Parshat Vayechi

2,005 related texts · Page 190 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.

Naphtali at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:17

First, "Naphtali is a doe let loose [sheluḥa]." The Rabbis connect this to the land of Naphtali being full of irrigated fields [beit hashelaḥin]. They point to Deuteronomy 3:17, wh...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Asher's Transgression of Naphtali

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 99:12

We start with Asher. Jacob's blessing, "From Asher, his bread is rich, and he will provide royal delicacies," (Genesis 49:20) seems straightforward enough. But the rabbis in Beresh...

CreationJosephMosesProphecy

Teachings of Moses

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 1:14

Our ancestors certainly did. And in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, we find a beautiful explanation of why Moses chose the stars as a...

MosesProphecyHoly Land

Isaac: Esau and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 1:19

The story of Esau and Jacob is a classic example, and the Rabbis in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Deuteronomy, unpack it with incredible ...

CreationPatriarchsKing DavidSolomon

Hadrian Before the Flood

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 3:13

Jewish tradition grapples with this very idea, and it finds a rather poetic expression in Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy. The passage...

Noah & FloodMosesSolomonTemple

Adam: Moses and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 11:3

The verse in question comes from Proverbs 31:29: "Many women have performed valiantly, but you have surpassed them all." But who is the "you" being referred to here? According to t...

CreationHeavenAngelsAdam & Eve

Seeing Beyond the Veil

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 4:3

Kohelet Rabbah, a fascinating exploration of the book of Ecclesiastes, delves into this very idea, offering a surprisingly hopeful perspective. The verse they latch onto is a power...

MessiahProphecy

Moses and the King of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 9:1

"What was is what will be," it says, "and what was done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). But is that really true? Are we just doome...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTemple

First Days of Existence and Shmuel

Midrash Rabbah Kohelet Rabbah 12:1

You're dropped right into the action, and you wonder, "Wait, shouldn't this have been explained earlier?" Well, the ancient rabbis grappled with a similar feeling about the Book of...

CreationMosesKing DavidSolomon