769 related texts · 24 related myths · Page 1 of 17
The Hebrew Bible says God opened the mouth of Balaam's donkey, and it spoke (Numbers 22:28). Targum Onkelos translates this miracle without flinching. The donkey talks. No metaphor...
The Torah says something strange when Balaam, the prophet hired by Balak of Moab to curse Israel, finally opened his mouth. And the Lord put a word in Balaam's mouth (Numbers 23:5)...
“Haman saw that Mordekhai was not bowing and prostrating himself to him and Haman was filled with wrath” (Esther 3:5).“Haman saw that Mordekhai was not bowing and prostrating himse...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 12:3) performs one of its most characteristic moves, it drops the future straight into the past. The plain verse says, I will bless those who ble...
(Genesis 19:37), in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan: "And the elder brought forth a son, and she called his name Moab, because from her father she had conceived. He is the father of the Moa...
Remember him? Balak, the King of Moab, was terrified of the Israelites and their growing power. So, he sent messengers to Balaam, hoping he could curse them. The story takes a twis...
Balaam, you might recall, was a non-Jewish prophet hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites. But Balaam’s journey to curse them takes a turn for the surreal when his d...
A donkey saw an angel before the greatest prophet of the ancient Near East did. That detail alone tells you everything about the story of Balaam. Balak, the king of Moab, was terri...
He knew his army wasn't strong enough, his strategies weren't clever enough. He needed an edge, something… supernatural. So, he turned to Balaam. Balaam was no ordinary sorcerer. H...
The answer, as we find it in the story of Balaam and his talking donkey, might just surprise you. The familiar story is this: Balak, king of Moab, terrified of the Israelites, hire...
It's one of those biblical tales that's just packed with odd details, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) had a field day unpacking it all. We find a f...
The Mekhilta asks a question about Kazbi (also known as Cozbi), the Midianite woman who played a central role in the sin at Baal Peor. The verse calls her "the daughter of a prince...
Balak looked at Israel with his eyes and with a darker wisdom. Zohar, Balak 1:1 asks what Balak saw when the Torah says he saw what Israel had done (Numbers 22:2). He saw through o...
The Hebrew Bible records Balaam's first two oracles over Israel (Numbers 23), and both times, the pagan prophet finds himself unable to curse what God has blessed. Targum Onkelos t...
This story, recounted by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, paints a vivid picture of a man caught in a divine tug-of-war. Remember Balaam? The non-Israelite prophet hired to curse the Israelit...
The closing line of Isaac's blessing, as the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan renders it, reaches beyond Jacob and names two future figures by name. "Let them who curse thee, my son, be accu...
The Torah lists Shimeon's sons with a single odd note about the last one: Shaul, born of a Canaanite woman (Exodus 6:15). The Aramaic paraphrase of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Exodu...
The story begins with an ass – not just any ass, but one created on the sixth day of creation itself! According to Legends of the Jews, this creature was gifted to Balaam by Jacob,...
Remember Balaam? The non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites? Well, even as all the drama was unfolding – his donkey seeing an angel, refusing to move, and eventually spea...
So, Balaam, the non-Jewish prophet hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites, is ready to get down to business. Balak and his princes are all waiting, anticipation thic...
Balak, the King of Moab, certainly believed in the power of place. And he was desperate. Balak had a problem: the Israelites. A massive, powerful nation camped right on his border....
We met Balaam before. He's that non-Jewish prophet hired by Balak, the King of Moab, to curse the Israelites. Only… it didn't quite work out that way, did it? Instead of curses, bl...
Like we can somehow pull the divine wool over God's eyes. a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 20 that explores this very idea, highlighting three figures who, tried to do ju...
The Torah gives us some pretty strong clues, and it all boils down to how they chose to attack us. Think about the story of Balaam and Balak. Remember that? Balak, the King of Moab...
It wasn't always through armies and diplomacy. Sometimes, they turned to magic. Take Balak, for instance, the King of Moab. He wasn't just any king. The Torah introduces him as the...
The story kicks off with Balak terrified of the Israelites and their growing power. Desperate, he sends messengers to Balaam, urging him to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22). Now, ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Kingdom of Balaam of Balak. Balak, the King of Moab, was understandably nervous. A huge Israelite nation was camped nearby, and he wanted them gone. So...
A powerful one. So powerful, in fact, that Balak, the King of Moab, got seriously worried when he saw the Israelites camped out nearby. He thought, "Uh oh, these guys are going to ...
The story of Balak and Balaam gives us a pretty potent example. So, Balak, king of Moab, is terrified of the Israelites. He's hired Balaam, a non-Israelite prophet with, shall we s...
The next morning, after their initial failed attempts to curse the Israelites, Balak, the king of Moab, took Balaam to the high places of Baal. Balak fancied himself quite the magi...
Legends of the Jews turns to Balak Drags Balaam to Mount Peor for a Third Try. So, Balak, not one to give up easily, decides a change of scenery is in order. "Maybe," he thinks, "t...
Sometimes, the most dangerous weapons aren't swords or spears, but cunning and temptation. Let's Remember him? The prophet hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites? (N...
That’s where the Legends of the Jews, compiled by Louis Ginzberg, comes in. It’s a treasure trove of stories, expanding on the biblical narrative in ways that are both fascinating ...
When God blessed Abraham in (Genesis 12:3), the Hebrew says simply: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse." A universal promise. But the ancient Ar...
Targum Jonathan transforms the assembly laws of (Deuteronomy 23) with details that reshape who belongs to Israel and why. A man "born of fornication" cannot enter the congregation....
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to Kingdom of Bilam of Balak. The story unfolds in Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) collection that dives deep into the bibl...
The Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, turns to one of the most severe prophecies in the Hebrew Bible: the destruction of Esau's descendants. The prophet Obadiah declares: ...
The Small Letters and their Purposes The ALEPH in ויקרא And He called (Leviticus 1:1) is small, to teach that the Holy Blessed One is only revealed to the nations of the earth thro...
Jewish tradition certainly hints at that possibility! Take Balaam, for example. You know, the one hired to curse the Israelites? The Moabites and Midianites thought he was Moses' e...
Take the tale of Balak and Balaam. It's more than just a simple request to curse a nation. It’s a clash of egos, a battle of wills, and a whole lot of ancient magic. Ginzberg, in h...
The story of Balaam and Balak is one wild ride, filled with ego, failed magic, and a divine sense of humor. In Legends of the Jews, when Balaam finally made his way to the border o...
The story of Balaam is a strange one, filled with prophecy, curses, and a talking donkey (yes, really!). But at its heart, it's a story about choice, and how our actions can either...
Balaam, the non-Jewish prophet-for-hire, was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22-24). He built seven altars – a huge number – and offered bullocks and...
Remember Balak, the King of Moab, and Balaam, the prophet he hired to curse the Israelites? (Numbers 22-24) Their story isn’t just a historical account; it’s a deep dive into the v...
The story of Pinḥas (Phineas) in the book of Numbers is a wild ride, a tale of zealotry, divine intervention, and a whole lot of questions about what's right and wrong. The scene i...
Moments where the choices seem equally appealing, or equally daunting. This week, in Sifrei Devarim 53, we find a powerful exploration of just that – the choices we face and the il...
Not the talking donkey one, though that’s the same guy! We find him popping up in all sorts of unexpected places in Jewish tradition, always stirring the pot. Here, we find him off...
(Numb. 22:12:) “Then God said unto Balaam, ‘You shall not go with them.’” He said to Him, “If so, I will curse them from where I am.”22Numb. R. 20:10. He said to him, (ibid. cont.)...
