2,672 passages in Modern Compilations & Folklore
Individual passages from Legends of the Jews, shown in source order. Page 8 of 56.
Jewish tradition certainly has! to a world of giant birds, floating axes, and feasts fit for the righteous. A group of travelers sailing on a vessel spot a bird standing in the wat...
The Torah tells us of Jacob's deep love for Joseph, a love that perhaps bordered on favoritism. So, picture Jacob, now alone, consumed by grief. The text says that while his sons w...
After 28 years of leading them through war and peace, Joshua, the successor to Moses, passed away. According to Legends of the Jews, a monumental work compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzb...
Take, for instance, the story of Jacob mourning the loss of his beloved son, Joseph. The familiar story is this:. Joseph's brothers, driven by jealousy, sell him into slavery and t...
The familiar story is this: Moses, Pharaoh, the parting of the waters. But what about the behind-the-scenes drama? to some lesser-known legends surrounding this pivotal moment. The...
Legends of the Jews turns to Levi and the Heavenly Realms. You've probably heard of Leviathan, the massive sea serpent. And perhaps Ziz, the giant bird, is also familiar. But Behem...
Jewish tradition understands this deeply, acknowledging that while time can heal the wound of death, the absence of someone vanished, someone still living, leaves a different kind ...
The familiar story is this: the Israelites are freed, the waters part, the Egyptians pursue, the waters crash. End of story. Well, not quite. In Legends of the Jews, a monumental w...
The familiar version gives us about Leviathan, the mighty sea serpent, Ziz, the colossal bird, and Behemot, the giant land beast, but they aren’t alone in the bestiary of Jewish le...
It’s a story brimming with jealousy, deception, and ultimately, reconciliation. But tucked within the familiar narrative is a curious detail about why Jacob, Joseph’s father, remai...
Some traditions describe a primordial Adam tethered to the earth by an umbilical cord, a creature whose life hangs, quite literally, by that living thread. Snip the cord, and it's ...
Jacob was the last to know that Joseph was alive. That was Jacob. Everyone else in his close family knew that Joseph was alive and, incredibly, ruling in Egypt. But not Jacob. He w...
Legends of the Jews turns to Pharaoh Guards the Gates of Hell for Eternity. Well, according to those whispers, Pharaoh never truly died. He stands eternally at the gates of Gehenna...
The shore of the sea is not a clean victory scene. As the Egyptians lay dying, defeated and broken, they were forced to watch Israel triumph and to feel the suffering of the Egypti...
It's quite the tale, and it all starts with the Phoenix. The familiar story centers on Adam and Eve and the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. But did you know that the animals got ...
It wasn't just the unbearable pain of losing a child. Jacob's situation was, as these stories often are, layered with complexities, with promises and spiritual anxieties. See, Jaco...
I don't mean klezmer or cantorial music, but something deeper, something woven into the very fabric of our story. What if I told you that Jewish tradition speaks of nine specific s...
Hezekiah's wicked father, King Ahaz, tried to offer him as a sacrifice to Moloch. Imagine the horror! But Hezekiah's mother, in a desperate act of love, painted him with the blood ...
The story of the Exodus, specifically the crossing of the Red Sea, offers a fascinating glimpse into this idea. The scene: the Israelites, finally free from slavery, stand on the s...
It wasn't always this way! According to the legends, these creatures weren’t born rivals. Their animosity, like so much else in this world, has a story, a reason... or rather, seve...
That feeling… it's a heavy one. And it's something Judah, one of Jacob's sons, knew all too well. See, Jacob was utterly devastated by the supposed death of his beloved son, Joseph...
Notice that little seam near its mouth? It’s a tiny detail, easy to miss. But according to legend, that seemingly insignificant feature has a surprisingly dramatic story behind it,...
First, a misstep. Before we get to the wedding bells, understand: Judah was kind of a big deal. He was, according to some traditions, essentially the king among his brothers. But a...
