
Take the tale of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau. We all know the basics: Jacob deceives his father, Isaac, and steals Esau's blessing. But what happens after? What was Isaac really thinkin...
That feeling is at the heart of our story today, a story about brothers, blessings, and a whole lot of bad blood. We're diving into Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 67, a Midr...
We're looking at Genesis 28:14, a blessing given to Jacob: "Your descendants will be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the nor...
Specifically, Bereshit Rabbah 70 wrestles with a tricky part of Jacob's story. After his dream of the ladder, Jacob makes a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me i...
Jewish tradition offers comfort and hope in those moments. It reminds us that even in the depths of despair, we are noticed, and our fortunes can change. The verse in Psalms (145:1...
We’re talking about Leah, wife of Jacob. You remember Leah: first wife, given in a switcheroo by her father Laban! By this point, she’s already given Jacob a whole bunch of sons. B...
Our story begins with Rachel, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. She was barren, a source of immense sorrow in a time when children were seen as a woman's greatest blessin...