📜 Midrash Bereshit Rabá #3 | 🌌 Tohu va-Vohu, 🔥 Guehinom e a Cosmologia dos Rabinos

MIDRASH BERESHIT RABA – Chapter 1 (Part 3) | Cosmology, Gehenna, and the Rabbinic Reading of Creation 📚 *Professional Reading* Project Critical analysis of the Hebrew Bible, rabbinic literature, and other traditional sources from a historical, rationalist, and evidence-based perspective. --- 💠 Support the Project If this content contributes to your studies, please consider supporting **Professional Reading**. Your contribution helps in the acquisition of books, academic sources, and the production of new content. *📧 PIX (email):* `[email protected]` Any amount is welcome and directly contributes to the continuity of the project. In this study, we continue the annotated reading of the **Midrash Bereshit Rabbah**, analyzing the first paragraphs of the inaugural chapter of one of the most important works of midrashic literature. From a historical, philological, and rationalist perspective, we examine how the sages of antiquity interpreted the creation narrative and what cultural, philosophical, and cosmological assumptions shaped their readings. The goal of this series is not to present a devotional reading of the text, but to understand the Midrash within its own historical context, distinguishing the rabbinic interpretation of the biblical text and critically analyzing its presuppositions. In this episode *00:00* Introduction *02:02* Silence in the face of slander against the Righteous One: analysis of Tehilim and the opening of the Midrash. *17:18* The rabbinic conception of Divinity as absolute sovereign and the difference between this view and later theological conceptions. *23:10* *Tohu va-Vohu*: why the Midrash discusses whether the Torah itself seems to describe creation as arising from nothing. *28:45* Gehenna and Gan Eden: how these concepts were incorporated by rabbinic tradition and their role in shaping the Jewish religious imagination. *53:38* The cosmology of the ancient world: heavens, upper waters, snow, earth, and the scientific understanding present in Antiquity. *1:04:43* Final considerations. Topics Covered Midrash Bereshit Rabbah Rabbinic Exegesis Bereshit (Genesis) Tohu va-Vohu Gehenna Gan Eden Biblical Cosmology Ancient Judaism History of Torah Interpretations Rationalist Judaism Philosophy of Religion Historical-Critical Reading of Jewish Sources --- The *Profane Reading* channel is dedicated to the critical study of the Hebrew Bible, rabbinic literature, and the history of Jewish thought, using tools from history, archaeology, philology, and philosophy. The commitment is to understand the texts in their historical context, distinguishing between tradition, interpretation, and evidence. If you found this content useful, please consider subscribing to the channel, sharing the video, and participating in the discussions in the comments.