Parshat Vayishlach

3,612 related texts · Page 136 of 402

Jacob wrestles with the angel, his reunion with Esau, the incident at Shechem, Rachel's death, and the genealogy of Esau. Genesis 32:4-36:43.

Ministering Angels and Ptolemy

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 46:10

But in Bereshit Rabbah, that foundational midrashic text, the rabbis unpack layers of meaning from even a single word. The verse uses the Hebrew word "nemaltem," meaning "you shall...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodTorah

Abraham's Offering and Levi

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 48:5

It all starts with a verse from Exodus, "You shall make for Me an altar of earth…[I will come to you and I will bless you]" (Exodus 20:21). Rabbi Yitzḥak takes this to heart. He im...

PatriarchsMosesTempleEgypt

Abraham: Shem and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 49:1

We find ourselves pondering this in Bereshit Rabbah 49, where Rabbi Eleazar raises a fascinating question. How do we understand instances in the Torah where individuals seem to be ...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Abraham and the Angels of Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:4

The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, gives us a glimpse into this very idea through the contrasting actions of Abraham and Lot. We find ourselves in Genesis chapter 19, where Lot enc...

CreationPatriarchsPrayer

Abraham and the Angels of Sodom

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 50:7

The story, of course, is from Genesis 19:9. Lot, Abraham's nephew, has welcomed two angelic guests into his home. The men of Sodom, consumed by lust and cruelty, surround the house...

CreationPatriarchsTorahJudgment

Wisdom of Abraham and Levi

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 59:7

We often think of blessings as material wealth, good health, maybe even a long life. But what if the true blessing is something far deeper, something almost…invisible? Let’s turn t...

PatriarchsMatriarchsTorahPrayer

Sarah: Rebecca and the Origins of the World

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 63:7

In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, specifically in section 63, we find a discussion around the verse, "The Lord said to her" (Genesis 25:23), ...

CreationAngelsNoah & FloodPatriarchs

Marriage of Esau

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 65:1

to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. It tackles a seemingly simple verse: "Esau was forty years old, and ...

CreationPatriarchsMosesKing David

Esau and the Patriarchs of Yehuda

Midrash Rabbah Bereshit Rabbah 65:2

We often think of fate, of serendipity, maybe even algorithms these days. But Jewish tradition offers a far more profound and frankly, audacious, answer. : the idea that someone, s...

PatriarchsKing David