Parshat Vayera

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Three angels visit Abraham, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the birth of Isaac, and the Binding of Isaac (the Akedah). Genesis 18:1-22:24.

Wisdom of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:3

Our sages certainly did. And they found a fascinating answer, tucked away in the very words God used when speaking to Abraham. The passage we're looking at comes from Bereshit Rabb...

CreationPatriarchs

When God Created of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:4

The Torah portion Vayera, and specifically Genesis 18:19, offers a glimpse into this very idea: "For I love him, so that he will command his children and his household after him, t...

CreationPatriarchsTorahPrayer

Lot at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:9

The verse that kicks it all off: "Lot's two daughters conceived from their father" (Genesis 19:36). Simple enough on the surface. But immediately, the rabbis of the Midrash dive in...

CreationPatriarchsSolomonTorah

Kingdom of Abraham and Avimelekh

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 52:12

to one of those moments, a scene ripe with intrigue, involving Abraham, Sarah, and Avimelekh, king of Gerar. The story unfolds in Genesis 20. Avimelekh, deceived by Abraham’s claim...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Sarah: Abraham at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 53:3

We’re going to do just that, diving into a fascinating interpretation from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis. It all starts with a...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsKing David

Sarah: Covenant of Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 53:4

Psalm 119:89 declares, “Forever, Lord, Your word stands firm in the heavens.” But does this mean it doesn’t stand firm here, with us? Our sages grappled with this, finding an answe...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMatriarchs

Sarah's Prayer

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 53:5

The Torah, and the rabbinic tradition that blossoms from it, is obsessed with this very question. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 53, a midrash – a rabbinic interpret...

CreationHell/GehennaAngelsPatriarchs

Abraham and Creation of Yosei

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 54:3

The story revolves around Abraham and Avimelekh in Genesis 21. Abraham, as the verse tells us, "reprimanded Avimelekh regarding the well of water that Avimelekh's servants had stol...

CreationPatriarchsSolomonWisdom

Covenant of Abraham and Avimelekh

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 54:4

Jewish tradition certainly thinks so. to a passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, to see just how much weight our Sa...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph