3,287 related texts · Page 42 of 69
Chapter 2 Our forefather Jacob was 63 when he was blessed. Ishmael died at that time as is written, "Esau saw that Isaac had blessed...Jacob listened to his father...Esau saw [the ...
Pharaoh's daughter did not accidentally find Moses. According to Sotah 12b, she came to the river to immerse herself—not for bathing, but to wash away the spiritual impurity of her...
3 The Staff of Your Strength G-d shall send forth from Zion. Which staff is this? This is the staff of Jacob about which it is said: "Because with my staff I crossed this Jordan." ...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said: ‘and God delivered Israel that day’ (Exodus 14:30); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem Jeremiah said: ‘God has put me into the hands o...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘the sea saw them and fled, the Jordan turned backward’ (Psalms 114:2); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said ‘by the river...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘the mountains skipped like rams’(Psalms 114:4); And when Israel went out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said 'I look at the mountains, they are q...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘God your God has been with you these past forty years: you have lacked nothing’ (Deuteronomy 2:7); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem,...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘and in the wilderness, where you saw how God your God carried you, as a man carries his son’(Deuteronomy 1:31); and when they went out of...
When they went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘while you, who held fast to God your God, are all alive today’ (Deuteronomy 4:4); and when they went out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said ‘the t...
When they went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘and the cloud of God was on them by day’ (Numbers 10:34); and when they went out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said ‘[You have screened Yourself o...
When they went out of Egypt, they broke out in song, as it is written: ‘then Moses and the children of Israel sang the song’ (Exodus 15:1); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem th...
On the last day of his life, Moses did something no prophet had ever done — he dressed his successor in public, with his own hands. He commanded that a golden throne be brought, al...
"Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) Vayisu": It is based on the verse "They journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pur...
The Egyptians brought their case before Alexander of Macedon, and they were confident they would win. Their claim was simple: when the Israelites left Egypt during the Exodus, they...
Benjamin the Righteous served as the guardian of the community charity fund. Every donation that came in, every disbursement that went out, passed through his honest hands. The peo...
Rabbi Meir was traveling through Samaria when he encountered a Samaritan who was proud of his lineage. "I am a descendant of Joseph," the man declared — claiming descent from the m...
The sages would not allow a girl to do as she wanted or to expose herself before the man, who had become lovesick and very ill in consequence. Licentiousness was not to be encourag...
Korah was the richest man who ever lived — and his wealth destroyed him. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teaches that three hundred mules were needed just to carry t...
A woman was weeping and mourning over the grave of her dead husband for a long time. Close by stood a gallows and a watchman was appointed by the king to see that none of the bodie...
The sages taught that physical cleanliness was not merely a matter of hygiene — it was a spiritual discipline that could literally make a person shine. Rabbi Judah HaNasi, known si...
After Alexander the Great conquered the known world, the Egyptians saw an opportunity to settle old scores with the Jews. They came before Alexander's tribunal with a legal claim: ...
The Roman emperor Antoninus had a private and unusual friendship with Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, the compiler of the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law). They met in secret and d...
A psalm of David, written after Doeg the Edomite betrayed him — that's where Aggadat Bereshit anchors the story of Jacob's ladder. Strange placement. But the rabbis had a method. D...
The vision of Obadiah — the shortest prophetic book in the Hebrew Bible — is entirely about the punishment of Edom. Rabbi Berachiah asked: why did God choose Obadiah specifically f...
Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt (Genesis 42:1). He saw it — but the midrash immediately pivots to a verse from Proverbs: "The ear that hears and the eye that sees — the Lor...
"A man or woman..." It begins like that, doesn't it? So simple, yet so profound. It reminds us of the verse: "For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who scorn Me will be di...
We find one such moment in Bamidbar Rabbah 12, nestled within the Book of Numbers. It's a story about offerings, divine reassurance, and the enduring nature of service. The passage...
It’s a question that our Sages grappled with, and Bamidbar Rabbah 14 dives deep into the reasons behind this seemingly small detail. The verse we’re focusing on is from (Numbers 7:...
We're talking about Adam and Eve, and their first children, Cain and Abel. We all know the story, but Jewish tradition often dives deeper, asking questions you might never have con...
The passage opens with a verse from (Genesis 13:10): "Lot raised his eyes and saw the entire plain of the Jordan, that it was all watered, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomor...
It’s a powerful scene, thick with emotion. But according to Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, there's so much more going on ...
The ancient rabbis pondered this very feeling when they explored the verse, "And [Abraham] went to Ḥaran" (Genesis 11:31). What does it really mean to go somewhere? Bereshit Rabbah...
to one fascinating example, found in Bereshit Rabbah 68, which takes a familiar image – Jacob's ladder – and connects it to a very different dream, that of King Nebuchadnezzar. Rem...
The ancient rabbis certainly did.It sheds light on the complex relationship between Leah, Jacob, and the birth of the tribes of Israel. The text opens with Leah going out to meet J...
In the Torah, seemingly straightforward words often ripple with hidden depths, revealing layers of symbolism that speak to our history, our hopes, and our ultimate destiny. Take Ja...
There's a fascinating little drama tucked away in the story of Jacob preparing to meet his brother Esau, a drama involving a chest, a daughter, and a divine rebuke. It all starts w...
It's often through layers of interpretation, connecting seemingly unrelated verses to reveal deeper truths. Let's look at a fascinating example from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection o...
It’s a feeling as old as...well, as old as Jacob, actually. to a fascinating little corner of Bereshit Rabbah, a treasure trove of rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis, and s...
They often hold a world of meaning, a glimpse into the hopes and fears of the parents. Take Rachel, for example, and the birth of her son. The Torah tells us, in (Genesis 35:18), "...
Like everyone's shouting, "Me! Me! It's all about me!" Well, the ancient rabbis felt that too, and they captured this human tendency in a beautiful, earthy parable found in Bereshi...
"They sat to eat bread…" Rabbi Aḥva bar Ze’eira points out something profound here. He says, "The transgression of the tribes is remembered forever; it gave hope to the world." Isn...
The verse in question is from (Genesis 38:15): “Judah saw her and thought her to be a harlot, because she covered her face.” What's so significant about this seemingly simple obser...
We're looking at Chapter 85, which tackles the complex story of Judah and Tamar. Remember the story? Judah, grieving the loss of his wife, encounters Tamar, disguised as a prostitu...
That’s exactly what happens when we delve into the story of Tamar and Judah in Genesis 38. It's a tale filled with deception, bravery, and some pretty intense family drama. Today, ...
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...
Sometimes, it takes more than human testimony. Sometimes, it requires a little…divine intervention. Our story begins with Judah, of the tribe of Judah, and Tamar, his daughter-in-l...
The story of Joseph in Egypt, as recounted in Bereshit Rabbah, offers a powerful, and surprisingly intimate, glimpse into just that. We all know the outlines of the story: Joseph, ...
The Torah is brimming with them, and Jewish tradition loves to unpack their layers of meaning. Take the dream of the chief butler in the Joseph story. In (Genesis 40:9), he recount...