Behind them? Pharaoh's army, breathing down their necks. Ahead? What seems like an insurmountable wall of water. It’s a moment of absolute crisis. The angels, ever-dutiful, decide ...
The raven's journey on the ark wasn't exactly smooth sailing. When Noah needed a scout to check on the receding floodwaters, he called upon the raven. But the raven wasn't exactly ...
Judah, one of Jacob's sons, married a Canaanite woman, and their firstborn was named Er, which poignantly means "the childless." As fate would have it, Er’s name was a prophecy. He...
The story of that moment, of the shirah, the song, is richer than you might imagine. It wasn't just a spontaneous outburst. According to Legends of the Jews, when it came time to s...
This raven wasn't content with his own raven-y way of doing things. He watched the dove, so graceful, so elegant, and thought, "I want that!" He yearned for that refined, delicate ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Kingdom of Tamar. So, what's Tamar to do? She's stuck. Penniless, and without prospects, it seems like she'll never be able to remarry and have childre...
The smooth skin around its nose? Well, according to some beautiful old stories, there's more to that bovine face than meets the eye! The Legends of the Jews, that amazing compilati...
Judah, one of the sons of Jacob, walks right past her. Doesn't even give her a second glance. Imagine! But Tamar? She’s not about to let this opportunity slip away. She looks up to...
Legends of the Jews turns to Israel Sings at the Sea and Sees God Face to Face. The familiar story is this: the Israelites, fleeing slavery in Egypt, trapped between the pursuing E...
Because according to some fascinating corners of Jewish tradition, even the animals weren't always as they are now. Take the serpent. The familiar version gives us the serpent. The...
She is brought, against her will, before a court of law. This isn't just any court,. Seated as judges are none other than Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. Yes, those Isaac, Jacob, and Juda...
Like many great stories, it begins with a bit of divine drama. The scene: Adam has just eaten from the Tree of Knowledge (oops!), and as a result, things are about to change, big t...
The scene is set: Tamar is about to be executed. Accused of infidelity, she desperately searches for the evidence that could prove her innocence – three pledges she had received fr...
It wasn't just the adults celebrating freedom. According to Legends of the Jews, even babies stopped nursing, compelled to add their voices to the chorus! And unbelievably, the emb...
He noticed the fox was missing. "Where's that sly one?" he probably grumbled. He soon found out the fox had cleverly avoided the census. Annoyed, Leviathan sent out some big, stron...
What performance could possibly top the greatest hits? Jewish tradition actually has an answer, and it's epic. The World to Come, Olam Ha-Ba (the World to Come) in Hebrew. It's a t...
They have stories too, tales of redemption, bravery, and unexpected turns of fate. Take Judah, for example. The familiar version gives us he sold his brother Joseph into slavery. B...
I know, it sounds a little irreverent, maybe even silly. But Jewish tradition, in its wonderfully imaginative way, actually does offer us a glimpse into the Divine wardrobe. And wh...
Legends of the Jews turns to Every Creature God Made Has a Purpose. The text continues, drawing from sources like (Job 35:11), asserting that God "teacheth us through the beasts of...
What would your reaction be? Awestruck silence? Jubilant shouts? Well, according to the legends, the Israelites had their answer ready and waiting at the Red Sea. After the men fin...
Not literally, of course. But according to Jewish tradition, everything – absolutely everything – is constantly offering praise to the Creator. It's a beautiful idea, isn't it? Tha...
After the whole heartbreaking ordeal of selling Joseph into slavery to the Midianites, Judah's brothers came to him with a proposition. "If things were normal," they said, "our fat...
It first appears it was all singing and dancing and unwavering faith. But the truth? Well, let's just say the Israelites weren't exactly model citizens. In Legends of the Jews, tha...
Consider the story of Joseph and his brothers. We know about the coat, the jealousy, the slavery in Egypt… but what about their lives outside of that central drama? The year that J...
Praise is often remembered as something reserved for humans, something we consciously offer up. But what if everything around us, every living thing, is constantly singing God's pr...
