Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg)

2,650 texts · Page 177 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.

Jacob Among the Fathers and David

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:139

The act of counting, it seems, isn't always a simple matter of logistics. Sometimes it's infused with deeper meaning, both positive and, occasionally, fraught with danger. Let’s ta...

PatriarchsJosephMosesKing David

Egypt: The Golden Calf

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:140

We all know the story: The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, get impatient waiting for Moses on Mount Sinai. They demand a god they can see, and Aaron, in a moment of weakness, fashi...

Hell/GehennaJosephMosesTorah

The Golden Calf

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:141

It’s a question that pops up when we delve into the story of the Golden Calf, that infamous moment when the Israelites, fresh from their liberation from Egypt, decided to worship a...

PatriarchsJosephMosesPrayer

The Golden Calf and Thou

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:143

They stood at Sinai, heard the very voice of God thundering the Ten Commandments, including the absolute prohibition against idolatry… and then, a mere forty days later, they're pa...

MosesTempleRepentanceHoly Land

Forefathers of Israel and Shouldn

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:144

It wasn't just a tent, it was a statement. A declaration of relationship. According to Legends of the Jews, the story begins with the people approaching God. They essentially say, ...

PatriarchsMosesTorahTemple

Moses and the Origins of the World

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 2:145

Our ancestors did. Even Moses, the great lawgiver himself, felt it. In fact, according to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Moses experienced such fear not just once, bu...

CreationHeavenJosephMoses

Divine Presence of Egypt

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 3:1

Did they just pop out to a Bedouin bazaar for some gold thread and acacia wood? Of course not! The story, as you might expect, is far more… divine. We all know the biblical account...

Temple

The Golden Calf

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 3:2

It's more than just a pretty tent, you know. It's a story of atonement, of divine presence, and of a relationship between God and the Jewish people that’s been unfolding for millen...

JosephMosesTorahTemple

Nebuchadnezzar at the Temple and Rome

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 3:3

It’s a powerful idea, isn't it? That the very things used to worship God could also tell the story of our destiny. According to Ginzberg’s retelling in Legends of the Jews, each ma...

TempleMessiahHoly LandExile