12,014 related texts · Page 10 of 251
We pick up with Rebecca, about to leave her family to marry Isaac. (Genesis 24:59) tells us, “They sent Rebecca their sister, and her nursemaid, and Abraham’s servant, and his men....
Take the story of Isaac, son of Abraham, diligently re-digging wells in Beersheba. It's a quick mention in (Genesis 26:18): "Isaac again dug the wells of water that they had dug in...
Take the tale of Esau, brother of Jacob. He wasn't exactly winning any popularity contests with his parents. (Genesis 28:8) tells us, "Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were ob...
It’s an idea that's been puzzling thinkers for centuries, and it pops up in some pretty unexpected places in our tradition. (Proverbs 28:1) tells us, "The wicked flee without a pur...
Jewish tradition is just teeming with those kinds of moments. Take Jacob, for instance, as he's about to head down to Egypt to reunite with his son Joseph. The Torah tells us, "Isr...
It seems like a strange thing to worry about when, well, we're no longer around to worry about anything. But the story of Jacob, as he nears the end of his life in Egypt, gives us ...
Take reading from the Torah, for example. The verse we're looking at is from (Deuteronomy 29:2): "Moses summoned all Israel, and he said to them: You have seen everything that the ...
The ancient rabbis certainly understood that feeling. In the book of Exodus, we read, “It was during those many days that the king of Egypt died and the children of Israel sighed d...
The verse in question comes from (Exodus 3:15): "God said further to Moses: So shall you say to the children of Israel: The Lord, the God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Is...
The Divine, it seems, knows the feeling. According to Shemot Rabbah, the great collection of Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, God...
We’re diving into Shemot Rabbah today, specifically section 23, which explores the verse, “Then Moses…sang” (Exodus 15:1). But this isn’t just about a song after crossing the Sea o...
We often gloss over place names, assuming they're just… well, places. But sometimes, they're so much more. Take, for example, the phrase "the wilderness of Shur," which pops up in ...
The book of Exodus and the sages of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explore this very idea. In (Exodus 32:7), we read, "The Lord spoke to Moses: Go descend; for your...
Good intentions, maybe, but with a track record that's... well, let's just say "mixed"? That's the feeling at the heart of a beautiful passage in Shemot Rabbah 49, a collection of ...
It's a book filled with passionate love poetry, and this verse, 2:5, is especially intriguing: "Support me with raisin cakes, cushion me with apples, for I am lovesick." Simple eno...
Forget the sanitized Sunday school version. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations, offers a glimpse into a world of...
It's a story about perspective, gratitude, and maybe even a missed opportunity to usher in... the Messiah! The passage begins with a verse from Song of Songs, "Look from the peak o...
We're looking at verse 4:12-13: “A locked garden is my sister, my bride; a locked fountainhead, a sealed spring. Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates, with delicious fruit,...
It's more than just letters; it's a tapestry woven with meaning, with whispers of divine intention. Take the story of the letter yod, that smallest of Hebrew letters, shaped like a...
Ever read the Song of Songs and thought, "Wow, that's...intense?" It's a book of love poetry, after all, and some of the imagery can feel pretty direct. Take the verse, "How fair a...
Sometimes, the answer lies in the most unexpected places, like, say, a close reading of the book of Ezekiel and a bit of ancient commentary. In Vayikra Rabbah 25, we find a fascina...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with, and in Vayikra Rabbah 36, we find some fascinating—and differing—answers. The text explores just how long the merit, the z’chus, of the pa...
In Vayikra Rabbah 37, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) explores this idea through a fascinating lens: vows. Specifically, it looks at instances where individuals made...
to this because, as often happens with our tradition, there's more to it than meets the eye. The Midrash of Philo, a collection of interpretations attributed to the ancient philoso...
Abraham asked again: "How long a time is an hour of the Age?" God answered: "Twelve years have I ordained of this ungodly age to rule among the heathen and in your seed. Until the ...
R. Nathan asked R. Shimon b. Yochai: In all places you find "the angel of the L–rd ("yod-keh-vav-keh")—(Genesis 16:7) "and an angel of the L–rd found her"—(Ibid. 9) "and the angel ...
"And your eyes shall see" (Malachi 1:5). The prophet promises that Israel will watch the fall of Edom — watch it with their own eyes, from their own territory, and say: "Great is t...
"The eternal God is thy dwelling-place, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deuteronomy 33:27). Jacob came to Egypt to find his son alive — the son he had grieved for twenty-...
Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus, is a book of wisdom literature, a treasure trove of insights into Jewish thought and practice, though it's not included in the Hebrew Bible'...
The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text considered canonical by some but excluded from the Hebrew Bible, gives us a glimpse. It paints a vivid picture of Terah, Abraham’s father, ...
We catch glimpses of it in the text, but sometimes, we need a little help filling in the blanks. That's where texts like the Book of Jubilees come in. The Book of Jubilees, sometim...
And He said, "Because thou hast obeyed My voice, and hast not withheld thy son, thy first-born, but hast offered him up to Me, in order that I might make a great nation of thee, an...
Sometimes, it's written in the stars... or at least, on heavenly tablets. That's the image that leaps out at us from the Book of Jubilees. In chapter 24, we find God speaking direc...
That’s kind of where Jacob finds himself in the Book of Jubilees. Jacob, is about to leave Egypt. A pivotal moment. But before he goes, he receives a divine message, a glimpse into...
In case you're not familiar, the Book of Jubilees is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories of Genesis from a slightly different angle, adding details and interpretations ...
The story we’re diving into today comes from the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text that expands on the stories we find in Genesis. It's considered apocryphal by some, meaning it...
That’s the situation facing Judith. Let’s pick up the story. We find Judith at the gates of Bethulia. Remember, this is her hometown, a city on the brink of destruction. And there,...
to a particularly tense moment from that saga. Our scene is set in the Book of Maccabees I, a historical text not included in the Hebrew Bible but considered canonical by some Chri...
They were "in great distress for want of victuals, and a great number of them perished through famine." It paints a stark picture, doesn't it? This wasn't just a food shortage; it ...
We know the broad strokes of Abraham, the patriarch, and the destruction of Sodom. But what about the details? Sometimes, the lesser-known texts fill in the gaps, offering a richer...
Esther stripped off her royal garments and the ornaments of her majesty. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 189...
It turns out, the story continues in some fascinating, and sometimes surprising, ways. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Rebekah first saw Isaac returning f...
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...
Sarah, wife of Abraham, certainly did when they journeyed to Egypt. to a fascinating episode from Legends of the Jews that shows just how powerfully things can turn around. Picture...
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 ...
Before the terrible twos, before squabbles over toys… try inheritance disputes! The story of Isaac and Ishmael, sons of Abraham, gives us a glimpse into just that. As Isaac matured...
Their water is gone. Facing death by dehydration, Ishmael turns to God, pleading, "O Lord of the world! If it be Thy will that I shall perish, then let me die in some other way, no...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, the journey to Mount Moriah was filled with unspoken tension and simmering rivalry. Abraham, his heart heavy, walked along...
