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.

Pharaoh's Song and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 20:5

The verse says, "it was when Pharaoh let the people go," (Exodus 13:17) which leads us to Song of Songs 4:13: "Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates." Rabbi Levi uses a para...

PatriarchsJosephMosesKing David

Pharaoh's Transgression and Adonai

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 20:7

We often think of the Israelites, finally free after generations of slavery. But what if Pharaoh himself was the one shedding tears? That's the surprising question raised in Shemot...

JosephMosesHoly LandEgypt

Ephraim at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 20:11

The book of Exodus tells us, “God did not lead them via the land [derekh eretz]” (Exodus 13:17). But what exactly does that mean? Well, Shemot Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbi...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Humility of Moses and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 20:12

The ancient rabbis grappled with this very feeling when they looked at the Exodus story. The Torah tells us that God "did not lead them" – lo naham – after Pharaoh finally let the ...

JosephMosesHoly LandEgypt

Heroines of Israel and Canaanites

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 20:16

But the Torah tells us, "God did not lead them [naḥam]" that way. (Exodus 13:17). So, what gives? There's more to this story than meets the eye. The Rabbis of the Midrash, specific...

MatriarchsMosesHoly LandEgypt

Moses's Prayer and Esau

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 21:1

The Israelites are trapped. The sea is before them, Pharaoh's army is closing in from behind. Panic is in the air. They cry out to God, as we read in Exodus 14:10: "The children of...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Moses's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 23:7

The story begins, as we all know, with the parting of the Red Sea. A moment of unimaginable salvation for the Israelites, fleeing slavery in Egypt. Moses leads the people, and as t...

JosephMosesKing DavidProphecy

Songs of David and Jerusalem

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 23:10

And they found a surprising way to express it. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating reading of the verse, "Then M...

MosesKing DavidSolomonTorah

Song at the Sea and Israelites

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 23:12

Shemot Rabbah, a rich collection of Midrashic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offers a powerful reading of the verse "Then Moses…sang [this song]" (Exodus 15:1). But what ex...

CreationHell/GehennaNoah & FloodJoseph