Parshat Vayeshev

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Joseph's dreams and his brothers' jealousy, Joseph sold into slavery, Judah and Tamar, and Joseph in Potiphar's house and prison. Genesis 37:1-40:23.

Covenant of Abraham and Inheritance

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 41:9

Our ancestor, Abraham, knew that feeling well. God promised him descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth and an eternal inheritance of land. But what did that really mean? ...

CreationHell/GehennaKing DavidTorah

Kingdom of Amrafel

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 42:1

The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating story from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, and see what we can uncover. We star...

CreationPatriarchsJosephKing David

Kedorlaomer's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 42:6

We're looking at Chapter 42, which grapples with a seemingly simple verse: "Twelve years they served Kedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled" (Genesis 14:4). It sound...

CreationHoly LandExile

Hagar's Offering

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 45:6

It's not always the idyllic picture we might imagine. to a fascinating, and frankly, a bit uncomfortable, passage from Bereshit Rabbah 45, a Midrashic collection interpreting the B...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsMoses

Abraham's Miracle and Joshua

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 46:6

It's never accidental. Jewish tradition teaches us that repetitions often hold profound significance, echoing through generations. Take Abraham, for example, our patriarch. We find...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Abraham's Offering and Levi

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 48:5

It all starts with a verse from Exodus, "You shall make for Me an altar of earth…[I will come to you and I will bless you]" (Exodus 20:21). Rabbi Yitzḥak takes this to heart. He im...

PatriarchsMosesTempleEgypt

Throne Room on High and There

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 51:3

Ever catch a whiff of sulfur and feel a little... uneasy? There's a reason for that, according to ancient Jewish wisdom. It all circles back to the idea of divine justice and the c...

HeavenHell/GehennaKing DavidSoul

Abraham Among the Fathers and Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 52:2

The story of Lot, Abraham's nephew, is a powerful example of this very idea. We find a fascinating, if somewhat harsh, interpretation of Lot's choices in Bereshit Rabbah 52, a coll...

PatriarchsSolomonTemple

Avimelech's Vision and Therefore

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 52:7

The Torah portion Vayera, and specifically Genesis 20:6, offers a fascinating take on this. God speaks to Avimelech, king of Gerar, in a dream after Avimelech takes Sarah, Abraham'...

CreationProphecyPrayerRepentance