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.

God Executes Justice as Egypt Drowns in the Sea

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 23:9

That feeling, that's what we're diving into today, looking at a passage from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The passage opens with a...

Hell/GehennaJosephMosesKing David

Moses: Yitro and the Fires of Gehenna

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 24:3

It might seem a little... unflattering at first glance. But as with so many things in our tradition, there's a depth and beauty to be found when we dig a little deeper. Shemot Rabb...

Hell/GehennaJosephMosesKing David

Moses and the Heavenly Realms of Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:4

The story starts with a grumble. "The entire congregation of the children of Israel complained" (Exodus 16:2). They were wandering in the desert, fresh out of Egypt, and their port...

HeavenJosephMosesProphecy

Manna as Bread from Heaven Earned Through Torah

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:7

The passage begins by linking the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven, to a verse in Proverbs (9:5): "Come, partake of my bread, and drink of the wine I have mixed." What's th...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveNoah & Flood

Jacob and Creation of Eden

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 25:8

The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...

CreationHeavenAdam & EvePatriarchs

What Exactly Did Jethro Hear That Made Him Come

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 27:4

A single event, a powerful moment, that resonates far beyond its origin. The Book of Exodus, or Shemot in Hebrew, tells us that "Yitro heard..." (Exodus 18:1). But what exactly did...

JosephMosesKing DavidSolomon

The Many Surprising Identities and Names of Jethro

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 27:9

The ancient rabbis grappled with this very idea, and their insights, preserved in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of homiletic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, offer some fascina...

Hell/GehennaPatriarchsJosephMoses

Trial of Rabbi Simlai

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 29:1

The book of Deuteronomy (4:33) asks a pretty profound question: “Has a people heard the voice of God [Elohim] speaking [medaber] from the midst of the fire, as you heard, and lived...

JosephMosesKing DavidDivine Names

God Freed Us From Egypt So We Would Accept His Kingship

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 29:3

He says that God declares "I am the Lord your God" precisely because He took us out of Egypt. It's the foundation. He freed us so that we would, in turn, accept His divinity upon o...

JosephEgypt