Parshat Vayigash

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

Covenant of Abraham and Canaan

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 17:3

Rabbi Zakai of She'av offers a beautiful insight. He imagines the Israelites asking God: "Master of the universe, everywhere else You call it the land of Canaan, but here, ‘the lan...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Giving of the Torah

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 19:33

But in Jewish tradition, there are moments where even MOSES, our greatest prophet, seems to do just that. to one of those fascinating instances from Bamidbar Rabbah 19. The verse w...

CreaturesPatriarchsJosephMoses

Balak: Bilam at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 20:19

The story of Bilam, found in the Book of Numbers, is one wild ride. But the real juicy stuff? It's in the Midrash, specifically Bamidbar Rabbah, which offers a fascinating peek beh...

CreationHell/GehennaAdam & EvePatriarchs

Acts of Creation and Shittim

Midrash Rabbah Bamidbar Rabbah 20:22

Our story begins in Shittim, a place whose name, as we'll see, carries a weight of meaning. "Israel was dwelling in Shittim, and the people began to engage in harlotry with the dau...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Ezekiel and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 37:2

Take, for example, the sons of Ḥam (חָם), Noah's son: "Kush, and Mitzrayim, and Put, and Canaan" (Genesis 10:6). We see the names that echo through history – Mitzrayim, which is Eg...

CreationNoah & FloodPatriarchsJoseph

Abraham's Offering and Behold

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:1

It's easy to imagine them springing forth, fully formed, ready to face any challenge. But what about the times before the heroism, the moments of vulnerability, the struggles that ...

CreationPatriarchsJosephKing David

Saul: David and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:3

The book of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Genesis, makes a fascinating claim. It says that there have been ten famines throughout...

CreationAdam & EvePatriarchsJoseph

Barak at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:4

Abraham suddenly notices his wife is beautiful – like, really beautiful – and expresses concern that the Egyptians will kill him to get to her. He asks her to pretend to be his sis...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Kingdom of Abraham of Sarah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 40:5

The rabbis of old, wrestling with this very question, spun a fascinating tale in Bereshit Rabbah 40, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. The story begi...

CreationHell/GehennaAdam & EvePatriarchs