Parshat Vayigash

2,911 related texts · Page 68 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.

Issachar: Rabbi Meir at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 94:7

I was reading in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, and I stumbled across just such a moment. It revolves around a rather pointed exc...

CreationPatriarchsJosephHoly Land

Abraham Beyond the Firmament and Moses

Midrash Rabbah Devarim Rabbah 7:8

Take reading from the Torah, for example. The verse we're looking at is from Deuteronomy 29:2: "Moses summoned all Israel, and he said to them: You have seen everything that the Lo...

HeavenPatriarchsJosephMoses

Moses and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Shemot Rabbah 3:4

That's the situation Moses found himself in. In Exodus 3:11, Moses cries out to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should take the children of Israel out of Eg...

CreationPatriarchsJosephMoses

Sarah: Kingdom of Abraham

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Tehillim 105:4

The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found evidence of it woven throughout the stories of our ancestors. to a fascinating little gem from Midrash Tehillim (a collection of ra...

CreationPatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Death of Machpelah and Esau

Midrash Aggadah Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 39:14

The scene: The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, the ancient burial ground purchased by Abraham himself. Jacob, also known as Israel, has passed away in Egypt, and his sons are bringing...

PatriarchsJosephEgyptSinai

Zebulon and the Patriarchs

Apocrypha Book of Jubilees 28:33

We find ourselves in the thick of it, with Jacob still working for his wily father-in-law, Laban. Leah, already the mother of many, conceives again. And the Book of Jubilees, ever ...

PatriarchsMatriarchsJoseph

Er's Legacy

Apocrypha Book of Jubilees 45:1

Today, let's talk about the number seventy. Specifically, the seventy souls of Jacob’s family who went down to Egypt. It's a seemingly simple statement, isn’t it? "And all the soul...

PatriarchsJosephHoly LandEgypt

Tarshish and the Patriarchs

Book of Jasher Jasher 50

It's one of those fascinating texts just outside the mainstream of the Hebrew Bible, referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18), yet remaining somewhat mysteri...

PatriarchsJosephMosesSoul

Death of Magron

Book of Jasher Jasher 58

We know the biblical account, but there are other traditions that fill in the gaps, offering a more detailed picture of his reign. Today, we’re diving into Chapter 58 of the Book o...

PatriarchsJosephMosesWisdom