2,672 passages in Modern Compilations & Folklore
Individual passages from Legends of the Jews, shown in source order. Page 46 of 56.
That’s a glimpse into the desperation Moses must have felt as his life was coming to an end. The familiar version gives us Moses. The towering figure who led the Israelites out of ...
Leah, already blessed with six sons, was pregnant once more. But this time, something remarkable happened. As Ginzberg recounts in Legends of the Jews, Leah realized that if she bo...
The story of how she found a way forward, a way to reclaim her dignity, is a powerful one. Remember Jacob, the son of Isaac? He was tricked into marrying Leah, even though he loved...
He needed an advocate, someone to plead his case before the Almighty Himself. But who could possibly take on such a task? First, he turned to Mount Sinai. – Sinai! The very mountai...
Her story, as told in Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, is filled with love, loss, and a touch of the mystical. When her son Joseph was born, she named him Yosef, which means ...
Jewish tradition certainly knows the feeling. Let's Here’s MOSES, the guy who spoke to God face to face, led the Israelites out of Egypt, and received the Torah on Mount Sinai. He’...
The story goes that when Moses realized that Heaven and Earth, the very cosmos, wouldn’t answer his prayers, he turned to humanity. He sought solace, intercession, from those he ha...
He’s led the Israelites through the desert for forty years, faced down Pharaoh, received the Torah at Sinai. And now, this. What does Moses do? He doesn't rage against God. He does...
He was just waiting for Joseph to be born so he could finally head home. Why? Because Jacob had a sense – a ruach (spirit) hakodesh, a holy spirit – that Joseph's line would eventu...
Remember how Moses desperately wanted to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land? We've talked about that burning desire before. But Samael (the angel of death), that ever-prese...
Jacob, after years of working for Laban, finally asked for something concrete as payment: he wanted all the speckled and spotted goats, and the black sheep. Sounds fair. Laban, alw...
Moses, the great leader, the man who spoke to God face-to-face, had just learned he wouldn't be entering the Promised Land. The people, witnessing this, were devastated. They wept,...
Jacob, after years of hard work, had finally begun to prosper. But instead of joy, his success bred envy in the hearts of Laban and his sons. Their annoyance, their vexation, becam...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, the one who spoke face-to-face with God, reached such a point. The scene: Moses knows his time is near. He desperately wants to live, to continue le...
It wasn’t exactly a calm, rational discussion – more like a celestial tug-of-war. The Ginzberg’s says retelling in Legends of the Jews, God was pretty miffed at Moses. Moses wasn’t...
Our story today takes us back to Jacob, and his daring escape from his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob, after years of laboring for Laban, felt it was time to return to his homeland. H...
He led the Israelites for forty long years, through trials and tribulations, bringing them to the very doorstep of the Promised Land. But he wasn't allowed to cross over. Why? The ...
That’s kind of what happened to Laban after Jacob left Haran. The story goes that Jacob, after his. let's call it a complicated stay with Laban, finally packed up and headed toward...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses and the Promised Land of Joshua. The picture Ginzberg paints, drawing from various midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) sources, is one o...
Jacob certainly did. Fresh from his somewhat…complicated…dealings with Laban, his father-in-law (and uncle!), he was on the run, trying to get back home. But Laban wasn't about to ...
When a herald summoned the people to Joshua, not a single Israelite came willingly. Instead of rushing forward, fear gripped the people. They started trembling, shaking, suddenly a...
The trickster uncle. Father to both Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives. And in this story, he's about to confront Jacob in a big way. Jacob has finally left Laban's house, after years ...
It seems even Joshua, the great successor to Moses, felt that deeply. The story goes that the time was approaching when Joshua would usually get up. Now, imagine Moses, the leader ...
The familiar story centers on Jacob working for Rachel's hand, being tricked into marrying Leah, and eventually leaving Laban to return to his homeland. But what about those little...
