While there aren't easy answers, Jewish tradition grapples with this in profound ways. Today, we're diving into a fascinating Midrash – a rabbinic interpretation – from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), specifically section 57, that circles around the enigmatic figure of Job and his connection to Abraham.
The passage begins with a seemingly straightforward verse from (Genesis 22:21), listing the descendants of Abraham's nephew: "Utz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel, father of Aram." But the rabbis, with their keen eyes and interpretive hearts, see something more. One interpretation suggests that Abraham feared further suffering. He worried that God would test him yet again, this time with physical pain. But the Holy One, blessed be He, reassured him: "You need not fear, the one who will experience it has already been born. 'Utz his firstborn, and Buz his brother.'"
Now, here’s where it gets really interesting. The Midrash connects "Utz" to Job. As it says, "Utz refers to Job." When exactly did Job live? Reish Lakish, citing bar Kappara, boldly states: "He lived in the days of Abraham," backing it up with the verse "Utz his firstborn" and the opening line of the Book of Job: "There was a man in the land of Utz, Job was his name" (Job 1:1). The Midrash understands this to mean that Utz was another name for Job!
But hold on! Other rabbis have different ideas. Rabbi Yaakov bar Kahana posits that Job lived during the time of Jacob. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana even suggests that Dina, Jacob's daughter, was Job's wife! He draws a parallel between Job's wife's words – "You are speaking like one of the disgraceful women [hanevalot] speak" (Job 2:10) – and the description of the outrage [nevala] committed against Dina in (Genesis 34:7). It’s a fascinating, if somewhat unsettling, connection.
Rabbi Levi offers yet another timeline, placing Job in the era of the Tribes, the twelve sons of Jacob. He references (Job 15:17-18), linking the "wise men" who "speak up and do not withhold from their fathers" to Reuben and Judah, who confessed their sins. Their reward? "To them alone the land was given" (Job 15:19). According to Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta, Job was born as Jacob’s family descended to Egypt and died as they ascended, living exactly 210 years, the same amount of time the Israelites spent in Egypt.
Why all these different opinions? Well, it shows the Rabbis struggling to place Job within the grand narrative of Jewish history, trying to understand his suffering in relation to the struggles of the Jewish people.
And here’s a powerful analogy. The Midrash says that Satan came before God to accuse Israel of idolatry in Egypt. But God redirected Satan's attention to Job! Rabbi Ḥananya son of Rabbi Aḥa compares this to a shepherd throwing a goat to a wolf to protect the flock, or someone tossing bread to a dog at a feast. God, in a sense, uses Job as a buffer, a diversion. Job himself laments this in (Job 16:11), saying, "God hands me over to the unjust one, and by means of the wicked, He misdirects me." He’d rather the suffering be directed towards righteous people if it meant sparing the sinful Israelites.
The debate continues. Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda believes Job lived during the time of the Judges, a period described as "worthless" in Bava Batra 15b. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman suggests the era of the Chaldeans, citing (Job 1:17), while Rabbi Natan points to the kingdom of Sheba (Job 1:15). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa places him in the time of Aḥashverosh, noting the exceptional beauty of Job's daughters (Job 42:15), echoing the search for beautiful virgins in (Esther 2:2).
Then, Reish Lakish throws a curveball: "Job did not exist at all." Wait, what? Did he change his mind? Well, not exactly. Reish Lakish clarifies that Job might not have actually experienced the suffering described in the book. Instead, the story serves as a hypothetical, a testament to human resilience. If such suffering had befallen him, he would have been able to withstand it.
Other views emerge. Rabbi Yoḥanan sees Job as one of those who returned from the Babylonian exile, an Israelite with a Torah academy in Tiberias, whose actions provided the basis for mourning rituals. Rabbi Ḥanina, however, insists Job was a gentile. Rabbi Ḥiyya adds that God rewarded Job in this world and dismissed him from the World to Come.
The passage then returns to Genesis, connecting Job’s lineage to Laban, who Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi suggests is the same as Kemuel. Why Kemuel? Because he "arose [kam] against the nation of God [El]."
Finally, the Midrash paints a grim picture of the descendants of Abraham's concubine, Re'uma. Rabbi Yitzḥak interprets their names as foreshadowing punishment: Tevaḥ (slaughtered), Gaḥam (excised), Taḥash (weakened), and Maakha (crushed).
So, what are we to make of all this? This exploration of Bereshit Rabbah 57 isn't just a dry historical exercise. It's a window into how our ancestors grappled with profound questions of faith, suffering, and divine justice. It reminds us that the stories we tell, even those we interpret as allegorical, can hold deep truths about the human condition. And maybe, just maybe, understanding Job's story can help us find strength when facing our own trials, knowing that even in the darkest of times, the human spirit can endure.
