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Take the story of Jacob and Esau and that fateful bowl of lentil stew. We often think of it as a simple transaction, a hungry Esau trading away his birthright for a quick meal. But...
Let’s look at Isaac, the son of Abraham. The book of Genesis tells us, "There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was during the days of Abraham, and Isaac went...
We find ourselves in the time of Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba, a prominent sage. Someone brings him a zargun, a starling. The question? Is it kosher? Is it okay to eat according to Jewish law...
The Torah, and the wisdom of our Sages, are deeply concerned with justice, with making sure the scales are balanced. And the story of Isaac and his sons, Jacob and Esau, is a power...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're diving into chapter 65, which grapples with the character...
The scene: Jacob is about to deceive his father Isaac in order to receive the blessing meant for his brother Esau. He's understandably nervous. "Behold," he says to Rebecca, "Esau ...
It turns out, even the clothes in the Torah have a tale to spin. to a fascinating Midrash about Esau's special garments, found in Bereshit Rabbah 65. In Genesis 27:15, we read, “Re...
Our story begins with Esau, the elder twin of Jacob. He approaches his father, Isaac, with a request, a plea for a blessing. Genesis 27:31 tells us, "He, too, prepared delicacies, ...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is one that resonates with that feeling, and the Rabbis of the Midrash grappled with it intensely. What was going on in Isaac’s mi...
