Parshat Vayechi

2,039 related texts · Page 138 of 227

Jacob blesses his sons and grandsons with prophetic blessings, Jacob's death and burial, and Joseph's final years. Genesis 47:28-50:26.

Leah: Zebulun at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 72:6

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...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsProphecy

Rachel's Transgression and Benjamin

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:4

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...

PatriarchsMatriarchsJosephKing David

Joseph: Esau and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:7

That’s the kind of feeling we get when we delve into Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. Specifically, let’s look at verse 30:...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Laban's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:3

Jacob, our patriarch, knew that feeling all too well. He was working for his father-in-law, Laban, and things were…complicated. In Genesis 31, we hear Jacob expressing his frustrat...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsProphecy

Laban's Vision

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:7

It’s a question that’s been pondered for centuries, and our tradition offers some fascinating insights. a passage from Bereshit Rabbah 74, which delves into the nature of prophecy ...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsSolomon

Birth of Dina

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 80:1

The verse tells us, "Dina, daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land." Seems simple enough. But the rabbis saw much more. The text im...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsSolomon

Marriage of Dina

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 80:7

We're in Genesis 34, the story of Dina, Jacob's daughter, and Shechem, the son of Hamor, the prince of the land. Shechem has taken Dina, and now Hamor is trying to negotiate a marr...

CreationPatriarchsElijahProphecy

Death of Benjamin and Rachel

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:9

They often hold a world of meaning, a glimpse into the hopes and fears of the parents. Take Rachel, for example, and the birth of her son. The Torah tells us, in Genesis 35:18, "It...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsKing David

Mehetavel and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 83:4

to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 83, which takes a see...

CreationPatriarchsElijahProphecy