10,602 related texts · Page 173 of 221
Jewish tradition offers some truly fascinating, and sometimes unsettling, answers. to a few… We've heard tales of fallen angels, haven't we? The ones who dared to defy the divine. ...
And while the Torah gives us hints, it's in the later Jewish traditions, the stories whispered from generation to generation, that we really start to get a sense of just how wild t...
That’s essentially Noah's predicament in the lead-up to the Flood. According to Legends of the Jews, even after God decided, with a heavy heart, that the world had become too corru...
We often picture him building, gathering animals, maybe arguing with his neighbors. But what about his personal life? It turns out, there's a story there, too, a very human story o...
Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, tells us that Noah wept bitterly at the sight of the destruction. He turned to God, saying, "O Lord of the world! Thou art called the Merciful, an...
We all know the story: the animals, the flood, the rainbow. But what about the after the flood? What was Noah thinking, feeling? Did he get everything. Well, according to some fasc...
Sometimes, the answer lies in the smallest of actions, the purest of intentions. Think about Noah. After the flood, things weren’t exactly smooth sailing. There’s that infamous epi...
That's exactly what happened in the story of Abraham's birth. According to Legends of the Jews, Terah, Abraham’s father, married Emtelai, the daughter of Karnabo. A simple enough b...
His own mother asks him, "My son, is there a God beside Nimrod?" And without hesitation, Abraham proclaims, "Yes, mother, the God of the heavens and the God of the earth, He is als...
We’re diving into one of those now, a glimpse into the life of Abraham, long before he was… well, Abraham. Imagine a young Abraham, not yet the patriarch, walking the streets. Peop...
Days turn into weeks. Hope dwindles. You cry out... and someone actually answers. That's essentially the scene we find ourselves in with Abraham in this incredible passage from Gin...
How would you react? Overwhelmed? Maybe a little puffed up with pride? That's the situation Abraham found himself in, according to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews. Afte...
The story goes that Nimrod, a powerful ruler in ancient times, was deeply shaken by a dream. As soon as the sun rose, he summoned his wise men and magicians, desperate to understan...
To leave their home and their lives behind. Why? Because Abraham had discovered something profound, something Terah, mired in the world of idols and royal favor, couldn't quite gra...
It wasn't quite as simple as a divine command, at least not at first. The traditional narrative often focuses on Abraham's calling, but let's rewind a bit and look at the fascinati...
The stories surrounding Terah are fascinating, painting a picture of a man who lived a long life, witnessing his son’s rise to greatness, and ultimately finding redemption. The leg...
But what if that destiny also put your child in mortal danger from the moment they were born? That's exactly the predicament Terah, Abraham's father, found himself in. The story, a...
The stories surrounding Abraham's birth are filled with suspense, danger, and a father's desperate choices. The king, in his paranoia and cruelty, demanded Terah hand over his youn...
He, his mom, and his nurse finally venture out of the cave where they'd been hiding. Why? Because, thankfully, the king and his cronies had completely forgotten about the whole "ba...
According to Legends of the Jews, Terah, Abraham's father, was an idol merchant. Imagine that! When young Abraham questioned him about the true God, the one who created everything,...
The story goes that King Nimrod, a powerful and, shall we say, unpleasant ruler, wasn't too thrilled with Abraham's monotheistic views. He believed in many gods, and Abraham was go...
Even the great Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, faced trials. And, according to tradition, not just one or two, but ten! The Midrash, ancient collections of rabbinic te...
We know that CANAAN, son of HAM, and his descendants settled in the land. But the story goes that they didn’t exactly have permission. According to Legends of the Jews, Canaan disr...
It’s a story filled with hidden beauty, shrewd bargaining, and a touch of divine protection. Our tale begins as Abraham and Sarah journey from Canaan to Egypt. According to Legends...
Our story centers around a character named Rakyon. The name itself is a bit of a dig – it translates to "Have-naught." And initially, that name seemed pretty fitting. But Rakyon? H...
You know the story: Abraham, victorious in battle, refuses to take any spoils. Not a single thread. Not even a shoe-latchet. A tiny thing. But according to the Legends of the Jews,...
Abraham knew that feeling well. Before he was Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham, before the brit bein ha-betarim—the covenant of the pieces—he was just a man with a promise and a p...
Now, to ensure he gets some rest, God does something… unusual. He makes the day intensely hot. How hot? The Zohar tells us that God bored a hole into Gehinnom (the place of spiritu...
They were promised a child in their old age – a miracle, really. But when faced with the seemingly impossible, did they truly believe? The Torah tells us that when God says Sarah w...
The Torah tells us of Abraham's incredible generosity in welcoming these strangers. But even more remarkable, says tradition, is what he did next: he went with them to see them on ...
to a story about Abraham, our patriarch, and his audacious negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. It's a story filled with compassion, courage, and a little bit ...
And the story, as told in Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, is a real nail-biter. We all know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were, shall we say, not exactly shining ex...
And the story of how he pleaded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most powerful examples of intercession in the entire Torah. Remember the story? God, seeing the w...
Angels, messengers of God, have rescued Lot and his family, leading them away from the impending destruction. They're given one crucial instruction: don't look back. Don't even thi...
Jewish tradition is full of instances where the "when" is just as important as the "what." Take the story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. We all know the story of the wic...
Dreams have always held a powerful sway over our imaginations, and in the world of the Torah, they're often a direct line to the divine. But what happens when a dream delivers a wa...
Talk about a wake-up call! He and his people were terrified, convinced a similar fiery doom might be headed their way. Can you blame them? Abimelech, understandably shaken, summons...
They were old when they finally had Isaac. We're talking ancient! So, naturally, people had questions. Naysayers abounded. The big question on everyone's lips was, "Can a hundred-y...
Turns out, even he had to deal with pushy neighbors and the occasional diplomatic dance. After a twenty-six-year stay in Philistine lands, Abraham moved near Hebron. Can you imagin...
The Torah is full of moments like that, and the story of Abraham and Abimelech is a perfect example. Before Abraham finalized his covenant with Abimelech, king of the Philistines, ...
For many years, Abraham dwelled in Beer-sheba, and his primary occupation wasn't just tending flocks, but spreading the word, the dvar Hashem, of God. He wasn't content to keep his...
The story of the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, is one of the most powerful—and unsettling—in Jewish tradition. It tests the limits of belief, love, and obedience. Imagine this: Ab...
We all know the story of Abraham and Isaac, the binding, the near sacrifice. But the details, as the legends tell it, are astonishing. Imagine the scene: Abraham, hand raised, knif...
It's easy to imagine them simply receiving divine gifts, but the reality, as often told in our tradition, is far more nuanced. Take Abraham, for instance, and his quest to acquire ...
Well, according to Legends of the Jews, a year after Sarah's death, Abimelech also passed away, at the ripe old age of one hundred and ninety-three! Can you imagine living that lon...
Abraham certainly did, especially when it came to finding a wife for his son, Isaac. He was very particular. Abraham knew the importance of lineage and shared values. There's this ...
That’s the feeling I get sometimes when I read certain passages in Jewish lore. Take this little gem from Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews. It's a tiny moment, a snapshot really, but...
Let’s talk about Abraham, a figure revered as a pillar of kindness and righteousness. The legends paint him as nearly unparalleled in his virtue. Now, the time was approaching for ...
