Parshat Vayechi

2,005 related texts · Page 185 of 223

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

World to Come and David

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 59:6

The Torah tells us that Abraham was old, zaken (Genesis 24:1). But the rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah 59 ask, what does that really signify? The rabbis dig deep, finding layers of meani...

PatriarchsMosesKing DavidSolomon

Rebecca: Laban at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 60:7

The story begins with Rebecca, who, upon meeting Eliezer at the well, "ran and told her mother’s household all about these matters" (Genesis 24:28). Now, Rabbi Yoḥanan makes an int...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsMatriarchs

Birth of Ishmael and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 61:6

In Bereshit Rabbah, the classic midrashic (interpretive) text on Genesis, we find a fascinating discussion, a divergence of opinions on the nature of Abraham's inheritance to Isaac...

CreationPatriarchs

Ishmael and Creation of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 62:2

We find a poignant example in the story of Abraham's burial, as recounted in Bereshit Rabbah 62, a section of the classic midrashic collection that delves into the book of Genesis....

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchs

Sarah: Rebecca and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 63:7

In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, specifically in section 63, we find a discussion around the verse, "The Lord said to her" (Genesis 25:23), ...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Esau's Legacy and Rabba

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 65:3

We find ourselves in the time of Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba, a prominent sage. Someone brings him a zargun, a starling. The question? Is it kosher? Is it okay to eat according to Jewish law...

PatriarchsHoly Land

Rebecca: Esau and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 65:16

It turns out, even the clothes in the Torah have a tale to spin. to a fascinating Midrash about Esau's special garments, found in Bereshit Rabbah 65. In Genesis 27:15, we read, “Re...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsSolomon

Esau's Transgression of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 66:7

Our story begins with Esau, the elder twin of Jacob. He approaches his father, Isaac, with a request, a plea for a blessing. Genesis 27:31 tells us, "He, too, prepared delicacies, ...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidSolomon

Esau: Isaac's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 67:2

The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is one that resonates with that feeling, and the Rabbis of the Midrash grappled with it intensely. What was going on in Isaac’s mi...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsSolomon