1,374 related texts · 18 related myths · Page 4 of 29
That’s kind of the vibe we get in 1 Maccabees 10. Remember Bacchides? He was that Seleucid general who was trying to crush the Maccabean revolt. He built fortresses all over Judea ...
Chapter 64 of the Book of Jasher throws us right into one of those cycles. Balaam, son of Beor – yes, that Balaam, the one with the talking donkey! – is hanging out with Angeas dur...
The story, as we find it elaborated upon in Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, takes us far beyond the spare verses of Genesis. It paints a vivid picture, filled with dialogue and em...
After all the drama with his brothers, being sold into slavery, and landing in Egypt, Joseph finally caught a break. He rose through the ranks, becoming a powerful figure in Potiph...
It led to one of the most dramatic moments in the Joseph story. Pharaoh, plagued by these intense dreams, had already consulted the wise men of Egypt. But their interpretations jus...
Amalek. The very name sends shivers down the spines of Jewish tradition. This wasn’t just another enemy; this was something… different. The Legends of the Jews, that incredible col...
Some enemies hate you for what you've survived. No sooner did Amalek hear that the Israelites had finally escaped Egypt than he sprang into action. He raced after them, interceptin...
Can I really do this?" It's a universal struggle, and even Joshua, the future leader of Israel, felt it. Our story unfolds just after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, with t...
Amalek is not treated as an ordinary enemy in this tradition. Even conversion is barred, and the reason begins in a bitter ancestral memory. The story begins with a divine directiv...
Why "My Miracle?" Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us it’s because the miracle God wrought against Amalek wasn't just for Israel, but, in a way, for God too. The Sa...
The ancient Israelites knew it well, and their experience is a powerful lesson about faith, doubt, and the persistent shadow of enmity. In Legends of the Jews, when the protective ...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt that sting. Moses is often remembered as this towering figure, unflinching in his faith, boldly confronting Pharaoh and leading the Israelites ...
After 28 years of leading them through war and peace, Joshua, the successor to Moses, passed away. According to Legends of the Jews, a monumental work compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzb...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joab's Sword Fuses to His Hand in Battle Against Amalek. The horror! Joab, a seasoned warrior, suddenly finds himself in this grotesque predicament. He...
The Book of Esther tells a powerful story, but it often feels like we're only getting a glimpse. The Bible mentions Mordecai and his niece Esther, but in just a few words. What abo...
Sometimes, the observations are...well, let's just say they offer a unique perspective. Someone, unfamiliar with Jewish practice, trying to describe what they see. It might sound a...
Yikes. The "trumpets," of course, are the shofar, the ram's horn, whose blasts are meant to awaken our souls, to call us to repentance and introspection. And the prayer, "On this D...
She wasn't done. This time, she wanted her story, the story of her courage and her people’s deliverance, enshrined within the Holy Scriptures. The sages hesitated. Big time. Adding...
Jewish mystical tradition has a fascinating way of addressing that feeling, a concept called gilgul (the reincarnation of souls) – reincarnation. And within gilgul, there's an even...
In wisdom of Kabbalah, it’s all about shared essence, a similarity of form. Baal HaSulam, in his introduction to the Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, uses a powerful anal...
The whole universe, from the tiniest grain of sand to the most articulate philosopher, is interconnected. There's a hierarchy, sure, but also a deep, underlying unity. That's preci...
Like the big, foundational stuff – the very existence of God, for example – is rock solid, but when you get to the nitty-gritty of how it all works in our daily lives. well, that’s...
We’ve all been there. But what if I told you that even in the deepest darkness, there’s an unshakeable truth holding everything together? The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a profound te...
This teaching paints a picture of complete and utter rectification, a state where the very existence of evil, what it calls "actual evil," is nullified. Now, this isn’t some naive,...
Forgetfulness? Not in God's vocabulary. But why? The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, a kabbalistic text, tells us it's not just about a perfect memory. It’s so much deeper than that. Forg...
One fascinating text, the Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah (which translates roughly to "138 Openings of Wisdom"), explores the concept of a concealed root that underpins all of existence. ...
Jewish mystical tradition has a fascinating way of looking at this very idea, particularly through the lens of the Sefirot (the divine emanations) and the human soul. The Emanator,...
The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, certainly sees the connection. It explores this idea in a powerful passage, linking the love between God and Isra...
The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, a later extension of the Zohar, that foundational text of Jewish mysticism, tackles this feeling head-on. In Tikkunei Zohar 46, we find ourse...
It’s a fascinating journey.It speaks of names, remembrance, and the very essence of Torah. Are you ready? The passage begins with a numerical puzzle, a kind of mystical math. It st...
The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, in its 82nd section, speaks of a "stone" – not a literal rock, of course, but a metaphor for the divine will. This stone, this force, doesn't...
Well, everything else? Jewish mysticism sees that struggle as very real, playing out on both a personal and cosmic level. And it all comes down to the choices we make. The Tikkunei...
Tucked away in the mystical heart of the Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, specifically section 109, we find a tantalizing glimpse of how it all unfolds. The Tikkunei Zohar, a col...
(Exodus 13:8) includes the phrase "because of this", ba'avur zeh. The Mekhilta asks: what is the purpose of this phrase? The answer involves one of the most famous figures in the P...
(Psalms 92:2-5) "It is good to praise the L–rd and so sing to Your exalted name. To proclaim in the morning Your lovingkindness, and Your faithfulness in the nights. With a ten-str...
Variantly: "for high on high": He exalts Himself over the exalted. With what the nations of the world exalt themselves before Him, He exacts punishment of them. In the generation o...
(Ibid. 20) "Then Miriam the prophetess took": Where do we find that Miriam was a prophetess? She said to her father (Amram): In the end, you will beget a son who will be the savior...
Amalek's attack on Israel was not a matter of geography or convenience. Rabbi Yehudah teaches that Amalek actually bypassed five other nations to reach the Israelites. He had to cr...
Others say: Let Amalek, the ingrate, come and exact payment of the ingrate people (Israel). Similarly, (II Chronicles 24:26) "And these are the men who rebelled against him (Yoash)...
When Amalek attacked the Israelites at Rephidim, the first nation to wage war against the newly freed slaves, Moses turned to his student Joshua with a command (Exodus 17:9): "Choo...
Rabbi Eliezer interpreted the mysterious rise and fall of Israel's fortunes during the battle with Amalek. When Moses raised his hands toward heaven, Israel grew strong. When he lo...
After Joshua's defeat of Amalek at Rephidim, the Mekhilta records an interpretation that turns the battle into a fulfillment of one of the most chilling prophecies in Scripture. Th...
Jewish mystical tradition speaks of something called the Pargod, and it's more fascinating than you might imagine. The Pargod (פרגוד) is described as an extraordinary curtain, a co...
The story of Amalek is one such echo. Amalek, that ancient nemesis of the Israelites, wasn't just a tribe; they represented something far more sinister: the embodiment of unprovoke...
The midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) starts with a powerful question ripped straight from Psalm 10: "Why do you stand far off, O Lord?" It's a cry of pain, a plea for int...
King David certainly did. Psalm 13, a deeply personal and relatable cry for help, begins with that very sentiment: "How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You ...
It's one the ancient rabbis explored deeply through their interpretations of the Book of Psalms, or Tehillim. to a fascinating passage from Midrash Tehillim, specifically on Psalm ...
King David knew that feeling well. And it's his story, illuminated by the ancient wisdom of Midrash Tehillim (a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Psalms), that offers...
