Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg)

2,650 texts · Page 172 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.

The Ten Commandments and Kemuel

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:78

We often focus on the Ten Commandments themselves, but the experience rippled through the entire Israelite community in ways that are, well, almost unbelievable. According to Legen...

CreationHeavenAngelsMoses

Moses's Transgression and Hadarniel

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:79

The story, as retold by Ginzberg in Legends of the Jews, introduces us to this angel, a being named Hadarniel. This angel, it's said, towers over his brethren, exceeding them by si...

CreationHeavenAngelsAdam & Eve

Warriors of Heaven and Kadosh

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:80

We often picture them singing sweetly, but some legends paint a far more dramatic, awe-inspiring picture. Take the story of SANDALFON, an angel so immense it would take five hundre...

HeavenAngels

Giving of the Torah and Sandalphon

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:82

That’s a glimpse into what Moses experienced on his journey to receive the Torah. According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, the encounter with the angel Sandalphon was so inten...

HeavenMosesJobHoly Land

Raziel and the Angels

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:83

Jewish tradition has some pretty fascinating answers, and they all seem to point to one powerful angel: Raziel. Now, in some texts, he's known as Gallizur, but let's stick with Raz...

HeavenAngelsMosesElijah

Throne of Glory and Moses

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:84

According to some traditions, the journey up the mountain was even more perilous than we imagine. Moses, a mortal man, ascending to the very Throne of Glory, surrounded by angels.....

CreationHeavenJosephMoses

Giving of the Torah and Names

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:85

We often picture him receiving the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, in a moment of serene revelation. But Jewish tradition suggests it was a far more intense, even ...

HeavenAngelsMosesElijah

Moses Ascends to Heaven and the Crown

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:87

The Talmud (Menachot 29b) offers a fascinating glimpse into just such an encounter. Imagine MOSES, ascending to heaven. He finds God meticulously embellishing the letters of the To...

HeavenJosephMosesTorah

Moses and the Torah of Thou

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:88

We find Moses in a rather… argumentative mood. It all starts when Moses witnesses God writing the attribute of "long-suffering" – in Hebrew, erekh apayim – into the Torah. Now, ere...

MosesJobTorahRepentance