Akiba & Woman with Blemish

Exempla of the Rabbis, No. 249

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·March 24, 2026

249. Akiba & Woman with Blemish.

Niddah, f. 45 a.

-Midr. Hagadol, Levit. Mesora.

Yalk. Sip. I. p. 89.

Themes

Wisdom Women Humor Tribes

Continue Reading

Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelHonor Your Father and Your Mother LeviticusThe Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael raises a question about who is obligated to honor parents. The commandment says "Honor your father and your mother," but a related Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelHe Shall Go Out from You in the Jubilee YearThe passage from the Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael clarifies the obligations a master owes to a Hebrew servant, extending beyond the servant himself to his househol Ben SiraKnowledge and Insight of SiraWe've all been there. Ben Sira, that ancient book of wisdom, dives right into that feeling, urging us to navigate the tricky terrain of shame and righteousness.Ben SiraLove a Wise Servant as YourselfIt's packed with advice on everything from how to treat your servants to, yes, even your daughters. Some of it might sound a little… antiquated to our modern ea Book of JubileesEber and Noah of ShelahThe Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text that expands on the stories in Genesis, tells us that Eber had something important to write down. But, as it says, Alphabet of Ben SiraThe Danger of a Beautiful WomanThe teacher calls out the letter Bet. Ben Sira responds with a proverb that could have come straight from the book of Proverbs itself: "By the appearance of a b