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But 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 rabbin...
The passage revolves around the blessing, "May [God] give you" – in Hebrew, veyiten lekha. But it’s not just a simple wish. The rabbis see layers of meaning, built right into the g...
Our story begins with Esau, the elder twin of Jacob. He approaches his father, Isaac, with a request, a plea for a blessing. Genesis 27:31 tells us, "He, too, prepared delicacies, ...
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...
Specifically, we’re going to zoom in on a moment of high tension, guided by the insights of Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis...
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman begins our story in Bereshit Rabbah 68, by interpreting a verse from Psalms (121:1) as referring directly to Jacob’s experience. “A song of ascents. I lift ...
We know, of course, the story of creation: six days of incredible activity, culminating in rest. But what about after that? What occupies the divine attention now? Well, according ...
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...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found a beautiful way to express that feeling with a single word: Hamakom (המקום), "The Place," a name for God. But why "The Place"? Gene...
