5,341 related texts · 2 related myths · Page 5 of 112
The rabbis don't stop there. They confront the harsh realities of life, especially the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Rav says that after the Temple's destruction, a decre...
The great sage Eliezer once found himself in a similar situation. We find this story in the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating text that explores the lives and teachings of prom...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Jonah's Miracle. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and often imaginative work of aggadah – Jewish storytelling and folklore – fills in some of t...
Chapter 49 offers us a particularly compelling example, focusing on the story of Esther and the hidden hand of merit. Rabbi Zechariah, the sage whose words are recorded in Pirkei D...
The verse says, "then you shall send her on her own." Seems straightforward. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, see more. The text specifies that she must be sent "on her ow...
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...
Rabbi Beroka of Be Hozai used to go walking through the crowds of the marketplace in the company of the prophet Elijah, who would point out to him those among the ordinary people w...
A picture of the Heavenly Court. It's a pretty amazing concept, isn't it? The idea that even God, in all God's glory, doesn't act in a vacuum. Where does this idea come from? Well,...
The Torah portion Naso, particularly in Bamidbar Rabbah 13, explores this very concept, using the offerings of the princes as a springboard. It's a fascinating exploration of Israe...
A reader can focus on the sheer scale of the destruction, but the rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), those ancient interpreters of scripture, dug deeper. The...
" Now, Abraham takes center stage. He interprets this verse in light of his own life, specifically his circumcision. He says that after he circumcised himself, many proselytes, con...
Our ancestors wrestled with that very question. Remember the story? Jacob, after years of hard labor for Laban, decides it’s time to return to his homeland with his wives and child...
Take a look at Exodus. Right after (Exodus 21:1). What gives? What’s the connection? It’s like starting a story about building a house and then immediately launching into a discuss...
In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we find a fascinating exploration of this idea, starting with the verse "These are the ordinances....
“Judah was exiled due to affliction and great enslavement. She settled among the nations, did not find rest; all her pursuers have overtaken her within the straits” (Lamentations 1...
“Also, Vashti the queen made a women’s banquet in the royal palace of King Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:9). Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “My people, its oppressors are babes an...
Then Judah came near (Gen. 44:18). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: My son, if thou art become a surety for thy neighbor, if thou hast struck thy hands for a s...
And the Lord said unto Moses: “Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel” (Exod. 34:27). Scripture states elsewher...
The Torah has a default order. Moses before Aaron. Joshua before Caleb. Father before mother. Heaven before earth. Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Bereshit 14:1 collects the quiet exceptio...
Our tradition, in its beautiful, layered way, offers some fascinating, if not always easy, answers. Think about (Psalm 92:7): "When the wicked spring up as the grass." It paints a ...
The core of this passage revolves around the first tithe, the ma'aser rishon. This was a portion of the harvest given to the Levites, the tribe dedicated to serving in the Temple. ...
The Torah, as always, has something to say about that. to a little corner of Sifrei Devarim, a fascinating commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, and see what wisdom we can unearth...
The ancient wisdom of Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus, wrestles with these very imbalances. Ben Sira, in chapter 13, pulls no punches. He gets right to the heart of unequal ...
What he offers us is both comforting and challenging. "According to the greatness of his mercy," Ben Sira tells us, "so is his correction; He will judge each according to his doing...
The Book of Jubilees, a text that gives us a unique retelling of the Torah, certainly seems to think so. It’s a book overflowing with warnings and rebukes, a call to remember the c...
In this ancient text, which some consider to be part of the broader Jewish apocrypha, we find a pivotal moment concerning Abraham, his wife Sarah, and a promise that reshapes the d...
Then… a chill. An unnatural cold that seeps into your bones. That’s how Jacob discovered the death of his grandfather, Abraham. The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around...
In it, we find a powerful blessing, overflowing with hope for the future. This blessing is delivered by a parent to their child, and it's rich with imagery of fertility, peace, and...
Book of Jubilees turns to Jacob Disguised in Goatskins Fools Blind Isaac. Isaac is getting old, his eyesight’s failing. He knows his time is drawing near. So he calls for his eldes...
That feeling, that crushing weight of despair, is exactly where we find the Israelites in the Book of Judith. The Assyrian army, a seemingly endless sea of soldiers, tents, and cha...
Book of Judith turns to Rebuilding the Temple and the Covenant. She doesn’t offer empty platitudes or false promises. Instead, she grounds them in the core of their identity. "But ...
The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document from the Hellenistic period, gives us a peek behind the scenes of the Second Temple. It details not just the grandeur, but also the p...
Letter of Aristeas turns to Holy Temple at the Temple. This letter, a fascinating document from the Hellenistic period, purports to be written by a Greek official named Aristeas. H...
These aren't just modern questions. They're the kinds of things that leaders have been wrestling with for millennia. And they're exactly the sort of questions posed in the Letter o...
The Book of Maccabees I turns to Simon in the Holy Land. The scene is set: Simon is given command of three thousand men, tasked with heading into Galilee, the northern region of Is...
That feeling is at the heart of this passage from I Maccabees, Chapter 7. It’s a tense moment, a real clash of worlds. The scene is set with a villain, someone who should know bett...
It's actually a fascinating glimpse into the political and religious realities of the time. to a passage from the Book of Maccabees I, chapter 10, where we hear about a royal decre...
Our window into this world is the Book of Maccabees I, a historical text not found in the Hebrew Bible but preserved as ancient Jewish literature. It gives us a ground-level view o...
When a person is about to die, the angel assigned to them delivers a devastating eulogy. Not a eulogy of praise. A eulogy of regret. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12t...
Terah made five new gods and handed them to his son. "Sell these in the street," he said. Abraham loaded the idols onto his father's donkey and set off toward the marketplace. On t...
It wasn't exactly a smooth transition. to a story from Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, a collection that pieces together fascinating narratives from the Talmud, Midrash, and...
The familiar story is this: Abraham, the righteous one, goes to war to rescue his nephew Lot. But the Legends of the Jews, that incredible collection of rabbinic lore compiled by L...
What does he do? Does he stand back, waiting for someone to acknowledge him? Nope. He takes the initiative. "My brethren, whence be ye?" he asks. A simple question, but oh-so-power...
He was just waiting for Joseph to be born so he could finally head home. Why? Because Jacob had a sense – a ruach (spirit) hakodesh, a holy spirit – that Joseph's line would eventu...
Our story today takes us back to Jacob, and his daring escape from his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob, after years of laboring for Laban, felt it was time to return to his homeland. H...
One story tells us that among the idols Jacob destroyed, there was one shaped like a dove. And wouldn’t you know it, the Samaritans later dug it up and started worshiping it again!...
Take the story of Joseph and his brothers. The familiar story is this:. Joseph, the favored son, gets sold into slavery in Egypt. Years pass. He rises to power, second only to Phar...
Maybe it's for a job interview, or a tough conversation, or even just trying to get through a family gathering. It turns out, even our ancestors faced similar situations. Take Jaco...
