Desert of ParanThe Desert of Paran or Wilderness of Paran (also sometimes spelled Pharan or Faran; מִדְבַּר פָּארָן, Midbar Pa'ran), is a location mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the places where the Israelites spent part of their 40 years of wandering after the Exodus, and was also a home to Ishmael, and a place of refuge for David. In Islamic tradition, it has often been equated with an area of the Hejaz.
VayishlachVayishlach or Vayishlah ( — Hebrew for "and he sent," the first word of the parashah) is the eighth weekly Torah portion (, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. In the parashah, Jacob reconciles with Esau after wrestling with a "man." The prince Shechem rapes Dinah, whose brothers sack the city of Shechem in revenge. In the family's subsequent flight, Rachel gives birth to Benjamin and dies in childbirth. The parashah constitutes .
MamreMamre (ˈmæmri; מַמְרֵא), full Hebrew name Elonei Mamre ("Oaks/Terebinths of Mamre"), refers to an ancient religious site originally focused on a single holy tree, growing "since time immemorial" at Hebron in Canaan. It is known from the biblical story of Abraham and the three visitors. The tree under which he had pitched his tent is known as the oak or terebinth of Mamre. Modern scholars have identified three sites near Hebron which, in different historical periods, have been successively known as Mamre: Khirbet Nimra (a little excavated Persian and Hellenistic period site), Ramat el-Khalil (the best known site), and Khirbet es-Sibte.
HagarAccording to the Book of Genesis, Hagar was an Egyptian slave, a handmaiden of Sarah (then known as Sarai), whom Sarah gave to her own husband Abram (later renamed Abraham) as a wife to bear him a child. Abraham's firstborn son, through Hagar, Ishmael, became the progenitor of the Ishmaelites, generally taken to be the Arabs. Various commentators have connected her to the Hagrites (sons of Agar), perhaps claiming her as their eponymous ancestor. Hagar is alluded to, although not named, in the Quran, and Islam considers her Abraham's second wife.
Sodom and GomorrahSodom and Gomorrah (ˈsɒdəm...gəˈmɒrə) were two biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Their story parallels the Genesis flood narrative in its theme of God's anger provoked by man's sin (see Genesis 19:1–28). They are mentioned frequently in the prophets and the New Testament as symbols of human wickedness and divine retribution, and the Quran also contains a version of the story about the two cities. The narrative of their destruction may have a relation to the remains of third-millennium BCE Bronze Age cities in the region, and subsequent Late Bronze Age collapse.
Noach (parashah)Noach, Noiach, Nauach, Nauah, or Noah (, Hebrew for the name "Noah", the third word, and first distinctive word, of the parashah) is the second weekly Torah portion (, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes . The parashah tells the stories of the Flood and Noah's Ark, of Noah's subsequent drunkenness and cursing of Canaan, and of the Tower of Babel. The parashah has the most verses of any weekly Torah portion in the Book of Genesis (but not the most letters or words).
MiketzMiketz or Mikeitz (—Hebrew for "at the end", the second word, and first distinctive word of the parashah) is the tenth weekly Torah portion (, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. It constitutes . The parashah tells of Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dreams, Joseph's rise to power in Egypt, and Joseph's testing of his brothers. The parashah has the most letters (although not the most words or verses) of any of the weekly Torah portions in the Book of Genesis.
Lot (biblical person)Lot (lɒt; לוֹט Lōṭ, lit. "veil" or "covering"; Λώτ Lṓt; لُوط Lūṭ; Syriac: ܠܘܛ Lōṭ) was a man in the biblical Book of Genesis, chapters 11–14 and 19. Notable events in his life include his journey with his uncle Abram (Abraham); his flight from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, during which Lot's wife became a pillar of salt; and him being intoxicated by his daughters so that they could have sexual intercourse with him and ensure their family would have descendants.
Binding of IsaacThe Binding of Isaac ( ʿAqēḏaṯ Yīṣḥaq), or simply "The Binding" ( hāʿAqēḏā), is a story from Genesis 22 of the Hebrew Bible. In the biblical narrative, God orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac at Moriah. As Abraham begins to comply, having bound Isaac to an altar, he is stopped by the Angel of the Lord; a ram appears and is slaughtered in Isaac's stead, as God commends Abraham's pious obedience. In addition to being addressed by modern scholarship, this biblical episode has been the focus of a great deal of commentary in traditional sources of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Pirkei De-Rabbi EliezerPirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer (also Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer; פרקי דרבי אליעזר "Chapters/Lectures of Rabbi Eliezer"; abbreviated PdRE) is an aggadic-midrashic work on the Torah containing exegesis and retellings of biblical stories. The composition has enjoyed widespread circulation and recognition ever since its composition. It is quoted by rishonim under various names, including Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer ha-Gadol, Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Baraita de-Rabbi Eliezer and Haggadah de-Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus.