3,200 related texts · Page 15 of 67
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...
It opens with the seemingly simple phrase: "At the entrance [petaḥ] of the tent [ohel]." This refers to Abraham sitting at the entrance of his tent, welcoming guests. But, as is so...
But the Rabbis of Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of Rabbinic interpretations on Genesis, find layers of meaning we might otherwise miss. According to Bereshit Rabbah, ...
I've been pondering just that as I was reading through Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 48, which elaborates on a seemingly simple verse: (Genesis 18:6). It reads, "Abraham hu...
But the Rabbis of Bereshit Rabbah – that amazing collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis – see so much more. First, that "butter and milk" bit. What kind of butter are we...
The three angels, disguised as men, are visiting Abraham, and they ask him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" He replies, "Behold, in the tent.” Simple enough. But here’s the thing: in s...
We're looking at the story of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, when she overhears that she's going to have a child at the ripe old age of 90. Her reaction? A little chuckle to herself. As (G...
Sounds wild. to it. The story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. We're looking at section 48, which deals with the...
What does it mean to approach God? That's precisely what the Rabbis grapple with in Bereshit Rabbah 49. The text opens with that powerful line from Genesis, "Abraham approached, an...
Our ancestor Abraham certainly did. We find him in a tense back-and-forth with God in Genesis, pleading for the city of Sodom. It's a story we all know. God's about to destroy Sodo...
That feeling is at the heart of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. We all know the story: wickedness, fire, brimstone. But what about the sheer, physical devastation? How did it actu...
Specifically, we're diving into Bereshit Rabbah 52, which unpacks a tricky moment in Abraham's story. Remember when Abraham and Sarah are traveling, and Abraham introduces Sarah as...
It's more than just a label; it's a key to understanding a person’s essence and their role in the grand tapestry of existence. Take the name ISAAC, Yitzḥak in Hebrew. It's so much ...
The verse we're looking at is (Genesis 21:7): "She said: Who would have announced to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I bore a son for his old age.” It's Sarah, speakin...
Our story begins with a simple line from (Genesis 21:8): “The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.” Simple enough. But the Rabbis, in ...
The Torah tells us Sarah saw Ishmael "playing" (Genesis 21:9), and it was enough for her to demand, in no uncertain terms, that Hagar and Ishmael be banished. But what exactly did ...
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...
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...
We know the story: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son. But what about the whispers, the doubts, the anxieties that surely must have plagued them both? The Book of Ge...
He needs to acquire a burial plot. And what unfolds is a fascinating negotiation, a real estate transaction steeped in cultural nuance, as recorded in Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabb...
We often focus on practicalities, but sometimes, the ancient texts remind us that there’s much more at stake than meets the eye. Take the story of Abraham sending his servant to fi...
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...
The story unfolds in Genesis chapter 24. Abraham has tasked his most trusted servant (traditionally identified as Eliezer) with a monumental mission: to find a wife for his son, Is...
"Happy is the man who has not walked…" – and then it lists the paths we should avoid: the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, the company of the insolent. According to Beres...
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 ...
It's not just filling space! 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...
The verse in Genesis (25:21) tells us, "Isaac entreated the Lord opposite his wife, because she was barren, and the Lord acceded to his entreaty, and Rebecca his wife conceived." S...
We find a fascinating, and perhaps unsettling, answer in Bereshit Rabbah 63, a section of the ancient Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) that delves into the lives of Abrah...
The scene: Isaac is hanging out in the land of the Philistines, near Gerar. Remember, his father Abraham had his own…issues there. And wouldn’t you know it, history seems to be rep...
But the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bereshit Rabbah 65, really digs into why that bitterness is directed at Isaac first. Why Isaac first? That's the qu...
But what if these weren’t just random occurrences? What if they were, in a way, requested? Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa opens a fascinating door into this idea, stating, "Much, Lord my G...
The ancients certainly did. And in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of Rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, we find a fascinating glimpse into their thoughts on death, destiny...
That's the tightrope Jacob walked in the famous episode where he deceives his father, Isaac, to steal the blessing meant for his brother, Esau. The story, as we find it in Genesis ...
Can words truly shape destiny? The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found layers of meaning hidden within the simplest verses. to one of those verses, and see what secrets we...
Our ancestors grappled with this very question of agency and divine intervention. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Boo...
You know, the one where he says, "Behold, from the fat of the earth will be your dwelling, and from the dew of the heavens from above." It sounds pretty good. But the sages of Bere...
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...
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...
It wasn't just about being born into the right family. According to ancient texts, active conversion played a huge role. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah that sheds li...
We often focus on the main narrative, but Jewish tradition is rich with interpretations that fill in the gaps, offering deeper insights into the characters and their motivations. L...
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 ...
But it’s actually a question pondered in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ecclesiastes. to the fascinating ways our Sages understood the seem...
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...
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...
One perspective comes to us from Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah 44, we find a powerful idea connected to the story ...
Take, for instance, this powerful moment described in Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus. We find Moses, pleading with God. The Israelite...
And the story of how he did it, according to Shemot Rabbah, is The verse says, "Remember Abraham..." But the question is, why Abraham? Why not just appeal to God's mercy directly? ...
It’s more than just a physical structure. According to Shemot Rabbah, it’s deeply connected to the very essence of Jewish survival and destiny. The name itself hints at its purpose...
