Parshat Vayera

2,677 related texts · Page 237 of 298

Three angels visit Abraham, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the birth of Isaac, and the Binding of Isaac (the Akedah). Genesis 18:1-22:24.

The Sabbath Feast In The Celestial Eden

Tree of Souls

The Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, tells us that the angels hold their own Sabbath feast in heaven. Imagine thousands of them gathered in the fourth heavenly palace, a ...

AngelsHeavenAdam & Eve

The Song Of The Sabbath

Tree of Souls

Imagine angels, each with six wings – one for every day of the week. The Or Zaru'a and Geonica both touch on this idea. Each day, they chant a unique song to God. A celestial choir...

AngelsHeavenAdam & Eve

The Souls Of Israel

Tree of Souls

It’s a question that has occupied mystics and theologians for centuries. And within Judaism, there are some truly fascinating answers. One perspective, and perhaps the most widely ...

CreationPatriarchsAdam & EveNoah & Flood

The Lesson Of The Stars

Tree of Souls

Young Abraham did. And his confusion led him to a profound realization about the nature of… well, everything. Imagine being a kid, really seeing the world for the first time. Abrah...

CreationHeavenPatriarchsAdam & Eve

The Souls Of Converts

Tree of Souls

Was Sarah truly barren? Genesis tells us plainly that she "had no children" (Gen. 16:1). But what if I told you that she gave birth in a way that defied conventional understanding?...

CreationDemonsHeavenTorah

Sarah's Tent

Tree of Souls

To have a little piece of the Garden of Eden right in your own backyard... or, in this case, your own tent flap? Jewish tradition paints a beautiful picture of Sarah's tent, offeri...

PatriarchsShekhinah

The Bartered Birthright

Tree of Souls

Let’s talk about Jacob and Esau, and a bowl of… lentil stew. Genesis tells us that the twins were different from the start. "When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a...

CreationPatriarchsCovenant

The Stolen Blessing

Tree of Souls

That feeling, that raw, unfair sting, is at the heart of the story of Jacob and Esau, and the stolen blessing. The scene is set: Isaac, now old and with failing eyesight, calls for...

HeavenPatriarchsAdam & Eve

Jacob The Divine

Tree of Souls

It's a pretty wild idea, isn't it? That Jacob, the trickster, the wrestler with angels, the father of a sometimes-fractious family, is so central to the divine plan that his image ...

HeavenPatriarchs