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In fact, the ancient Rabbis dove deep into the very first verses of Genesis to understand their roles. The Book of Genesis (1:14) tells us, "God said: Let there be lights in the fi...
The sages of the Midrash, those brilliant interpreters of Jewish texts, grappled with this very question. In Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic homilies on the Book of Genes...
We make them all the time – to loved ones, to ourselves, and, if we believe, God makes promises to us. But what happens when the very foundations of the world seem to shift? What t...
The ancient Rabbis certainly thought so! to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, specifically section 42, wh...
The story of Jacob and Esau, and their mother Rebecca, is definitely one for the ages. It's a story ripe with sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, and a mother's desperate attempt...
Take the story of Jacob, disguised as Esau, receiving Isaac's blessing. It's a pivotal moment, full of deception and destiny. But let's zoom in on one specific detail: "And the hid...
Specifically, God remembering us. Our verse for today comes from Genesis 30:22: “God remembered Rachel, and God heeded her, and He opened her womb.” A simple verse. But like so muc...
That’s the sense I get reading Bereshit Rabbah 98, a beautiful passage from the ancient midrashic collection, which interprets a verse from Psalm 57:3: “I cry out to God on High, t...
The text opens with a quote from Deuteronomy, saying God is "near it." But who is "it"? The verse itself speaks of a nation that has God near to it. Devarim Rabbah, in its characte...
