769 related texts · 24 related myths · Page 3 of 17
Among the quietest bombshells in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan is a single line tucked into a genealogy. Kehath, son of Levi, lived a hundred and thirty-three years, and, the Targum adds,...
“The adversary extended his hand over all her delights; for she saw the nations entering her Sanctuary, whom You had commanded that they should not enter Your assembly” (Lamentatio...
“It was contemptible in his eyes to lay hands on Mordekhai alone, for they had told him of Mordekhai’s people; Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were in the whole kingdom o...
And it came to pass after these things (Gen. 40:1). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and ne...
The story of Jacob and Esau, and their mother Rebecca, is a powerful, sometimes troubling, example of maternal love… and perhaps, a bit of manipulation. to the Book of Jubilees, a ...
Book of Jubilees turns to Judah Receives a Roaring Blessing of Power. So, what does it say about Judah? Buckle up. It starts with this roaring blessing, a protective shield woven f...
Sometimes, it's not just about armies and strategies, but about the advice whispered in the ears of kings. That's the situation King Balak finds himself in. He’s worried about the ...
Balaam is often remembered as the sorcerer hired to curse the Israelites, and Jannes and Jambres as the magicians who opposed Moses in Pharaoh’s court, but they had lives, families...
The familiar story centers on the Exodus, but some of the details… well, they're chilling. In Legends of the Jews, which draws from various Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive comment...
It all boils down to a simple, yet profound observation: "Throw the stick up in the air it will always return to its original place." This idea sets the stage for a rather scandalo...
The story centers around Zimri, a prince of the tribe of Simeon, and his brazen defiance. He publicly takes Cozbi, a Midianite woman, as his own. A clear violation of the law. But ...
Here he is, a man learned in Torah, yet understandably terrified of receiving his father's curse instead of a blessing. Can you blame him? His mother, Rebecca, steps in, offering a...
The story of Israel in the wilderness offers a stark, and frankly, heartbreaking answer. Fresh from the miracle of the Exodus, having witnessed God's power firsthand, the Israelite...
It wasn't just a panoramic view of the Promised Land. According to our tradition, it was so much more. "From the plains of Moab," the verse says. (Sifrei Devarim 357). But what's s...
The Targum's version of (Numbers 23) reveals Bileam's inner strategy. When he looked at Israel, "he knew that strange worship was among them, and rejoiced in his heart." He spotted...
The blessings of (Deuteronomy 28) receive domestic detail. Being blessed "when you go out" becomes "blessed shall you be in your coming in to your houses of instruction, and blesse...
Mesha, the king of Moab, heard the story of the Binding of Isaac and drew exactly the wrong conclusion. He learned that Abraham, the father of the Israelites, had been willing to s...
The moment Jacob hesitates is the moment Rebekah makes her most astonishing offer. "If with blessings he bless thee, they shall be upon thee and upon thy sons; and if with curses h...
Not at all. It's a question that comes to the fore when we explore Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically chapter 20. ” Okay, but what exactly did he see? Well, the Rabbis of the Midrash do...
Our story today, drawn from Bamidbar Rabbah 20, a section of the classical Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), plunges us right into such a situation – a tale of Moabites, ...
We choose them carefully, hoping they’ll embody certain qualities, or perhaps carry on a family legacy. But what if a name wasn't a blessing, but a curse? What if it foreshadowed i...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Abraham Saddles His Donkey for the Binding of Isaac. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, a prominent figure in the Talmudic era, makes a striking observation. He says ...
Our ancestors grappled with this very question of agency and divine intervention. to a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Boo...
It wasn't just a simple story; it was a portal to layers of meaning, hidden connections, and profound insights. Take Jacob's blessing to his son Issachar in (Genesis 49:14-15): “Is...
Our tradition teaches us that something else holds even greater worth: a good name. And it's not just about reputation, but about the power and blessing inherent in a name earned t...
Rabbi Levi, in Vayikra Rabbah (Leviticus Rabbah) 15, cuts right to the heart of it. He teaches that blessed actions – acts of kindness, of justice, of integrity – bring blessing ri...
42:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him; but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it (Prov....
(Numb. 22:20:) “Then God came unto Balaam at night.” This text is related (to (Job 33:15-1)7), “In a dream, a vision of the night […]; Then he uncovers a human ear […]; To turn a p...
(Numb. 22:39:) “Then Balaam went unto38The Masoretic text reads both this and the following UNTO as WITH. Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-Huzoth (literally: city of markets),” wh...
Our heroes, Tobiyyah and the angel Raphael (disguised as a human, of course), are on a journey. They arrive at Agbatauis (Ecbatana), and Raphael drops a bombshell. "My brother," he...
The story of Noah and the vine is a wild ride through temptation, disrespect, and divine retribution. In Legends of the Jews, Noah's troubles began when he decided to cultivate the...
The answer, as often happens in Jewish tradition, is layered and complex, and more than a little surprising. In Legends of the Jews, compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, the story of ...
The story of Balaam, the non-Jewish prophet, gives us a tantalizing glimpse. He was a powerful figure, no doubt about it. But what he lacked was the key to true and lasting impact....
Balaam's voice carried to the ends of the earth, one voice, heard by everyone. Why? Because God knew that one day, someone would come along claiming to be a god, leading many astra...
He's led the Israelites for forty years, through thick and thin, through miracles and rebellions. He’s shepherded them from slavery to the very edge of the Promised Land. And now, ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Balaam and the King. Well, some ancient texts give us a clue. Imagine a conversation around a crackling fire, maybe a worried counsel of kings, discuss...
Think about biting into a juicy piece of fruit. It's delicious. But according to some fascinating Kabbalistic teachings, there's a whole lot more going on than just satisfying your...
The core idea revolves around Eyn Sof, blessed be He – the Infinite, the ultimate source of everything. According to this text, Eyn Sof wanted to eradicate a fundamental misconcept...
"He blessed them on that day, saying: may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh" (Genesis 48:20). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev uses Jacob's blessing to explain a peculiar tea...
The Mekhilta, the halakhic midrash on Exodus from the 2nd century CE, examines one of the starkest either-or passages in the Prophets. Isaiah delivers God's ultimatum: "If you acqu...
The Mekhilta traces a prophetic thread that spans nearly the entire Hebrew Bible, connecting a drunken curse in Genesis to a divine promise in the book of Joel. When the prophet Jo...
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms, offers a fascinating glimpse into this very question. "But his delight is in the law of the Lord," s...
The ancient rabbis grappled with this too. They felt it on a national level, in their relationship with God. And they didn't shy away from the tough questions. They wrestled with t...
Our tradition grapples with this very question, especially when considering the immense gifts God has bestowed upon us. Midrash Tehillim, specifically in its exploration of Psalm 1...
The sages teach that sometimes, that very position – being between two good choices – is a blessing in disguise. Think about Samuel the Prophet. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer...
Those little acts of kindness, those traditions that bind us together… sometimes, the answer is more surprising than you think. Let's Think about a wedding. What do we do? We celeb...
Sifrei Bamidbar, an ancient commentary on the Book of Numbers, unpacks this seemingly simple phrase in a multitude of beautiful and insightful ways. The most straightforward unders...
Sifrei Bamidbar turns to How the Priests Place God's Name in the Blessing. In Bamidbar (Numbers) 6:27, it says, "And they shall place My name." The Sifrei Bamidbar, an ancient comm...
