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.

Birth of Elijah

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:9

We often have these grand ideas of lineage, of destiny woven into our very DNA. But what if the story is more…complicated? to a passage from Bereshit Rabbah 71 and wrestle with jus...

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Birth of Asher

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 71:10

Sometimes, the answer lies hidden in the stories of our ancestors, like the tale of Asher, one of Jacob's twelve sons. In Genesis 30:12, we read, "Zilpa the maidservant of Leah gav...

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Leah: Rachel at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 72:3

It all comes to mind when we look at the story of Rachel and Leah, and those fateful dudaim, the mandrakes. The scene is set in Genesis 30:15. Rachel, unable to conceive, is desper...

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Leah: Zebulun at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 72:6

We’re talking about Leah, wife of Jacob. You remember Leah: first wife, given in a switcheroo by her father Laban! By this point, she’s already given Jacob a whole bunch of sons. B...

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Birth of Rachel and Aviya

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:5

The verse we're looking at is Genesis 30:23, where Rachel, finally blessed with a son, exclaims, "God has removed my disgrace!" But what exactly is this "disgrace" she's referring ...

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Laban: Dina and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 73:9

We find a classic example of that – and its consequences – in the story of Jacob and Laban. It all revolves around a seemingly simple agreement about sheep, and honesty... or the l...

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Gamliel: Rachel at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:2

It turns out, this isn't just a modern consideration. The ancient rabbis were thinking about this too! Our story today comes from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a collection of ...

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Laban's Transgression

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:3

Jacob, our patriarch, knew that feeling all too well. He was working for his father-in-law, Laban, and things were…complicated. In Genesis 31, we hear Jacob expressing his frustrat...

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Death of Rachel

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 74:4

But the rabbis of the Talmud saw something more. Rabbi Yudan offers one explanation: Rachel died first "because she spoke before her sister." It's a fascinating idea, suggesting pe...

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