1,050 texts in Midrash Rabbah
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...
It's like a song with a recurring chorus, reminding us of something vital. Let's look at one of those refrains, the reassurance "Fear not, Abram," and see what echoes it holds. The...
We're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 44 here, and the central question revolves around God's promise to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram, I am a shield for you; your reward is very great" (Ge...
It's packed with hidden meanings, and even a single letter can change everything! Take the word "after," for example. In Hebrew, it can be written as aḥar or aḥarei. Seems like a s...
The Torah tells us that "the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision" (Genesis 15:1). But what kind of word was it? What kind of vision? Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah (44) – that...
The text opens with God's reassurance to Abraham: "Fear not, Abram." But whom did Abraham fear? Rabbi Berekhya suggests it was none other than Shem himself. The passage then draws ...
Abraham, our patriarch, knew that feeling. In (Genesis 15:2), he cries out, "My Lord God, what will You give me, seeing that I go childless, and the one who has charge of my house ...
We often think of them as paragons of faith, figures of unwavering strength. But what about their doubts, their fears about the future? The ancient rabbis, in their beautiful and i...
As we find in (Genesis 15:3), Abraham cries out, "Behold, to me You have not given offspring, and a member of my household is my heir." He's pouring out his heart, expressing his d...
The verse reads, "Behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying: This man will not inherit you; rather, one who shall emerge from your loins, he will inherit you." It’s a pretty...
It all starts with God promising Abraham countless descendants: "Look now to the heavens, and count the stars, if you can count them… So will your offspring be." But it's the phras...
We find this powerful verse in (Genesis 15:7), where God says to Abraham, "I am the Lord who took you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." It seems sim...
We find a fascinating glimpse into that struggle in Bereshit Rabbah 44, a section of the ancient midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection on the Book of Genesis. It ...
Jewish tradition certainly sees echoes of the past in the present, especially when it comes to empires. In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the ...
The Torah uses powerful imagery to describe just such a feeling in (Genesis 15:11): “Birds of prey descended upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.” But what does it really...
That liminal space is rich with meaning, according to Jewish tradition. And it all starts with a single verse. In (Genesis 15:12), we read: "It was as the sun was setting, and a sl...
"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...
one such verse, rich with meaning and implication. In (Genesis 15:14), God tells Abraham, "And also that nation that they will serve, I will judge, and after that they will go out ...
Sometimes, a single letter can unlock a whole new world of understanding. Take the verse from (Genesis 15:14), promising that the Israelites would leave Egypt with "great property....
Specifically, verse 17: “It happened when the sun had set, that there was extreme darkness, and, behold, there was a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between those ...
We find ourselves asking this question in Bereshit Rabbah 44, a midrash – a collection of rabbinic interpretations – on the book of Genesis. The verse in question: "On that day, th...
We often think of the Torah as a clear-cut set of instructions, but sometimes, things get a little… complicated. Take the story of God's promise to Abraham in (Genesis 15:19-21). G...
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...
It centers on Sarai (later Sarah) and Abram (later Abraham), a couple whose journey to parenthood was anything but straightforward. We find them facing a heartbreaking reality: Sar...
They were promised descendants as numerous as the stars, yet years went by in the land of Canaan, barren and seemingly forgotten by destiny. The Torah tells us, “Sarai, Abram’s wif...
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...
Our story centers on Sarai (later Sarah) and Abram (later Abraham), a couple facing the heartbreaking reality of childlessness. Sarai, in a desperate attempt to fulfill the divine ...
It's not always the idyllic picture we might imagine. to a fascinating, and frankly, a bit uncomfortable, passage from Bereshit Rabbah 45, a Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commenta...
That's where our story begins, drawn from the ancient wisdom of Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. "The angel of the Lord found her i...
In Jewish tradition, it's more than just a label. It can be a destiny, a prophecy, a divine decree. : names echo through generations, carrying stories and meanings. But what about ...
Today, let's consider Ishmael, son of Abraham and Hagar, and a rather cryptic verse from Genesis (16:12) that attempts to define him: "He will be a wild man: His hand will be again...
It’s a question that's sparked debate and interpretation for centuries. Today, we're diving into Bereshit Rabbah 45, a fascinating passage from the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive c...
It says, "Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to Abram; He said to him: I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be faultless.” Ninety-nine years old. It’s never t...
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven." We all know the famous line from Ecclesiastes (3:1). But have you ever stopped to consider just how m...
The scene: God, in (Genesis 17:1), reveals Himself to Abraham, saying "I am God Almighty [Shadai]." But what does Shadai really mean? The Rabbis, in Bereshit Rabbah 46, unpack this...
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 ...
But what does it truly signify? And why there? In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, we find a fascinating discussion between Rabbi Yishm...
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...
Specifically, we're looking at Bereshit Rabbah 46, where the rabbis are puzzling over something quite profound: where in the Torah do we find the use of acronyms? And more importan...
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...
What if the very land we stand on, the ground beneath our feet, was conditional? What if it came with strings attached, promises to keep, and a sacred agreement between us and the ...
But in Bereshit Rabbah, that foundational midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text, the rabbis unpack layers of meaning from even a single word. The verse uses the Hebrew ...
It's a fascinating, and sometimes complex, corner of Jewish law. Our guide for today is Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic text – meaning, a co...
to a fascinating exploration of just that, as we unpack a verse from Genesis and see what the Rabbis of old found hidden within its folds. Our journey begins with the powerful word...
It centers around a single verse, (Genesis 17:14), which deals with brit milah, the covenant of circumcision. The verse reads: “And the uncircumcised male who shall not circumcise ...
The Torah portion Lekh Lekha is full of such hidden power, especially when we look at the transformation of Sarai into Sarah, and how that reflects her changing role. "God said to ...
But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw so much more. The Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, dedicates a whole section to unp...
It's right there in (Genesis 17:17): "Abraham fell upon his face, and he laughed. He said in his heart: Shall a child be born to one who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, ...
