Parshat Vayechi

2,005 related texts · Page 87 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.

Jacob in Battle and Abraham

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 36:16

Our story begins with Jacob, completely unaware of the drama unfolding within his own family. Remember when Rachel, his beloved wife, stole her father Laban’s Teraphim – household ...

AngelsAdam & EvePatriarchsMatriarchs

David in Battle and Jacob

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 37:1

It all starts with King David, and his ambition to conquer the land of Edom. According to this ancient text, David really wanted to come into the land of Edom, but he couldn't. Why...

AngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchsKing David

Jacob Wrestles the Angel

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 37:4

We all know the story: Jacob, preparing to face his estranged brother Esau, finds himself grappling with a mysterious figure in the dead of night. The Torah tells us "a man" wrestl...

AngelsAdam & EvePatriarchsHoly Land

Jacob Among the Heavenly Host

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 37:5

Our ancestor Jacob had that experience, big time, at the ford of the Jabbok (יַבֹּק), a river mentioned in Genesis. The story, as told in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (chapter 37), a fas...

AngelsPatriarchs

Jacob and the Patriarchs

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 37:8

The ancient texts are full of such moments, and they often reveal hidden truths about human nature. to one of those stories, a fascinating take on the reunion of Jacob and Esau. Re...

PatriarchsTorahHoly Land

Jacob's Transgression

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 37:9

to a fascinating passage from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, specifically chapter 37, that wrestles with this very issue, focusing on the complex relationship between Jacob and Esau. The ...

PatriarchsMessiahWisdom

Jacob's Legacy

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 39:2

Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating early medieval Midrash, dives right into this question. It presents a somewhat… unusual… perspective on how Jacob’s family was structured. We ...

PatriarchsJosephTorahEgypt

Jacob: Joseph's Vision

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 39:5

The text tells us that Rabbi Ishmael reflects on a very specific moment. Ten times, the sons of Jacob addressed Joseph as "thy servant, our father." Ten times they repeated this st...

PatriarchsJosephSoulRepentance

Abraham Isaac and Jacob of Egypt

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 48:14

We read the story every Passover, we sing the songs, but sometimes the sheer horror of it can get lost in the ritual. Rabbi Akiva, a towering figure in Jewish tradition, pulls no p...

Noah & FloodPatriarchsJosephMoses