2,672 passages in Modern Compilations & Folklore
Individual passages from Legends of the Jews, shown in source order. Page 37 of 56.
It wasn't just about knowing things; it was about seeing the world in a different light, about understanding the hidden connections between things. Let's step back into that world,...
It's human, unfortunately, and as we explore the story of Abraham, we find his father, Terah, doing just that. Terah, was in a bit of a pickle. He had, shall we say, misled the kin...
About how a simple object, imbued with meaning, can bring about healing, or even. life? We find ourselves in the desert, with the Israelites, plagued by venomous snakes. A dire sit...
The story goes that King Nimrod, a powerful and, shall we say, unpleasant ruler, wasn't too thrilled with Abraham's monotheistic views. He believed in many gods, and Abraham was go...
The familiar version gives us Solomon as the wise king, the builder of the Temple. But there's another layer to his story, a secret history whispered in the ancient texts. A histor...
It wasn't just wisdom, my friends; it was a little help from some… unusual sources. He had a magnificent eagle, his own personal aerial chariot, if you will. This wasn't just any e...
Even the great Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, faced trials. And, according to tradition, not just one or two, but ten! The Midrash, ancient collections of rabbinic te...
Legends of the Jews turns to Even Dog Bites Were Healed by Looking at the Serpent. Here's a fascinating detail: The healing wasn't uniform. Those bitten by animals were cured with ...
The familiar telling remembers the human labor, the cedar from Lebanon, the gold and precious stones. But there's a less-told tale, a whisper from the shadows, involving beings not...
What made him so special, so blessed? to a fascinating look at his journey from Haran to Canaan, and the promises that accompanied him. The story goes that Abraham left his father'...
It involved a whole lot of…demons. In legends, Solomon didn't just command respect from humans; he had power over the spirit world, too. And it all started with a rather unpleasant...
One such tale unfolds as the Israelites journey toward the Promised Land, a journey fraught with peril, both seen and unseen. As they approached the border, a rather peculiar event...
It wasn't just about flashy displays of power, that's for sure. According to the legends, he put them to WORK! Ginzberg, in his monumental work Legends of the Jews, tells us about ...
When God first called to Abraham, He didn't immediately reveal the destination. “Leave your home,” God said “and go…” But go where? According to Legends of the Jews, this lack of s...
Did they just launch into their own tune? Not quite. In Legends of the Jews, when the Israelites were at the Red Sea, Moses, their teacher and leader, first sang the song to them. ...
The ancient stories are full of that kind of energy. And no one knew it better than King Solomon, the wisest of all men. Solomon, holding court, his legendary wisdom radiating outw...
It wasn't just about building altars, though he certainly did that. According to the legends, each altar he raised was the center of his missionary work. Abraham arrives at a new p...
It wasn't just priests and pilgrims who showed up to admire Solomon's handiwork. According to the Legends of the Jews, rulers from all over the world flocked to Jerusalem, drawn by...
The ancient Israelites did something similar with manna, that miraculous food from heaven. As the story goes, they sang a song not to the manna, but to the well that accompanied th...
Our story today takes us into the fascinating world of King Solomon, a figure revered for his wisdom and mastery over the seen and unseen. Solomon's reputation wasn't just built on...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses Fears the Giant King Sihon of the Amorites. He was facing Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the prospect of war. Now, Sihon wasn't just any king; ...
Not just the wise king of Israel, but a man who, according to some accounts, lost his way in a rather spectacular fashion. 1 Kings 11 speaks of his heart being turned away by his f...
Legends of the Jews turns to The Canaanites Who Squatted on the Promised Land. It first appears that ABRAHAM, arriving later, would simply assert his claim. After all, God had prom...
It's older than it first appears. to a story about Moses, negotiation, and a bit of divine debate. Moses is gearing up for war against Sihon, king of the Amorites. But before launc...
It wasn't a coincidence. See, the famine that struck during Abraham's time? It wasn’t just a random act of nature. According to Legends of the Jews, specifically volume one, this f...
The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, needed to cross Sihon's land. Moses, ever the diplomat, sent a message. He promised they'd stick to the main road, the "king's highway," so no o...
Sometimes, the story behind them is as holy as the place itself. Take Solomon's Temple, for instance. It wasn't just built on any old plot of land. The location itself was divinely...
It’s a story filled with hidden beauty, shrewd bargaining, and a touch of divine protection. Our tale begins as Abraham and Sarah journey from Canaan to Egypt. According to Legends...
Our tale centers on Sihon, king of the Amorites, and his clash with Moses and the Israelites. Now, this wasn't just any skirmish. This was war. And it ended, as the story goes, in ...
Abraham and Sarah, pillars of faith and compassion, have journeyed to Egypt seeking refuge and sustenance for their people. But instead of welcome, they face peril. Sarah's unparal...
It wasn't just divine intervention; sometimes, it took a little bit of clever strategy and a whole lot of faith. We pick up the story after the fall of Heshbon. Israel now possesse...
What would strike you most? The sheer size? The gleaming gold? Well, according to tradition, it was also Solomon’s incredible wisdom made manifest in every single detail. It wasn't...
Sarah, wife of Abraham, certainly did when they journeyed to Egypt. to a fascinating episode from Legends of the Jews that shows just how powerfully things can turn around. Sarah, ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Not One Worker Died During Seven Years of Temple Building. The Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) tells us that the favor God showed Solomon was directly t...
Abraham, fearing for his life in a foreign land, tells everyone that his wife, the stunning Sarah, is actually his sister. A classic "mistaken identity" situation. Except… it's not...
The story of Og, King of Bashan, from Legends of the Jews, is a wild ride that explores just that! The Israelites, fresh from their victory against Sihon (a battle that, by the way...
The construction? Finished! The stones perfectly aligned, the craftsmanship impeccable. It was the month of Bul, later known as Marheshvan (roughly, October-November). But…the door...
(Yes, that's the title of the whole collection.) It's a wild ride through the aggadah – the stories, the embellishments, the "filling in the blanks" that surrounds the more straigh...
The Israelites certainly did when they encountered OG, the king of Bashan. The story of their battle with Og is wild, and it starts at the very edge of Edrei. Imagine this: The Isr...
I'm not just talking metaphorically big, but physically, impossibly huge. Let's Og wasn't just tall; he was…unwieldy, let's say. Imagine someone so massive that a regular wooden ch...
It wasn’t just bricks and mortar. It was a turning point, a cosmic shift that reverberated through the world. Ginzberg, in his Legends of the Jews, paints a vivid picture. Remember...
The familiar version gives us Moses. The guy who led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the Torah on Mount Sinai… a pretty big deal. But even Moses, seasoned leader and prophet,...
The familiar version gives us King Solomon. The wisest of men, builder of the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem. But this story isn't just about Solomon's glory; it’s about how his f...
Legends of the Jews turns to Kingdom of Og. Og. The name alone conjures images of a giant striding across the ancient landscape. And giant he was! We catch glimpses of him in the T...
It's not always the grand gestures, but the quiet intentions humming beneath the surface. King David, a warrior, a poet, a king... He had a secret reservation about building the Te...
When Abraham and his entourage finally arrived back in Canaan, they made a point of seeking out the same lodgings they'd used before. Why? Not just to settle their bills, but to se...
It paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? The story goes that a king – we don't know his name, but his actions speak volumes – decided to impose a truly… unique… tax. A tax on the dea...
Legends of the Jews turns to Og's Miracle. This giant, known as Og, wasn't just the last one chronologically. He was also, according to the tradition, the least significant. Can yo...
