Parshat Vayigash

2,911 related texts · Page 156 of 324

Judah's plea for Benjamin, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and Jacob's family descends to Egypt. Genesis 44:18-47:27.

Jacob and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:3

We find him at a crucial point in his life, facing a Divine encounter that echoes a previous one. The text in Bereshit Rabbah 82: “God appeared…again.” That little word "again" is ...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsMoses

Jacob: Elijah and the Patriarchs

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:5

One fascinating passage in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, dives right into this thorny issue. Specifically, it tackles Jacob's bl...

PatriarchsElijahTempleRepentance

Divine Chariot and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:6

Our ancestors did. Genesis 35:13 tells us, "God ascended from upon him, in the place where He had spoken with him." It’s a simple sentence, but it opens a window into a profound id...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMysticism

Jacob: Rachel at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:10

The Torah tells us in Genesis (35:20) that "Jacob established a monument upon her grave; it is the monument of Rachel's grave until today.” But what does it really mean to establis...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsProphecy

Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 82:13

Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. And the verse in question is Genesis 36:6: "Esau took his wives, and his sons...

CreationPatriarchsSolomonWisdom

Rabbis: Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 84:1

Our ancestors knew a thing or two about the struggle to find that peace. Take Jacob, for example. We read in Genesis 37:1, "Jacob settled in the land of his father's residence, in ...

CreationPatriarchsProphecyPrayer

Righteousness of Joseph and Yehuda

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 84:7

Take the story of Joseph, for example. He's often portrayed as the righteous, almost-too-good-to-be-true figure. But was he always? Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of r...

CreationJosephKing DavidSolomon

Marriage of Judah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 85:5

to a passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, and unpack some of the ideas around yibum, or levirate marriage. The story begin...

CreationAdam & EveJosephElijah

Death of Judah and Timna

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 85:6

The Torah certainly understands that feeling. Take this little phrase we find in Genesis 38:12: "The days accumulated…" Sounds innocuous. But in Bereshit Rabbah, the classic collec...

CreationPatriarchsTorahDeath