Tree of Souls (Schwartz)

645 texts · Page 53 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 Walls Of The Red Sea

Tree of Souls

The rabbis certainly grappled with it. There’s a fascinating story recounted in Tree of Souls, attributed to Rabbi Yohanan, about just this question. He challenged his students: wh...

TorahMosesAdam & EveHoly Land

The Death Of Serah Bat Asher

Tree of Souls

We hear their names, perhaps a small story or two, and then...silence. But sometimes, just sometimes, the silence breaks and a legend blossoms. Take Serah bat Asher, for example. W...

CreationHeavenTorahPatriarchs

God's Footstool

Tree of Souls

Imagine, for a moment, the backbreaking labor of the Israelites in Egypt, their cries lost in the dust and the relentless crack of the taskmasters' whips. It's a scene etched in ou...

AngelsHeavenPatriarchsMoses

The Parting Of The Red Sea

Tree of Souls

That’s the situation the Israelites faced at the Yam Suf, the Sea of Reeds, what we often call the Red Sea. And what happened next is one of the most iconic moments in the entire T...

AngelsMosesNoah & FloodHoly Land

The Waters Of The Red Sea Refuse To Part

Tree of Souls

We usually think of it as a given, part of the grand, sweeping narrative of the Exodus. But what if the waters had their own say? According to some fascinating midrashic traditions...

CreationHeavenMessiahTorah

Crossing The Red Sea

Tree of Souls

But then, as the story goes, GOD intervened. MOSES stretched out his hand, and the sea parted. A path opened up, dry land appeared, and the Israelites began to cross. But what was ...

MosesAdam & EveExileHoly Land

Mount Moriah And The Red Sea

Tree of Souls

Jewish tradition has a way of blowing your mind with concepts like that – especially when we delve into stories like the Exodus and the Binding of Isaac. Imagine this: the Israelit...

CreationAngelsPatriarchsMoses

God's Presence At The Red Sea

Tree of Souls

What happens to the abandoned? What happens to the children left to the elements, victims of cruelty and fear? Sometimes, stories offer us the most profound answers. Think about th...

MosesAdam & EveSoulHoly Land

Pharaoh's Army Lured To Its Death

Tree of Souls

We all know the triumphant tale of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, escaping Pharaoh's clutches. But what about the Egyptians swallowed by the waves? It turns out, Jewish tradi...

CreationAngelsHeavenMoses