Patriarchs

2,974 texts · Page 183 of 331

Explore 2,974 Jewish texts related to the theme of Patriarchs, drawn from Midrash, Kabbalah, Apocrypha, and classical Jewish literature.

Kingdom of Jacob and Beersheba

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

That’s the vibe I get from this little passage in Bereshit Rabbah 68. It’s all about Jacob leaving Beersheba, and the Rabbis are picking apart why he made such a point of leaving t...

When God Created

Midrash Rabbah Midrash 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...

Jacob's Journey

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It centers on Jacob, later to be known as Israel, at a pivotal moment in his journey. The verse in question: "He encountered the place" (Genesis 28:11). The text tells us that Jaco...

Jacob's Journey and Rabbis

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

As Genesis 28:11 tells us, "He took from the stones of the place..." but what did he do with those stones? That's where the Rabbis pick up the story and run with it in Bereshit Rab...

Jacob's Vision and Cappadocia

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

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 t...

Jacob's Vision and Jeremiah

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

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...

Jacob's Vision and Yosei

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It all starts with a dream. Jacob, fleeing his brother Esau, lays down to sleep, using a stone as a pillow. And he has a vision. A ladder stretching to heaven, angels ascending and...

Presence: Jacob at the Dawn of Creation

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

It turns out, this isn't just a modern observation. Our sages recognized this dynamic thousands of years ago. Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina, in Bereshit Rabbah 69, starts us off with a quo...

Abraham's Prayer and Jacob

Midrash Rabbah Midrash Rabbah

Rabbi Ḥanina, quoting Rabbi Pinḥas, makes a striking observation in Bereshit Rabbah. He points out that the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – are mentioned eighteen times in...