Tree of Souls (Schwartz)

645 texts · Page 50 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.

Rachel And The Stolen Idols

Tree of Souls

Today, let's dive into one such mystery: Rachel and the stolen terafim. We all know the story: Jacob, fleeing his father-in-law Laban, takes his wives and children and makes a run ...

CreationDemonsHeavenHell/Gehenna

Meeting The Place

Tree of Souls

Maybe you drove past a friend's house without stopping, or forgot to say thank you to someone who deserved it. Imagine that feeling, amplified on a biblical scale. The Torah tells ...

CreationAngelsHeavenPatriarchs

Jacob's Vision

Tree of Souls

That’s kind of the vibe around Jacob's famous vision. We all know the story: Jacob, on the run from his brother Esau, is trekking from Beersheva to Haran. Genesis 28:11 simply says...

CreationDemonsHeavenMessiah

Jacob's Heavenly Vision

Tree of Souls

That’s the kind of dream Jacob, later known as Israel, had as he fled from his brother Esau. It wasn't just a random jumble of images, but a direct encounter with the divine. The T...

CreationAngelsHeavenMessiah

The Gateway To Heaven

Tree of Souls

You know the one – stretching all the way from earth to heaven, angels going up and down, up and down. He jolted awake and said, "In truth, the Glory of the Shekhinah dwells in thi...

CreationAngelsHeavenPatriarchs

Jacob Wrestles With The Angel

Tree of Souls

The Torah gives us one of the most powerful and mysterious stories of just such a struggle: Jacob wrestling with the angel. The scene is set. Jacob, alone after sending his family ...

AngelsDemonsHeavenTorah

Jacob And Esau's Guardian Angel

Tree of Souls

It's one of the most enigmatic scenes in the entire Torah (Genesis 32:24-30), and Jewish tradition has offered some pretty wild interpretations over the centuries. One compelling i...

AngelsDemonsPatriarchsAdam & Eve

The Magic Flock

Tree of Souls

The story goes that after his less-than-amicable departure from his father-in-law Laban, Jacob found himself at the River Yabbok (Yabbok, a river in the Transjordan, now part of Jo...

CreationAngelsDemonsPatriarchs

Jacob's Ascent On High

Tree of Souls

We all know the story from Genesis 32:24-30. Jacob, preparing to meet his estranged brother Esau, sends his family and possessions across the Yabbok River (a stream whose name mean...

AngelsHeavenPatriarchsMoses