3,492 related texts · Page 21 of 73
He sees the very first verses of Genesis as a foreshadowing of the choices we all face. "The earth was emptiness (tohu vavohu)" – he says, that represents the actions of the wicked...
The Torah, in the book of Genesis (Bereshit), gives us a glimpse of just how fleeting paradise can be. The verse says, "They were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were no...
to a fascinating little exploration from Bereshit Rabbah 23, where they unpack the Hebrew word huḥal (הוחל), meaning "then commenced." The discussion kicks off with Rabbi Simon, wh...
We find ourselves in Bereshit Rabbah 37, grappling with the descendants of Noah, specifically the lineage of Yefet. (Genesis 10:2) lays it out: “The sons of Yefet: Gomer, and Magog...
We find a list in the Book of Genesis, chapter 10, verses 15-19, detailing the descendants of Canaan, son of Ham. "And Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Ḥet," the Torah tells u...
It happens to the best of us. And sometimes, the reason is more profound than just a lack of sleep or a complicated explanation. Our story begins with the Tower of Babel. Remember ...
Take this story from Bereshit Rabbah 39, a midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – that is, an interpretive commentary – on the Book of Genesis. Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi ...
It’s more profound than you might think. (Genesis 12:5) tells us, “Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot, son of his brother, and all their property that they had acquired, and the pe...
Turns out, that impulse might be older – and more significant – than you think. We’re talking about land, about ownership, and about the very act of claiming something as your own....
The passage opens with Abram, later known as Abraham, learning that his brother has been taken captive. The text connects this to a verse from Isaiah (33:15): "He seals his ears fr...
The Book of (Genesis 14:15) tells us, "He divided up against them at night, he and his servants, and he smote them and pursued them until Ḥova, which is north of Damascus." But it’...
Turns out, even Abraham, our patriarch, felt that way. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. In this passage, the v...
The Torah touches on this very issue, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, offer some pretty fascinating expla...
The Torah tells us in (Genesis 17:5), "Your name will no longer be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations." Seems pre...
The ancient rabbis grappled with that all the time, and their discussions, preserved in texts like Bereshit Rabbah, offer some fascinating, and sometimes surprising, insights. We f...
We'll be looking at Bereshit Rabbah 49, which unpacks Abraham's famous negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom. Remember the story? God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah b...
It might be more surprising – and down-to-earth – than you think. Our text from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, dives into...
Jewish tradition wrestles with this question constantly, and one powerful lens through which we explore it is the story of Abraham and the binding of Isaac, the Akeidah. Genesis 22...
The story of Abraham and the binding of Isaac, the Akeidah, is a cornerstone of Jewish tradition, and within it, a tiny detail holds profound meaning. It's in the repetition of Abr...
Names hold power, history, and sometimes, the very essence of a place. Take Jerusalem, for example. Its story, according to the ancient Rabbis, is far more intricate than you might...
The story of Abraham burying Sarah in the book of Genesis, specifically as explored in Bereshit Rabbah 58, really brings that feeling to life. "Abraham arose from before his dead, ...
The story of Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, gives us a powerful glimpse. In (Genesis 24:12), we find Eliezer on a crucial mission: to find a wife for Isaac. He prays, "Lord, God of my...
It’s a beautiful, cyclical relationship, one that Jewish tradition explores in fascinating ways. Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ge...
It seems that this feeling, envy, is as old as the hills – or at least as old as the stories in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Ou...
The story centers around (Genesis 31:53), where we find the line: "The God of Abraham, and the god of Nahor, the god of their father, will judge between us. Jacob took an oath by t...
The story of Judah and Tamar, found in Genesis 38, is a powerful exploration of just that. And the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, unpack the layers of this narrative in Bereshit...
But Jewish tradition, with its beautiful layers of interpretation, sees something far deeper. The rabbis of Bereshit Rabbah, an ancient and profound commentary on the Book of Genes...
The book of Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the book of Deuteronomy, tackles this very question, and the answers might surprise you. It all starts with a vers...
to a fascinating exploration from Devarim Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Deuteronomy, and see what we can uncover. "Hear, Israel" (Shema Yisrael) – these...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet as it's known in Hebrew, wrestles with these very feelings. And Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of Ecclesiastes, dives...
"For to the man who is good before Him, He gave wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner He gave the task to gather and to amass, to give to one who is good before God. This, ...
The book of Ecclesiastes, or Kohelet in Hebrew, speaks to this feeling with raw honesty. And the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, found layers of meaning within its verses, especi...
Specifically, they focused on the verse in (Ecclesiastes 5:16): "In addition, all his days, he eats in darkness, and has much anger, illness, and rage." What does it mean to live i...
One minute you're soaring, the next you're... well, not. Jewish tradition understands this ebb and flow, this dance between joy and sorrow, and offers wisdom on how to navigate it....
Something that makes you think, "Surely, there's someone better suited for this!" Well, you're not alone. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, had a moment of reluctance. to a f...
to one of those fascinating in-between moments, found in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The text focuses on a seemingly simple phras...
The Torah tells us, "Behold, I will rain down tomorrow at this time very severe hail, that there has not been like it in Egypt since the day it was founded until now" (Exodus 9:18)...
"Moses extended his hand toward the heavens, and there was a thick darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, and no one rose from his place...
It's easy to see them as simply divine punishments, but Jewish tradition often delves deeper, searching for layers of meaning and nuance. Let's look at the plague of darkness, as e...
The ancient rabbis wrestled with this very question, using stories to illuminate the heart of our relationship with God. One such story, found in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rab...
We often think of it as being solely for the sake of the Israelites, to free them from slavery. But what if there was another, deeper reason? Shemot Rabbah, the collection of Midra...
Our story begins with the verse, "It was when Pharaoh let the people go..." (Exodus). But it's not just a simple statement. It's an invitation to reflect on the sheer audacity of G...
And they found a surprising way to express it. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating reading of the verse, "Then M...
Jewish tradition says a resounding "YES!" And one of the most beautiful examples of this is found in the stories surrounding the manna, that miraculous bread from heaven that susta...
It's not just about rules, it's about life itself. That's the powerful message we find in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. The text op...
We often think of it as just a structure, but according to Jewish tradition, every single element, every color, every placement, held profound meaning. Take the Hoshen, the breastp...
It's more than just handing something over. It's like tossing a pebble into a pond, the ripples go far beyond what you can see. Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretati...
And in our tradition, we often turn to stories to explore these complex emotions and find a path forward. Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Shemot Rabbah, a colle...
