2,344 related texts · Page 44 of 49
"Know with certainty that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them and they will oppress them, four hundred years.” That's...
Meanwhile, weeds seem to sprout up effortlessly, choking everything in their path. Jewish tradition grapples with this very question, especially when it comes to something as funda...
The sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explored this very human feeling when grappling with God's command to Abraham to be circumcised. In (Genesis 17:1), God ...
It's never accidental. Jewish tradition teaches us that repetitions often hold profound significance, echoing through generations. Take Abraham, for example, our patriarch. We find...
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...
to a fascinating, and frankly, rather unusual story from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. (Genesis 17:23) tells us that Abr...
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...
(Genesis 18:1) tells us, "He was sitting [yoshev] at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day." But there's more to it than meets the eye. Rabbi Berekhya, quoting Rabbi Levi...
The Torah portion Vayera, and specifically (Genesis 18:19), offers a glimpse into this very idea: "For I love him, so that he will command his children and his household after him,...
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...
The story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom, as explored in Bereshit Rabbah 50, is a stark reminder of how attachment to material possessions can cloud our judgment and even enda...
The passage comes from Bereshit Rabbah 55, a treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. It all starts with a verse from the prophet Micah (6:6): “With what ...
It’s a beautiful image, isn't it? But what does it really mean? Our sages, grappling with this very verse, connected it to something we say every day: a blessing. Specifically, the...
The Torah tells us, "Abraham came to lament for Sarah, and to weep for her" (Genesis 23:2). Simple enough. But where did he come from? That's where things get interesting. The sage...
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, ...
Our focus is (Genesis 23:17-18), describing how Abraham acquired the field of Ephron, including the cave of Makhpela, as a burial place. "The field of Ephron that was in Makhpela t...
The Torah tells us that Abraham was old, zaken (Genesis 24:1). But the rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah 59 ask, what does that really signify? The rabbis dig deep, finding layers of meani...
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...
In Bereshit Rabbah, the classic midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic (interpretive) text on Genesis, we find a fascinating discussion, a divergence of opinions on the natur...
We find a poignant example in the story of Abraham's burial, as recounted in Bereshit Rabbah 62, a section of the classic midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection th...
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), ...
We find ourselves in the time of Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba, a prominent sage. Someone brings him a zargun, a starling. The question? Is it kosher? Is it okay to eat according to Jewish law...
It turns out, even the clothes in the Torah have a tale to spin. to a fascinating Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) about Esau's special garments, found in Bereshit Rabbah...
Our story begins with Esau, the elder twin of Jacob. He approaches his father, Isaac, with a request, a plea for a blessing. (Genesis 27:31) tells us, "He, too, prepared delicacies...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is one that resonates with that feeling, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) grappled with it intense...
Our story hinges on a moment of profound anguish: "When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out, a very great and bitter cry, and he said to his father: Bless me too, my f...
Specifically, we’re going to zoom in on a moment of high tension, guided by the insights of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis...
Take the story of Jacob and Esau, a tale filled with sibling rivalry, deception, and a mother's desperate attempt to protect her son. When Rebecca realizes the danger Jacob is in a...
The kind that makes you want to throw your hands up and say, "Enough!" Well, pull up a chair, because the story of Rebecca and Isaac, and the mess with Esau's wives, takes family d...
Rabbi Ḥanina, quoting Rabbi Pinḥas, makes a striking observation in Bereshit Rabbah. He points out that the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – are mentioned eighteen times in...
Seems straightforward. But a curious question arises, a question that leads us into a fascinating rabbinic debate found in Bereshit Rabbah 70. The scene opens with an idolater tryi...
We often think of the big players – kings, prophets, warriors – as isolated figures. But Jewish tradition reminds us that even the mightiest oak grows from the smallest acorn, and ...
We all know the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. But have you ever paused to really consider Leah's eyes? (Genesis 29:17) tells us, "Leah’s eyes were delicate and Rachel was of be...
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...
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...
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...
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 referrin...
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 ...
(Genesis 31:22) tells us, "It was told to Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled." Three days! That's all it took for word to reach Laban. But here’s where it gets interesting....
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...
But our Sages, those brilliant interpreters of the sacred texts, saw something… different. They noticed something peculiar about the word "kissed" – vayishakehu – in the original H...
to Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of Rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. In section 79, we find a fascinating exploration of the verse from (Job 8:6): “If you a...
His story, as told in Bereshit Rabbah (the great commentary on Genesis), is a masterclass in turning sorrow into joy, sowing in tears and reaping with songs. The verse says, "Jacob...
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...
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...
And they weren't afraid to dig deep, wrestle with the text, and offer their own interpretations. Take the story of Dina, daughter of Leah, and her unfortunate encounter with Sheche...
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. We're in the s...
