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The Torah tells us, "The Lord God said: Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now, he might extend his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and ...
As always, the rabbis of old had some fascinating ideas. The verse from Job (14:20) sets the stage: “You grant him power forever, and he is gone; You alter his countenance and send...
This week, we're diving into a passage from Bereshit Rabbah 26, a rich collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, that wrestles with this very question. The ver...
It’s a powerful, devastating verse that sets the stage for the Flood. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), in Bereshit Rabbah, weren't content with a s...
It wasn't just a knee-jerk reaction of gratitude. According to Bereshit Rabbah, the ancient midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) (interpretive) text on Genesis, there was s...
Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, tackles this very question, and it turns out, it's a battle as old as time. The text starts with a...
The very beginning of that relationship, after the flood, is what we're talking about today. Specifically, the verses in Genesis 9 that deal with what we can and cannot do in this ...
The Torah gives us a glimpse in the story of Noah and his sons after the flood (Genesis 9:20-27). It's a tale of nakedness, shame, and ultimately, divine reward and retribution. to...
We're going to look at the story of the cities of Babel and Nineveh and what their fates reveal. Our journey starts with (Genesis 10:10): “The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, a...
The Torah gives us glimpses, but it's in the rabbinic stories, the aggadah (non-legal rabbinic narrative), that we really get a sense of the spiritual climate. One story, found in ...
Our guide? The ancient Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at ...
We're talking about the famous verse in (Genesis 12:1), the very beginning of Abraham's journey: "Go you [lekh lekha] from your country, your people and your father’s household to ...
A powerful promise from God to Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, and one who curses you, I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you" (Genesis...
Our story begins with the seemingly simple phrase: "It was in the days of Amrafel..." (Genesis 14:1). But the Rabbis, masters of interpretation, saw so much more within those words...
Our sages certainly did. to a fascinating exploration from Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 42, where they dissect the phrase "vayhi bimei" (וַיְהִי בִּמֵי), "it was in the da...
We start with the line: "It was in the days of Amrafel..." Now, Bereshit Rabbah doesn't just let that lie. Oh no. It immediately asks: who was this Amrafel? Turns out, he was a man...
Today, we're diving into Bereshit Rabbah 42, a fascinating passage from the Midrash, the body of ancient rabbinic interpretations of Scripture. This passage looks at Genesis 14, sp...
The Torah is full of such moments, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) are masters at unearthing the layers of meaning. Let's take a peek into Bereshit...
We often imagine triumphant parades and grateful citizens. But what about the really awkward moments? Like when the defeated villains try to become your new best friends? That’s ki...
It's not just the giving, but the way we give, the intention behind it. And in the story of Abram and the King of Sodom, found in Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah) 43, we see a mast...
The ancient rabbis certainly thought so. They saw this idea woven into the very fabric of the Torah, even in God's promise to Abraham. to Bereshit Rabbah 44 and explore this fascin...
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...
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 a parallel to (Isaia...
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...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
Like a flash of light and a booming voice. But maybe, just maybe, it's something a little more… intimate. Let’s take a peek into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a colle...
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, Abra...
We find ourselves pondering this in Bereshit Rabbah 49, where Rabbi Eleazar raises a fascinating question. How do we understand instances in the Torah where individuals seem to be ...
To a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a classical rabbinic commentary on the Book of Genesis, to see how the ancients grappled with the unexpected. The story unfolds in Ge...
We know the story: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. Abraham, unflinchingly faithful, prepares to follow through. But at the last moment, an angel intervene...
We know the story: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son. Abraham, after a terrible internal struggle, obeys. At the last moment, an angel intervenes, and a ram is sacr...
Rabbi Akiva knew the feeling well! The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us he was once teaching, and noticed his audience starting to nod off. So, being the quick-w...
The Torah, as it often does, gives us clues, and this time it’s wrapped up in the story of Abraham burying his beloved Sarah. In (Genesis 23:19), we read, “Then, Abraham buried Sar...
It’s a beautiful, cyclical relationship, one that Jewish tradition explores in fascinating ways. Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Ge...
Take the birth of Jacob and Esau, for example. Seems straightforward. But Bereshit Rabbah, the ancient rabbinic commentary on Genesis, dives deep, revealing layers of interpretatio...
We're looking at (Genesis 27:3), where Isaac tells his son Esau, "Now, please take your gear, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me." Seems simple...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, specifically section 65, to explor...
Jewish tradition, in its beautiful and often poetic way, offers a compelling answer: the people of Israel. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic i...
That feeling is at the heart of our story today, a story about brothers, blessings, and a whole lot of bad blood. We're diving into Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 67, a Midr...
Dreams have always held a special fascination, and Jewish tradition is no exception. Take the famous dream of Jacob in (Genesis 28:12): "He dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set on...
Take the story of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28, where he rests his head on a stone and sees a ladder stretching to heaven. On that ladder, angels ascend and descend. A seemingly sim...
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...
That’s the kind of morning Jacob had. We find ourselves in (Genesis 28:18). Jacob, after his famous dream of the ladder stretching to heaven, wakes up "early in the morning, and he...