That's a glimpse into the story of Joshua taking over leadership from Moses. The moment had arrived. Joshua was ready, dressed for the occasion, prepared to step into the daunting ...
The familiar version gives us Jacob. Grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac, and a central figure in the Torah. And Laban? Well, let’s just say he wasn't winning any "Father-in-Law of t...
Jacob, completely innocent, declares, "With whomever thou findest thy gods, he shall not live!" (Genesis 31:32). Ouch. As we learn in Legends of the Jews, this wasn't just a figure...
Laban certainly did. The Torah tells us that Laban, father of Leah and Rachel, sent Jacob away with blessings after their fraught twenty years together. He kissed his grandchildren...
He's got his family, his flocks, and a whole lot of baggage, emotional and otherwise. He's facing the very real possibility of a showdown with his estranged brother, Esau, and the ...
Our ancestor Jacob certainly did. The story Remember Laban, Jacob’s less-than-honest father-in-law? Well, his words acted like fuel on a dying fire. The Legends of the Jews, a mast...
How he tricked Esau out of his birthright and blessing. But imagine the weight of that, the fear, the uncertainty… Well, the story doesn’t end there. The Legends of the Jews, that ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob Wept and Sent Gifts to Appease Esau's Army. So, what does Jacob do? He tries to smooth things over. He sends messengers to Esau, hoping to placat...
Legends of the Jews turns to Esau — Jacob's Transgression. Jacob has received his father Isaac's blessing, a blessing that seemingly promises prosperity and dominion. And Esau? Wel...
Naturally drawing on earlier Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) sources), things were still pretty tense. See, Jacob, ever the strategist, tried to make a deal with Esau....
Birthright, blessings. sibling rivalry taken to epic proportions. But the Bible only gives us so much. What was Esau thinking? What fueled his rage? Well, the ancient texts fill in...
His messengers return with chilling news. They deliver Esau's message, but it's not exactly a warm welcome. They also warn Jacob that Esau is marching toward him with an army, four...
In Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg tells how Jacob's wives, seeing his distress, started to bicker and blame him for uprooting them from their father's home, knowing the danger...
Jacob wasn't just praying for himself. According to Legends of the Jews, he was also pleading for the future of his descendants, that they wouldn't be wiped out by Esau's line. He ...
The story goes that after Jacob finished praying – really pouring his heart out, connecting with the Divine – he got down to brass tacks. He started organizing. See, Jacob was no f...
Jacob sent messengers ahead, bearing gifts, with instructions to address Esau as "my lord.. from his slave Jacob." It sounds deferential, doesn’t it? But according to the legends, ...
The story of that legendary grapple is… well, it’s more than just a simple wrestling match. It's a clash of worlds, a test of faith, and a glimpse into the complex relationship bet...
Legends of the Jews turns to Birth of Michael. So, what did Michael do? The text doesn't explicitly tell us. What it does tell us is Michael's defense: "I did it only to glorify Th...
Legends of the Jews turns to Michael Asked Jacob Why He Still Feared Esau. As dawn breaks, the drama continues. Michael says to Jacob, "Let me go, for the day breaketh." But Jacob,...
Jacob did. And the encounter didn't just leave him with a limp; it left him with a new name, a new destiny, and a whole lot of responsibility. Michael, the archangel, stands before...
Remember him? One of Jacob's sons? According to Legends of the Jews, Michael, the archangel himself, took Levi up to heaven! A whirlwind trip to the celestial court. Once there, Mi...
Our ancestor Jacob certainly did. The Torah tells us that Jacob wrestled with an angel – a divine being – all night long (Genesis 32:25-30). But what really happened that night? Wh...
Take Jacob, for instance. His story isn't just about wrestling an angel; it's about the very human cost of that struggle. The familiar story is this: Jacob, alone in the darkness, ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob Arranged His Family with the Beloved Last Before Esau. He placed the handmaids and their children in the lead, followed by Leah and her children,...
