Parshat Vayechi

2,005 related texts · Page 186 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.

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

Yitz: Rebecca at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 67:9

Specifically, we’re going to zoom in on a moment of high tension, guided by the insights of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidMessiah

Birth of Rebecca

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 67:10

Take the story of Jacob and Esau, a tale filled with sibling rivalry, deception, and a mother's desperate attempt to protect her son. When Rebecca realizes the danger Jacob is in a...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchs

Isaac: Rebecca at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 67:11

The kind that makes you want to throw your hands up and say, "Enough!" Well, pull up a chair, because the story of Rebecca and Isaac, and the mess with Esau's wives, takes family d...

CreationPatriarchs

Leah: Laban at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 70:15

We often think of the big players – kings, prophets, warriors – as isolated figures. But Jewish tradition reminds us that even the mightiest oak grows from the smallest acorn, and ...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Leah: Laban and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 70:16

We all know the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. But have you ever paused to really consider Leah's eyes? Genesis 29:17 tells us, "Leah’s eyes were delicate and Rachel was of beau...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsPrayer

Leah's Journey

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:3

Our journey begins with Leah, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. Genesis 29:32 tells us, "Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; she said: Because ...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMatriarchs

Leah: Rachel and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:6

The Torah tells us, "Rachel saw that she did not bear children for Jacob; Rachel envied her sister and she said to Jacob: Give me children, and if not, I am dead" (Genesis 30:1). B...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Birth of Elijah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:9

We often have these grand ideas of lineage, of destiny woven into our very DNA. But what if the story is more…complicated? to a passage from Bereshit Rabbah 71 and wrestle with jus...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsMoses