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The scene: Jacob is about to deceive his father Isaac in order to receive the blessing meant for his brother Esau. He's understandably nervous. "Behold," he says to Rebecca, "Esau ...
That's the tightrope Jacob walked in the famous episode where he deceives his father, Isaac, to steal the blessing meant for his brother, Esau. The story, as we find it in Genesis ...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, actually speaks to this very feeling, using one of the most iconic scenes in Genesis. Think about Jacob and Esau. The story unfolds in Genesis 27...
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...
It’s a powerful scene, thick with emotion. But according to Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, there's so much more going on ...
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...
Can words truly shape destiny? The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found layers of meaning hidden within the simplest verses. to one of those verses, and see what secrets we...
It’s a question that’s lingered in Jewish thought for centuries, and one fascinating glimpse into it comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Boo...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is one that resonates with that feeling, and the Rabbis of the Midrash grappled with it intensely. What was going on in Isaac’s mi...