Tree of Souls (Schwartz)

645 texts · Page 33 of 72

Texts from Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, a landmark anthology gathering myths and legends spanning the full arc of Jewish tradition, from the creation of the world to the coming of the Messiah.

How The Dead See The Dead

Tree of Souls

Jewish tradition offers some fascinating, and surprisingly detailed, glimpses into that great unknown. Imagine this: the moment your soul separates from your body. According to the...

CreationAngelsHeavenHell/Gehenna

Creation By Word

Tree of Souls

"Let there be light!" And there was light. Simple, powerful, divine fiat. But there's another beautiful, equally potent idea woven through Jewish tradition: creation by the very wo...

CreationHeavenAdam & EveNoah & Flood

Two Worlds

Tree of Souls

Jewish tradition offers a fascinating possibility: that at the very beginning, God created not one world, but two. Two worlds, springing forth from the very essence of the Divine. ...

CreationHeavenMessiahSoul

The Primordial Language

Tree of Souls

Many believe the answer is Hebrew. It's a pretty powerful idea. That the very letters we use to write down these words are echoes of something ancient, something divine. A primordi...

AngelsHeavenAdam & Eve

The Creation Of The Torah

Tree of Souls

Where was the Torah before it was given to Moses? Have you ever wondered about that? It's a question that dives right into the heart of Jewish mythology. Because if the Torah is so...

CreationAngelsHeavenHell/Gehenna

Creation By The Torah

Tree of Souls

There was a blueprint, a guide, an artisan involved: The Torah. Yes, the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the very text we read and study, was, according to some tr...

CreationAngelsHeavenMessiah

The Letters Of The Alphabet

Tree of Souls

Imagine, if you will, a time long, long before time as we know it. Before the sun, the moon, the stars… before even the very Earth beneath our feet. What existed then? Well, accord...

CreationAngelsTorahMysticism

Creation By Letters

Tree of Souls

We're not just talking about grammar and vocabulary here. According to ancient Jewish tradition, these aren't just letters – they’re the very building blocks of creation. I know, i...

CreationHeavenMessiahCreatures

The Shining Letters

Tree of Souls

We usually think of pleasure as something physical. A good meal, a comfortable bed, a beautiful sunset. But what if true pleasure came from something else entirely? Rabbi Nachman o...

Adam & EveNoah & FloodSoul