2,651 related texts · 45 related myths · Page 53 of 56
The verse in (Genesis 22:2) reads, "Please take your son..." Notice something? God doesn't immediately say, "Take Isaac." The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) picks up on...
The third day keeps returning as a day of rescue, from Abraham's journey to Sinai and beyond. Think about Abraham. In (Genesis 22:4), we read, "On the third day, Abraham lifted his...
The Bible tells us the bare bones of the story, but the Rabbis, in their endless quest to understand God's word, delve deeper, seeking hidden meanings and profound truths. In Beres...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Abraham — Samael at the Dawn of Creation. The Book of Genesis gives us the bare bones, but the rabbinic tradition, particularly Bereshit Rabbah, fleshes ou...
The familiar story is this: Abraham, tested by God, is asked to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. He obeys, bringing Isaac to Mount Moriah. Just as Abraham raises his knife, an ang...
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...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Why the Angel Swore an Oath After the Binding. (Genesis 22:15) tells us, "The angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from the heavens." And then...
He's stood on Mount Moriah, knife raised, ready to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. The tension is almost unbearable. And then? (Genesis 22:20) tells us, "It was after these matter...
The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they explored this question through stories, through midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – those beautiful, imaginative expansions on t...
While there aren't easy answers, Jewish tradition grapples with this in profound ways. a fascinating Midrash – a rabbinic interpretation – from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), sp...
It might sound surprising, but the ancient Rabbis certainly thought so! The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bereshit Rabbah 59, explores a fascinating inte...
Blessings is often remembered as material wealth, good health, maybe even a long life. But what if the true blessing is something far deeper, something almost…invisible? The tradit...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Abraham's Suspicious Servant Sent to Find a Wife. Take the story of Abraham sending his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac (Genesis 24). Seems strai...
In the Torah, we find Abraham, the patriarch, facing just such a moment when sending his servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son, Isaac. It's a journey fraught with responsibi...
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...
As we learn in Bereshit Rabbah 60, it's a theme that runs through some pretty significant stories in our tradition. He's standing by a well, praying for a sign. "May it be," he ask...
The story begins with Rebecca, who, upon meeting Eliezer at the well, "ran and told her mother’s household all about these matters" (Genesis 24:28). Now, Rabbi Yoḥanan makes an int...
The story kicks off in (Genesis 24:50-51), where Laban and Betuel, Rebecca's brother and father, respond to Abraham's servant's request for Rebecca's hand in marriage for Isaac. Th...
The Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, certainly had some thoughts. to their fascinating explanations from Bereshit ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Ishmael and Creation of Abraham. "Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Makhpela, in the field of Efron, son of Tzohar the Hittite, that is ...
Our story begins with the verse: "It was after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac lived beside Be’er Laḥai Ro’i" (Genesis 25:11). Be’er Laḥai Ro’i, meaning ...
Often, these repetitions are little clues, hints that there's something deeper going on, something we need to pay close attention to. Take the story of Isaac and Rebecca. (Genesis ...
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 verse in question comes from (1 Chronicles 29:9): “The people rejoiced in their donation, because they donated to the Lord wholeheartedly, and King David too rejoiced with grea...
Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Genesis, presents us with a stark contrast: four individuals who made vows, or nedarim, but w...
It reminds us that even in the depths of despair, we are noticed, and our fortunes can change. The verse in Psalms (145:14) tells us, "The Lord supports all those who fall and He s...
Our journey begins with Leah, one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. (Genesis 29:32) tells us, "Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; she said: Becaus...
The Torah tells us, "Rachel saw that she did not bear children for Jacob; Rachel envied her sister and she said to Jacob: Give me children, and if not, I am dead" (Genesis 30:1). B...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Birth of Elijah. "Zilpa, Leah’s maidservant, bore Jacob a son" (Genesis 30:10). And there's a subtle difference here. With all the other births, the text s...
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 g...
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 desp...
The story of Rachel in the book of Genesis speaks directly to that feeling, and offers a powerful message of hope. The Torah tells us simply, "God remembered Rachel" (Genesis 30:22...
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 ...
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...
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 perhap...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to How Laban Covered Three Days of Travel in a Single Day. Rabbi Abbahu, in Bereshit Rabbah, poses a fascinating question: what Jacob accomplished in three da...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Twenty Years of Faithful Shepherding for Laban. The passage focuses on Jacob’s words to Laban, recounting his two decades of dedicated service. "These twen...
The drama unfolds in (Genesis 31:47), where we read: “Laban called it Yegar Sahaduta and Jacob called it Galed.” Two names, two languages, one pile of stones. What's going on here?...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Present Righteousness Matters More Than Past Mistakes. The Rabbis notice something crucial. The verse doesn't say, "If you were pure and upright," but "If ...
The Torah teaches us about showing appreciation for the benefits we receive, and this sentiment is beautifully explored in Bereshit Rabbah, the classic rabbinic commentary on the B...
The verse tells us, "Dina, daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land." But the rabbis saw much more. The text immediately connects th...
Jewish tradition certainly has. to a fascinating, if unsettling, tale from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah) 80 that explores just that. The verse we’re unpacking is from (2 Kings 1...
That feeling is ancient, etched into the very stories that form our identity. to a moment of that silence, a moment laden with consequence, from the Book of Genesis. The verse tell...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Marriage of Dina. Reish Lakish, a prominent sage of the Talmud, sees something profound in those words. He points out that the Holy One, blessed be He, als...
Sometimes, the answer lies hidden in plain sight, tucked away in ancient commentaries on the Torah. Consider the seemingly simple act of bathing a baby after circumcision. It turns...
Bereshit Rabbah, that beautiful collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, dives deep into this very verse (Genesis 34:25) about Simeon and Levi avenging their ...
Dina, Jacob’s daughter, goes out to visit the women of the land, and is defiled by Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite. Shechem then asks his father to obtain Dina as his wife. Ja...
