Parshat Vayigash

2,911 related texts · Page 161 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.

Pharaoh and the Heavenly Realms of Gehenna

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 7:4

Rabbi Levi starts us off with a parable. Imagine a king who owns a beautiful orchard. Now, in this orchard, he plants not only fruit-bearing trees – the kind that give you deliciou...

HeavenAdam & EveJosephMoses

Moses the Lawgiver and Egyptians

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 13:7

That agonizing tease of liberation is a feeling the Israelites knew all too well as they stood on the brink of freedom from Egypt. We find ourselves in the thick of it in Exodus 10...

JosephMosesMiraclesHoly Land

Moses and the Dreamer of Egyptians

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 14:1

In Exodus 10:21, God tells Moses to stretch out his hand, and the text says, "there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, and the darkness will be tangible." Tangible! What does...

JosephMosesKing DavidEgypt

Moses Among the Heavenly Host and Pharaoh

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 15:19

It’s a question that has occupied Jewish thinkers for centuries. And as we delve into Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a parti...

AngelsAdam & EveJosephMoses

Joseph the Ruler and Songs

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 17:2

The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating interpretation from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Exodus. It all begins with a seemingly simple...

JosephKing DavidSolomonTorah

Egypt: Giving of the Torah

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 17:4

We often focus on the miracles, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah. But nestled within that incredible narrative are moments of sheer, unadulterated divine power.....

AngelsCreaturesJosephMoses

When God Created and Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 17:5

The ancient texts offer some fascinating perspectives. Let's look at Exodus 12:23, the verse describing the pasach, the Passover: "The Lord will pass to smite Egypt, and He will se...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodJoseph

Moses: Isaiah and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 18:1

We often read these epic stories in the Torah and just accept that things happened at the right moment. But what if there's a hidden layer of incredible detail beneath the surface,...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

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