“Utz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel, father of Aram” (Genesis 22:21). Another interpretation, he [Abraham] feared experiencing suffering.8He feared that God would test him yet again, this time with physical suffering. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You need not [fear], the one who will experience it [suffering] has already been born. “Utz his firstborn, and Buz his brother.”’9Utz refers to Job, as the Midrash goes on to explain. When did Job live? Reish Lakish said in the name of bar Kappara: He lived in the days of Abraham, as it is stated: “Utz his firstborn” and it is written: “There was a man in the land of Utz, Job was his name” (Job 1:1).10The Midrash interprets this to mean that Utz had another name, namely Job. Rabbi Yaakov bar Kahana said: He lived in the days of Jacob, as Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Dina was Job’s wife, as it is written regarding Job’s wife: “You are speaking like one of the disgraceful women [hanevalot] speak,” (Job 2:10), and it is written in Dina’s regard: “For he had committed an outrage [nevala] in Israel” (Genesis 34:7). Rabbi Levi said: He lived in the days of the Tribes.11The twelve sons of Jacob. That is what is written: “[This I have seen, and I shall tell of it,] that wise men speak up and do not withhold from their fathers” (Job 15:17–18) – this refers to Reuben and Judah.12They both spoke up and admitted that they had committed grievous sins (see Sota 7b). What reward did they receive for this? “To them alone the land was given” (Job 15:19). Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta: While they [Jacob’s family] were going down to Egypt, he [Job] was born, and while they were going up [from there], he died. You find that the sum of Job’s years was exactly two hundred and ten years, and Israel spent two hundred and ten years in Egypt. Satan came [before God] to present accusations [against Israel],13For worshiping idols while they were in Egypt. but He incited him instead against Job. Rabbi Ḥananya son of Rabbi Aḥa said: This is analogous to a shepherd who was standing and watching over his flock. A wolf came and confronted him. He said [to his assistants]: ‘Throw him one goat so he can satisfy his aggression with it.’ Rabbi Ḥama said: This is analogous to someone who was sitting at a feast. A dog came and confronted him. He said [to his attendants]: ‘Give him a loaf of bread so he can satisfy his aggression with it.’ So, too, Satan came [before God] to present accusations [against Israel] and He incited him instead against Job. That is what is written: “God hands me over to the unjust one, and by means of the wicked, He misdirects me” (Job 16:11) – would that it had been for righteous people,14I would not care so much if Satan’s malice had been redirected to me in order to protect righteous people from him, but in fact the people of Israel were sinful at that time. but they were wicked people. Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda says: He [Job] lived during the days when the judges judged. That is what is written: ‘“Behold, all of you have seen it; why do you accuse me of worthlessness?” (Job 27:12).15It is the generation of the Judges that is described to as being worthless (see Bava Batra 15b). You have seen my actions and the actions of my generation. You have seen my actions: Mitzvot and good deeds; the actions of my generation: They seek to pay the fee of prostitutes from the threshing floor.’16The first thing they do with their hard-earned grain is to spend it on immoral behavior. It is not the way of the righteous to pay the fee of prostitutes from the threshing floors.17They spend their money on mitzvot and good deeds, not on sinful activity. That is what is written: “You have loved the prostitute’s fee upon every threshing floor of grain” (Hosea 9:1). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: He [Job] lived in the days of the Chaldeans, as it is stated: “The Chaldeans set three columns” (Job 1:17). Rabbi Natan said: He lived during the kingdom of Sheba, as it is stated: “Sheba fell upon them and took them” (Job 1:15). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: He lived during the days of Aḥashverosh, in whose regard it is written: “Let them seek for the king virgin young women who are of fair appearance” (Esther 2:2), and it is written: “No women as beautiful as the daughters of Job were found in all the land” (Job 42:15). Reish Lakish said: Job did not exist at all.18The entire book of Job is an allegory, not a narration of a true story. Did Reish Lakish reverse his opinion? For elsewhere, Reish Lakish said in the name of bar Kappara: He lived in the days of Abraham, but here he says that Job did not exist at all. [No, he did not change his opinion.] What did he mean by: [Job] did not exist at all? [He meant only that] he did not actually experience the suffering that was written about him. Why, then, was it written about him? The intent was to say that if it had befallen him, he would have been able to withstand it. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He [Job] was one of those who came up from the [Babylonian] exile. He was an Israelite, and he had a Torah academy in Tiberias. That is why they learned the laws of rending one’s garments19Upon hearing tragic news (see Job 1:20). and the blessing of mourners20See Job 1:21. from his actions. That is what is written: “Job rose, and he rent his robe” (Job 1:20) – from here we learn that a person must rend his garments while standing. Rabbi Ḥanina said: He was [not an Israelite, but] a gentile. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: [God said:] ‘One righteous gentile arose for Me among the nations of the world, I gave him his reward21In this world (see Job 42:12). and dismissed him.’22From the World to Come. Who was that? It was Job. “Utz his firstborn […and Kemuel, father of Aram]” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Laban is the same as Kemuel. Why was he named Kemuel? It is because he arose [kam] against the nation of God [El]. “And his concubine, and her name was Re'uma, she, too, bore, Tevaḥ, and Gaḥam, and Taḥash, and Maakha” (Genesis 22:24). “And his concubine, and her name was Re’uma…” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: All of them were named with the idea of punishment:23For they were all wicked. Tevaḥ – they are slaughtered [tevaḥun]; Gaḥam – they are excised [gemaḥun]; Taḥash – they are weakened [teḥashun]; Maakha – they are crushed [me’akhun].
