Tree of Souls (Schwartz)

645 texts · Page 41 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.

The Closing Of The Gates

Tree of Souls

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, culminates in a moment like that. It's called Neilah – the Closing Prayer. But what exactly is closing? What’s at stake? Well, according to tradit...

CreationAngelsDemonsHeaven

The Final Blast

Tree of Souls

We've fasted, we've prayed, we've poured out our hearts. And then… one final, powerful blast of the shofar. But why? It's more than just a signal that the fast is over and bagels a...

TorahMosesSoulHoly Land

The Water Libation

Tree of Souls

It all comes down to water… and a really old cavern. Let's journey back to the time when the Temple in Jerusalem stood in all its glory. During Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, a ...

CreationAngelsHeavenTemple

The Seven Shepherds

Tree of Souls

The holiday of Sukkot, as we know, is based on the biblical verse, "You shall live in booths seven days" (Leviticus 23:42). We build these temporary dwellings, the sukkot (plural o...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsMoses

Dwelling In Exile

Tree of Souls

But there’s so much more to it than just a spiritual "reset" button. You see, on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, tradition tells us that God sits in judgment of everyone. Then,...

CreationAdam & EveTempleExile

The Feast Of Sukkot In The World To Come

Tree of Souls

Jewish tradition whispers, "Yes." And perhaps no holiday embodies this more beautifully than Sukkot. Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles. It's a time we build temporary she...

CreationHeavenHell/GehennaMessiah

The Body Of Moses

Tree of Souls

Vital, as recounted in Sefer ha-Hezyonot, dreamed of a very unusual Simhat Torah, the joyous holiday that celebrates the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. Imagine this:...

CreationMessiahTorahMoses

The Flying Shoe

Tree of Souls

The followers of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, knew a thing or two about joy. Every year, they celebrated Simhat Torah – the culmination of Sukkot and a day o...

AngelsHeavenTorahAdam & Eve

God Revels In The Reading Of The Haggadah

Tree of Souls

But what's happening on high? Well, according to a beautiful passage in the Zohar (2:40b-41a), the foundational text of Jewish mysticism, God isn't just observing. God's hosting a ...

CreationHeavenMessiahMoses