Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg)

2,650 texts · Page 79 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.

Esau: Jacob and the Patriarchs

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:177

Talk about stressful family dynamics! According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, Jacob's wives, seeing his distress, started to bicker and blame him for uprooti...

PatriarchsMosesTorahSinai

Jacob's Prayer and Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:180

Jacob wasn't just praying for himself. According to Legends of the Jews, he was also pleading for the future of his descendants, that they wouldn't be wiped out by Esau's line. Tal...

PatriarchsPrayer

Jacob's Prayer of Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:182

The story goes that after Jacob finished praying – really pouring his heart out, connecting with the Divine – he got down to brass tacks. He started organizing. See, Jacob was no f...

PatriarchsPrayer

Teachings of Jacob and Esau

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:185

: Jacob sent messengers ahead, bearing gifts, with instructions to address Esau as "my lord... from his slave Jacob." It sounds deferential, doesn’t it? But according to the legend...

AngelsPatriarchs

Kingdom of Michael and Jacob

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:186

And the story of that legendary grapple is… well, it’s more than just a simple wrestling match. It's a clash of worlds, a test of faith, and a glimpse into the complex relationship...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs

Birth of Michael

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:187

We pick up the story with God, shall we say, not thrilled with Michael. Apparently, Michael did something that harmed God's "first-born son." Who is this "first-born son?" Well, in...

AngelsPatriarchs

Jacob Wrestles the Angel and Michael

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:189

We find ourselves in that very situation with Jacob, our patriarch, fresh off his epic nocturnal struggle. The scene opens right after the wrestling match, where Michael, no less –...

HeavenAngelsPatriarchsMysticism

Michael: Jacob and the Angels

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:191

Jacob did. And the encounter didn't just leave him with a limp; it left him with a new name, a new destiny, and a whole lot of responsibility. Imagine this: Michael, the archangel,...

AngelsPatriarchsJosephHoly Land

Levi Wrestles the Angel

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews 6:193

Remember him? One of Jacob's sons? According to Legends of the Jews, Michael, the archangel himself, took Levi up to heaven! Imagine that for a moment. A whirlwind trip to the cele...

CreationHeavenAngelsPatriarchs