Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg)

2,650 texts · Page 102 of 295

Selections from Louis Ginzberg's monumental Legends of the Jews, a seven-volume compilation that weaves together aggadic material from the Talmud, Midrash, and other rabbinic literature into a continuous narrative.

Joseph Among the Fathers and Simeon

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:224

The brothers of Joseph certainly did. Let’s rewind a bit. We’re in the Book of Genesis, and Joseph, after being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, has risen to become a pow...

PatriarchsJoseph

Joseph: Jacob's Legacy

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:226

He's already endured the unspeakable loss of his beloved son, Joseph. Or so he thinks. His other sons, driven by jealousy, had secretly sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt years ago,...

PatriarchsJosephRepentanceEgypt

Jacob's Vision and Egypt

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:227

That’s the kind of anguish we find in the heart of Jacob, or Yaakov, in this week’s story. He’s not just mourning; he's grappling with a shattered vision. The words Jacob spoke, "M...

PatriarchsJosephEgyptDeath

Death of Jacob and Benjamin

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:229

The food they'd bought in Egypt was gone, and the children, their tiny voices filled with hunger, cried out, "Give us bread, that we die not of hunger before thee." Can you picture...

PatriarchsJosephMosesWisdom

World to Come of Jacob

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:230

Remember, he'd already "lost" his beloved Joseph, and Simeon was being held hostage. Sending Benjamin, his youngest, felt like tempting fate. But Judah stepped up. Judah, in a mome...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsJoseph

Jacob's Prayer and Egypt

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:232

It wasn't just a plea for his immediate family, according to Legends of the Jews. It was an intercession, a powerful request not only for his sons, but for all of their descendants...

PatriarchsJosephPrayerWisdom

Joseph's Transgression and Judah

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:234

Sometimes, a single line hints at a whole universe of hidden narratives. Take the story of Joseph in Egypt, for example. We all know how his brothers, driven by jealousy, sold him ...

PatriarchsMatriarchsJosephMoses

Jacob's Journey and Egypt

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:235

Little does Jacob know the drama unfolding there, the accusations, the imprisonment of Simeon, and the demand to bring Benjamin, his youngest and most cherished son, back to Egypt....

Hell/GehennaJosephEgyptJudgment

Benjamin: Jacob and the Origins of the World

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 1:237

That’s the weight Jacob, Yaakov, carried as he sent his sons back to Egypt. He wasn't just sending them on a trade mission; he was sending them into the unknown, potentially to the...

CreationHeavenNoah & FloodPatriarchs