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Take the story of Jacob meeting Rachel at the well. It seems straightforward: boy meets girl, asks about her family, gets the scoop. But according to Bereshit Rabbah, ancient rabbi...
The verse in question is Genesis 29:31: “The Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and He opened her womb, and Rachel was barren.” Seems straightforward. But Rabbi Binyamin links this to...
Our journey begins with Leah, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. Genesis 29:32 tells us, "Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; she said: Because ...
It all starts simply enough: "Reuben went during the days of wheat harvest, found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to Leah, his mother. Rachel said to Leah: Please give me ...
It all comes to mind when we look at the story of Rachel and Leah, and those fateful dudaim, the mandrakes. The scene is set in Genesis 30:15. Rachel, unable to conceive, is desper...
But the rabbis of the Talmud saw something more. Rabbi Yudan offers one explanation: Rachel died first "because she spoke before her sister." It's a fascinating idea, suggesting pe...
The scene: Jacob, after years of service to his less-than-honest uncle Laban, has finally made his escape with his wives, children, and flocks. But Laban pursues him, catching up o...
In the Torah, seemingly straightforward words often ripple with hidden depths, revealing layers of symbolism that speak to our history, our hopes, and our ultimate destiny. Take Ja...
It turns out, even our greatest heroes struggled with this. We find ourselves in Bereshit Rabbah 76, a section of the ancient rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis. The scene ...
