Parshat Vayechi

2,005 related texts · Page 189 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.

Birth of Perez

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 85:13

It's amazing what you can find when you start digging! Take the story of Tamar giving birth to twins, Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:27-30). Did you know that even the way the word "t...

CreationPatriarchs

Pharaoh's Vision and Nile

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 89:4

It opens with a simple question: "And Pharaoh was dreaming" – do not all people dream? What’s so special about his? The answer, according to Rabbi Yoḥanan, is that a king’s dream p...

CreationJosephMosesKing David

Joseph: Pharaoh at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 91:5

The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found fascinating insights in the story of Joseph in Egypt. In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of G...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Holy Spirit and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 91:6

That’s kind of what happened to Jacob after Joseph disappeared, according to the ancient commentary, Bereshit Rabbah. The Torah tells us, "Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] i...

CreationHell/GehennaPatriarchsJoseph

Judah in Battle and Joseph

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 93:7

This moment, fraught with tension and brotherly love disguised as animosity, is explored in a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 93. The story opens with a quote from Ecclesi...

CreationPatriarchsJosephSolomon

Moses Among the Fathers and Zimri

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 96:3

The ancient Rabbis certainly noticed it. They saw it woven into the very fabric of the Torah, these moments where authority seems to… loosen. Our story today comes from Bereshit Ra...

PatriarchsJosephMosesKing David

Joseph: Moses at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 97:6

Specifically, we're going to look at section 97, which unpacks Jacob's final words to Joseph. The verse in question is Genesis 48:21: "Israel said to Joseph: Behold, I am dying, an...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Mount Tavor and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:12

It wasn't just a simple story; it was a portal to layers of meaning, hidden connections, and profound insights. Take Jacob's blessing to his son Issachar in Genesis 49:14-15: “Issa...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsSolomon

Acts of Creation and Joshua

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:15

The story begins with the tribes of Reuben and Gad. As Israel was in the process of conquering and dividing the land, these tribes, as the midrash tells it, had left young children...

CreationPatriarchsMosesPrayer