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Turns out, even Abraham, our patriarch, felt that way. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. In this passage, the v...
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...
"Know with certainty that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved to them and they will oppress them, four hundred years.” That's...
How do you BECOME ready? Our exploration starts in Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Here, in section 49, we find a fascinat...
Our sages certainly did. And they found a fascinating answer, tucked away in the very words God used when speaking to Abraham. The passage we're looking at comes from Bereshit Rabb...
Our story begins with Abraham. "Abraham traveled from there," the verse tells us (Genesis 20:1). But where was he going, and why? Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic ...
Like something’s not quite adding up. Well, our sages grappled with that very idea, digging deep into a verse in Genesis and a proverb from the Book of Proverbs to uncover some sur...
The story revolves around Abraham and Avimelekh in Genesis 21. Abraham, as the verse tells us, "reprimanded Avimelekh regarding the well of water that Avimelekh's servants had stol...
We know the story: God commands Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son. But what about the whispers, the doubts, the anxieties that surely must have plagued them both? The Book of Ge...
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...
While there aren't easy answers, Jewish tradition grapples with this in profound ways. Today, we're diving into a fascinating Midrash – a rabbinic interpretation – from Bereshit Ra...
Take Eliezer, for instance, Abraham's trusted servant. He might seem like a supporting player, but Bereshit Rabbah 60 reveals a depth of understanding that's truly remarkable. The ...
"Happy is the man who has not walked…" – and then it lists the paths we should avoid: the counsel of the wicked, the way of sinners, the company of the insolent. According to Beres...
Guess what? It offers some pretty profound, and surprisingly practical, advice. Our jumping-off point is the book of Ecclesiastes (Kohelet) and its rather cryptic verse: "In the mo...
We begin with a simple verse from (Genesis 25:19): "This is the legacy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac." Seemingly straightforward. But the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabb...
Our story today comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're looking at section 63, which delves into the lives ...
The story of Isaac and the Philistines in Genesis is a powerful reminder that even in moments of apparent peace, the seeds of conflict can still be sown. And the rabbis, in their i...
The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), specifically Bereshit Rabbah 65, really digs into why that bitterness is directed at Isaac first. Why Isaac first? That's the questi...
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 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 2...
Our story hinges on a moment of profound anguish: "When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out, a very great and bitter cry, and he said to his father: Bless me too, my f...
You know, the one where he says, "Behold, from the fat of the earth will be your dwelling, and from the dew of the heavens from above." It sounds pretty good. But the sages of Bere...
"Isaac summoned Jacob and he blessed him. He commanded him and said to him: Do not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan" (Genesis 28:1). Simple enough. But Rabbi Abahu sees som...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis, and see what they had to say about...
The Torah, in its profound wisdom, doesn't shy away from showing us even our greatest heroes making these kinds of mistakes. Take Jacob and Rachel, for example. We find them in a m...
The ancient rabbis certainly did.It sheds light on the complex relationship between Leah, Jacob, and the birth of the tribes of Israel. The text opens with Leah going out to meet J...
We pick up the story with Jacob preparing to leave Laban. Remember the scene? Jacob, after years of hard work and trickery (and being tricked himself!), is finally heading back to ...
Our ancestor Jacob certainly did. When he sends messengers ahead to his brother Esau, the report they bring back plunges him into fear. But within that fear, we find a fascinating ...
That’s the kind of tension simmering in our portion today, as we delve into Bereshit Rabbah 75, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) exploration of Jacob's anxieties befo...
That feeling is ancient, etched into the very stories that form our identity. to a moment of that silence, a moment laden with consequence, from the Book of Genesis. We're in the s...
Jewish tradition has some pretty insightful things to say about that, especially when it comes to knowledge and humility. Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a classic midrashic ...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. And the verse in question is (Genesis 36:6): "Esau took his wives, and his so...
The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is a perfect example, and the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that rich collection of Genesis interpretations, really dig into the nuances of thi...
Pharaoh knew that feeling all too well. (Genesis 41:8) tells us, "It was in the morning and his spirit was troubled; he sent and summoned all the magicians of Egypt, and all its wi...
We're looking at the story of Pharaoh's dream and how Joseph, the ultimate dream interpreter, finally gets his shot. The text begins, "He sent and summoned…" referring to Pharaoh g...
Sometimes, it's from the most unexpected places. Take the story of Joseph in Egypt. He rises from prisoner to become second-in-command to Pharaoh. And within that rise, hidden in P...
The story of Joseph in Egypt is a classic tale of rags to riches, but the Rabbis see a deeper, more poetic justice at play. to a fascinating interpretation from Bereshit Rabbah 90,...
Names aren't just labels; they're stories waiting to be unpacked. Take Joseph, for example, and the rather unusual name Pharaoh gives him: Tzafenat Paane’aḥ. What does it even mean...
Jacob, seeing a famine in the land, tells his sons, "Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?" (Genesis 42:1). Simple enough. But the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive co...
Our journey begins with a seemingly simple verse from (Genesis 42:5): "The sons of Israel came to acquire grain among [betokh] those who came, as the famine was in the land of Cana...
That’s kind of what happened to Jacob after Joseph disappeared, according to the ancient commentary, Bereshit Rabbah. The Torah tells us, "Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] i...
It's a deep dive into the story of Jacob's sons and their trip to Egypt, and it's full of anxiety, suspicion, and loss. The passage begins with a recap from Genesis 42. Joseph, now...
This moment, fraught with tension and brotherly love disguised as animosity, is explored in a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 93. The story opens with a quote from Ecclesi...
The verse says, "He raised his voice in weeping…. And his brothers could not answer him" (Genesis 45:2-3). It's a powerful moment! But what does it really mean? Well, Abba Kohen (a...
The verses state, "All the people who were coming with Jacob to Egypt, the products of his loins, aside from the wives of Jacob's sons; all the people were sixty-six" (Genesis 46:2...
The Torah portion Vayechi, at the very end of Genesis, gives us a glimpse into that very idea. Jacob, on his deathbed, blesses his sons. And when he blesses Joseph, it says, "He bl...
The verse we're talking about is (Genesis 49:12), part of Jacob's blessings to his sons: "His eyes shall be red from wine, and his teeth white from milk.” Now, on the surface, it s...
In Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, they dig deep into this verse, connecting it to the story of Samson, the legendary strongman from t...
