2,672 passages in Modern Compilations & Folklore
Individual passages from Legends of the Jews, shown in source order. Page 35 of 56.
It was more than just a theological debate; it was a showdown of epic proportions. As Abraham's voice rang out, something incredible happened. According to Ginzberg's retelling in ...
Take, for instance, this tale from Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation by Louis Ginzberg. It paints a vivid picture of a moment of utter devastation, a scene ripped st...
A young woman, a youth, and a highwayman are all caught in a web of circumstance, and Solomon needs to determine who acted most nobly. Sounds like the setup for a riddle, doesn’t i...
Our story begins with Terah, Abraham's father, falling ill. He needed cash – specifically, money to cover expenses. And his solution? "Sell these idols!" he tells his sons Haran an...
Take Aaron, for example. After the tragic episode of the Golden Calf – a moment where Aaron, sadly, wasn't entirely blameless – God initially decreed that all four of Aaron's sons ...
Legends of the Jews turns to The Old Woman Who Wanted a Strong Idol. A young Abraham, not yet the patriarch, walking the streets. People are buzzing, intrigued by his words, his id...
King Solomon, with his legendary wisdom, knew how to untangle even the most complex lies. We see this in one particular story recounted in Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg. It...
That’s kind of the vibe of the Israelites' story as they wander the desert. After the infamous spy incident, where they balked at entering the Promised Land, they were sentenced to...
Solomon, as we know, was never one to shy away from a bold statement. But one in particular ruffled feathers. He declared, "One man among a thousand have I found; but a virtuous wo...
One day, as Ginzberg tells us in Legends of the Jews, Abraham encountered an old woman. She was devoted to her idols, completely convinced they held power. Abraham, ever the truth-...
Miriam wasn't just Moses' sister; she was a pivotal figure in her own right. She was a prophetess, a leader, and, perhaps most importantly, she was the reason the Israelites had wa...
This story from the tradition of Jewish legend, found within Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, explores just that question. It begins with King Solomon, whose wisdom, as we know, was...
That was life for some of the Israelites in the desert, and let me tell you, their patience was wearing thin. The story comes to us from Ginzberg's classic Legends of the Jews, a c...
The legendary King Solomon, wisest of all men, knew. And, as the stories tell us, he sometimes shared that knowledge… with a price. One tale, found in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jew...
This is one of those. Word of her devotion to a God other than King Nimrod reached the king’s ears, and, well, Nimrod wasn't pleased. He summoned her, and as Ginzberg tells us in L...
Legends of the Jews turns to Aaron's Beloved Reputation Crumbles Under Thirst. Initially, the people focused their anger on Moses. Aaron, with his legendary love of peace and his k...
The scene is set during a time of desperate thirst. The people, parched and weary, have turned on Moses and Aaron, their leaders. But amidst their anger and despair, there's a glim...
Let me tell you a story about Abraham, long before he was Abraham Avinu, our father, and a pivotal moment that shaped his destiny. A young Abraham, surrounded by idols in the king'...
It’s a story filled with faith, doubt, and the heavy burden of leadership. Our tale picks up with the Israelites, once again, thirsty and grumbling. Moses, ever the faithful servan...
As he approaches his barn, he overhears a hushed conversation between his ox and his ass. The ass asks, "Brother, how farest thou with these people?" Basically, "How's it going, bu...
Abraham certainly did. That's exactly where our patriarch found himself in some of the extra-biblical stories surrounding his life. In Ginzberg's retelling in, Legends of the Jews,...
It happened to Moses, even after forty years of leading the Israelites through the wilderness. And the consequences, according to tradition, were profound. For four decades, Moses,...
Days turn into weeks. Hope dwindles. You cry out... and someone actually answers. That's essentially the scene we find ourselves in with Abraham in this incredible passage from Gin...
Like Moses, for instance. He led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the Torah, and yet, he never set foot in the Promised Land. Why? Readers often point to the incident at Kades...
Legends of the Jews turns to The Talking Donkey That Outwitted the Ox. A weary ox, back in his stall after a long day of plowing. His friend, the ass, saunters over with what he th...
Let me tell you a story about a man who faced that very situation, and how his unwavering faith defied even the sharpest steel. You likely know the tales of his defiance against id...
Jewish folklore is filled with such mysteries, often revealing deeper truths about ourselves and the world around us. Take this story, for instance. It's a tale of trickery, overhe...
Legends of the Jews turns to The Fire That Burned Everyone Who Tried to Throw Abraham In. The Ginzberg says 's retelling in Legends of the Jews, the moment the messenger tried to t...
God created the world in six days. And after each day, He looked around and said, "Yeah, that's good." But not every day got that stamp. Why? Well, some say it's because of water. ...
The old stories certainly think so. Take this little snippet from Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, a treasure trove of rabbinic tales and folklore. It paints a picture of animal loy...
You’re Abraham, and Nimrod wants you dead for refusing to worship idols. The story goes that Abraham’s own mother, desperate to save her son, pleaded with him to just give lip serv...
What he hears… saves him from death! The story goes that he heeded the advice of a rooster, and by doing so, he managed to cheat fate. We don't know the details of the advice, unfo...
Legends of the Jews turns to Trial of Abraham of Nimrod. Instead of being consumed by flames, something extraordinary happened. The fire, instead of incinerating Abraham, just… fiz...
A reader can imagine him as this larger-than-life figure, divinely guided, but sometimes he acted with remarkable prudence, almost bordering on… politeness. We find an example of t...
Sometimes, even kings need a good mental workout! And Solomon, it turns out, had a very specific way to keep his mind sharp: riddles. Specifically, riddles with his good friend Hir...
The story of Abraham offers a powerful lesson on this very topic. It's not just about being righteous, but about doing righteous deeds, about actively choosing faith even when it's...
Legends of the Jews turns to Edom Refuses Israel and Blocks the Desert Road. After all those years wandering in the desert, the Israelites, led by Moses, were finally approaching t...
The story of Abraham, and his fiery trial, certainly makes you wonder. It all begins with his father, Terah, a man who, according to Legends of the Jews, could read the heavens. Te...
The ancient Israelites certainly did. And sometimes, loss can make that feeling even more intense. You're trekking through the desert, following a cloud that miraculously smooths t...
How would you react? Overwhelmed? Maybe a little puffed up with pride? That's the situation Abraham found himself in, according to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews. Afte...
Legends of the Jews turns to The Queen of Sheba Tests Solomon With Ancient Riddles. Well, stories abound, and some of the most intriguing revolve around riddles, specifically, ridd...
Legends of the Jews turns to Death of Miriam of Aaron. It first appears that because they were siblings, and because they were all so central to the Exodus story, that they would h...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses Mourns Miriam and the Well Disappears for Hours. The grief was immense. That Miriam's death plunged everyone into mourning. Moses and Aaron wept ...
The Talmud tells us that Solomon possessed a magical ring that gave him power over all creatures, and he used it to. well, throw some pretty wild parties. The story goes that, fuel...
It wasn't just a solitary trek. It was the start of something far bigger. The story goes that Abraham, after his encounters with kings and potentates, didn't just walk away empty-h...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses Searches for the Right Rock After Miriam's Death. In Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg tells how the miraculous well that had sustained the Isr...
Let me tell you, it wasn't pretty. After two years had passed – two years since Abraham defied him and was thrown into that fiery furnace – Nimrod was haunted by a vision. He saw h...
The Israelites, thirsty and weary, gathered around Moses, desperate for water. Moses, understandably, felt the pressure. He thought to himself, according to the legend, "If I speak...
