2,672 passages in Modern Compilations & Folklore
Individual passages from Legends of the Jews, shown in source order. Page 10 of 56.
What became of Cain? The Bible tells us he wandered, marked and cursed, after the murder of his brother Abel. But the Torah is silent on the details of his death. So, naturally, th...
He faced a test that could have changed his life forever. The story goes that when Potiphar's wife, Zuleika, tried to seduce him, he refused. "I fear my master," he said, according...
It’s a very human thing. And according to Jewish tradition, it’s a mistake the Israelites made, with some rather painful consequences. The Israelites are fresh out of Egypt. They’v...
The story of Joseph, as told in Genesis, is full of trials. Sold into slavery in Egypt, he rises through the ranks, only to face a temptation that could cost him everything. The fa...
Amalek. The very name sends shivers down the spines of Jewish tradition. This wasn’t just another enemy; this was something… different. The Legends of the Jews, that incredible col...
Some enemies hate you for what you've survived. No sooner did Amalek hear that the Israelites had finally escaped Egypt than he sprang into action. He raced after them, interceptin...
The stories we find in Jewish tradition, especially when it comes to Joseph, are filled with moments of intense emotion and unexpected reactions. to one such tale, a glimpse into t...
Legends of the Jews turns to Trial of Zuleika. The story, as retold in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, describes a pivotal moment where Zuleika, the wife of Potiphar, seeks to just...
The story goes that God, seeing the Israelites weren't exactly overflowing with gratitude, decided to teach them a lesson. And how did God do that? By sending against them an enemy...
Settle in, because Our focus is on the tumultuous relationship between Joseph and Zuleika, the wife of his Egyptian master, Potiphar. Zuleika, consumed by her infatuation with the ...
The ancient Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, thought they had that… but then Amalek came along. The story of Amalek is more than just a battle; it's a clash between faith and doubt,...
Legends of the Jews turns to Marriage of Zuleika of Joseph. That Zuleika, having exhausted all other options, decided to resort to force. Now, that might sound extreme, but remembe...
As retold by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, Moses chose his servant Joshua to lead the charge. Why? Because Moses knew that only a descendant of Rachel, like the Ephraimite Joshua, could co...
The story of Joseph, as told in Legends of the Jews, gives us a raw glimpse into such a struggle. Joseph, a young man in a foreign land, working in the house of Potiphar, an Egypti...
Can I really do this?" It's a universal struggle, and even Joshua, the future leader of Israel, felt it. Our story unfolds just after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, with t...
Beneath the surface of the biblical narrative, the aggadah – the Jewish tradition of storytelling and interpretation – reveals a deeper, almost mystical struggle. It wasn't just ab...
The battlefield was set, the armies were engaged, but the real battle, according to Legends of the Jews, wasn't on the ground at all. It was happening on a nearby height, where Mos...
There's a twist. In Legends of the Jews, we hear how she noticed a sudden change in Joseph's face. "My friend and true-love, why art thou so affrighted that thou art near to swooni...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses Prays for the Sun to Stand Still in Battle. Moses, in this moment of desperate need, turned to God. He prayed that God might stay the setting of ...
Amalek. You might remember Amalek from the Bible – this was the nation that attacked the Israelites shortly after their miraculous Exodus from Egypt. It seemed like a small skirmis...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph — Marriage of Zuleika. Zuleika's passion for Joseph was so overwhelming, so fierce, that when he fled from her advances, leaving a piece of his ...
This isn't just another name in the Bible; it represents something deeper. A persistent, almost archetypal force of opposition. The story of Amalek isn't just a historical account;...
The familiar version gives us how that ended up, but the lead-up is just as juicy. Zuleika wasn't just going to rely on her friends to get her revenge on Joseph. Oh no, she had a p...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph Resists Potiphar's Wife and Pays the Price. Potiphar comes home, and what does he find? His wife in despair. Now, the real reason for her mood, ...
Amalek is not treated as an ordinary enemy in this tradition. Even conversion is barred, and the reason begins in a bitter ancestral memory. The story begins with a divine directiv...
That's where Joseph found himself in the house of Potiphar. Potiphar, believing his wife's lies, had Joseph brutally flogged. Can you picture it? The sting of the whip, the injusti...
Remember the story? Potiphar's wife, Zuleika, falsely accused Joseph of trying to seduce her. It was a mess. A really, really big mess. And things were about to get even more compl...
Why "My Miracle?" Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us it’s because the miracle God wrought against Amalek wasn't just for Israel, but, in a way, for God too. The Sa...
The familiar story is this: Joseph and his technicolor dreamcoat, his jealous brothers, the trip to Egypt. Accused of something he didn't do by Potiphar's wife, Joseph ends up in p...
At first, Moses wasn't exactly thrilled to hear from Jethro. Imagine receiving a letter, and your first instinct is to ignore it! But God, in a moment of profound teaching, tells M...
Legends of the Jews turns to Death of Joseph. You remember the story. Sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers, Joseph rises through the ranks of his master's house, only...
Sometimes, it's not those who’ve lived with the miraculous all their lives, but rather a newcomer, a convert, who can see it most clearly. Our story begins with Jethro, the father-...
Sometimes, it’s about setting aside your own prestige, your own sense of self-importance, to serve. To truly see the other person’s needs. We find a beautiful example of this in th...
The air is thick with the aroma of roasting meat, the sounds of laughter and song echoing through the desert. The Israelites, newly freed from slavery in Egypt, are gathered togeth...
The familiar version gives us the basic story from Genesis, but the Legends of the Jews fills in the gaps, paints the portraits in vibrant color, and gives us a deeper understandin...
He was dealing with some serious public relations fallout, you see. Accusations were flying, thanks to his master's wife, and the people just couldn't stop gossiping. God, in His i...
Legends of the Jews turns to The Butler and Baker Had Intertwined Dreams in Prison. Being locked away, day in and day out. Now picture this: the chief butler and the chief baker, c...
Our story begins with Pharaoh's chief butler, recently tossed in the slammer. He's troubled, haunted by a vivid dream he can't shake. "In my dream," he recounts, "behold, a vine wa...
They're prophecies, warnings, glimpses into the future, and sometimes, even clues about the fate of nations! Remember the story of Joseph in Egypt? He's not just interpreting dream...
He's interpreting dreams in prison. It all seems so straightforward in the biblical narrative. The Torah tells us that Joseph correctly foretold the fates of the chief butler and t...
His extended stay behind bars had a very specific reason. The familiar story is this: Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises in power in Egypt, only to be falsely...
That feeling… it’s a universal one. But Jewish tradition teaches us that even in the darkest moments, hope remains. Take the story of Joseph, languishing in an Egyptian prison. The...
That’s where we find Pharaoh in the Joseph story. For two long years, Pharaoh was plagued by recurring dreams. Night after night, they visited him, only to vanish with the morning ...
Pharaoh, back in ancient Egypt, definitely knew that feeling. He had two dreams, back to back, that shook him to his core. And he knew, he just knew, that they weren't just random ...
That was Pharaoh's predicament, as told in Legends of the Jews. He summons all his wise men, his magicians, his interpreters of dreams. "Tell me," he demands, "what do these vision...
Pharaoh certainly did. Remember the story? Seven fat cows, followed by seven skinny ones that devoured the healthy ones whole. And then ears of grain – plump and full, swallowed up...
Pharaoh had one of those. And it wasn't pretty. Pharaoh's dream: Seven fat cows devoured by seven gaunt ones. Seven healthy ears of grain swallowed by seven withered ones. A classi...
That’s kind of where we find Mirod, Pharaoh’s chief butler, in this story from Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg). Pharaoh, is in a right state. He's had these terrifying dreams (we'll...
