Parshat Vayigash

2,872 related texts · Page 27 of 320

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

Joseph's Vision of Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 84:12

Imagine telling your brothers, and instead of support, you get…envy. Pure, unadulterated envy. That's exactly what we find in Genesis 37:12: "His brothers envied him; but his fathe...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsJoseph

Judah: Death of Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 84:21

The Torah tells us, "All his sons and all his daughters arose to console him, but he refused to be consoled; he said: For I will descend mourning to the grave, to my son. His fathe...

CreationPatriarchsJosephTorah

Egypt: Joseph at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 86:2

That feeling isn't new. Our ancestors wrestled with it too. Let’s delve into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Gen...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaNoah & Flood

Kingdom of Joseph of Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 87:3

The Book of Job certainly seems to think so. "For He pays a person for his action," it says (Job 34:11). And the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that magnificent collection of rabbinic ...

CreationHell/GehennaPatriarchsJoseph

Pharaoh: Joseph at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 89:9

Talk about a whirlwind! As we read in Genesis 41:14, "Pharaoh sent and summoned Joseph, [and they rushed him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed his garments, and came to Pharaoh]...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Jacob and Creation of Egypt

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 91:2

The story begins with Jacob observing his sons. "Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?" he asks them. But what exactly did he mean? According to this Midrash, Jacob wasn't just w...

CreationPatriarchsJosephEgypt

Egypt: Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 96:1

It's even woven into the very fabric of the Torah. : we read in Genesis 47:28, "Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were one...

CreationPatriarchsJosephJob

Trial of Joseph and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 98:18

The Torah describes Joseph as a "fruitful tree, a fruitful tree alongside a spring; branches run over the wall" (Genesis 49:22). But what does that really mean? The rabbis in Beres...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Jacob: Joseph and Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 100:3

The sages grappled with this question, and their answers reveal fascinating insights into divine justice and human fallibility. Our story begins, as it often does, in the Book of G...

CreationPatriarchsJosephProphecy