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.

Angels at the Throne and Yisakhar

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 1:13

Our sages grappled with this very question, particularly when considering the difference between how God communicates with the prophets of Israel and the prophets of other nations....

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Rabbi Shimon's Transgression and Abraham

Midrash Rabbah Vayikra Rabbah 9:9

In Vayikra Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Leviticus, we find a powerful exploration of peace. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai declares that "Great is peace, as all...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs

Angels Attend to Moses and Nahaliel

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 5:1

The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. And they found echoes of this idea even in the seemingly simple words of the Psalms. Specifically, in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rab...

AngelsPatriarchsMosesKing David

Ishmael at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 5:6

to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, that grapples with this very issue. The midrash (interpretive storytelling) s...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsSolomon

Abraham and the Origins of the World

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 8:5

That feeling, that confrontation with the vastness of creation, is something Jewish tradition wrestles with too. How do we, tiny humans, fit into this grand cosmic tapestry? Midras...

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Abraham's Transgression and Gabriel

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 117:4

This particular midrash, specifically on Psalm 117, tackles the idea of praising God, but it does so in a way you might not expect. It starts with Abraham, our patriarch, being thr...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsDaniel

Sihon and the Angels

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 136:6

Ever hear a story so wild, so larger-than-life, that you just have to lean in and ask, "Wait, really?" Well, buckle up, because we're diving into one of those tales today, straight...

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Angels Attend to Jacob and Moses

Midrash Aggadah Pesikta DeRav Kahana 7:3

The text opens with a verse from Isaiah (44:26): "[God] confirmeth the word of His servant, and performeth the counsel of His messengers; that saith of Jerusalem: 'She shall be inh...

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Angelic Hierarchies and Abraham

Book of Jasher Jasher 20

Today, we're diving into one of those: a chapter from the Book of Jasher. Now, the Book of Jasher isn't part of the Jewish or Christian biblical canon. It's considered apocryphal, ...

AngelsPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph