12,014 related texts · Page 58 of 251
37:3). The “son of his features” (ikunim, playing on zikunim, “old age”), for he resembled his father very closely. R. Ishmael said: He was called the son of his old age because Jo...
And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanite (Exod. 13:5). (Scripture mentions) five nations though there were (in fact) seven nations.17Cf. Mekhil...
In the third month (Exod. 19:1). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright, He is a shield to them that walk in integrity (Prov...
(Lev. 12:3:) “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” It is not written here that one lays out expenses over circumcision. See how much Israel loves ...
(Numb. 2:2:) “Each with his standard, under the banners for their fathers' house.” [This text is related] (to Job 36:3), “I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and justify my maker....
(Numb. 22:2:) “Now Balak ben Zippor saw.” What is the meaning of “Now he saw?” He saw retribution which would come against Israel in the future.3Numb. R. 20:2. And he hated them mo...
(Deut. 16:18:) “You shall appoint [judges and law officers] for yourselves”; and not for the peoples of the world. Another interpretation (of Deut. 16:18), “You shall appoint [judg...
The Book of Ben Sira, a treasure trove of wisdom literature, has something to say about that very human struggle. It's a book full of practical advice, ethical teachings, and a hea...
It's more than just good manners; it's woven into the very fabric of our spiritual well-being. Ben Sira, that wise sage whose words didn't quite make it into the Tanakh (Hebrew Bib...
Ben Sira, a sage whose wisdom echoes through the ages, certainly thought so. He dives straight into the heart of familial honor, and it's a message that still resonates powerfully ...
This passage from Ben Sira is all about seeking wisdom, actively, intentionally. It begins with a simple invitation: "If thou art wishful to hear (H); And incline thine ear (H), th...
It's packed with advice on everything from how to treat your servants to, yes, even your daughters. Some of it might sound a little… antiquated to our modern ears. But bear with me...
It has some pretty strong words for those of us prone to envy. "In the eye of a fool," Ben Sira tells us, "his portion is small; but he that taketh his neighbour's portion wasteth ...
Ben Sira, that wise sage whose words echo through the ages, offers us a powerful insight in his teachings. He tells us, "He that feareth the Lord shall discern judgement; And shall...
Jewish tradition, with its profound wisdom, offers guidance even on how to mourn – and when to let go. The Book of Ben Sira, a work of wisdom literature from the Second Temple peri...
Chapter 44, a small but potent passage, is all about remembering those figures, those powerful personalities, who shaped the world we know. "Much honored portion of the Highest, an...
This particular passage is about a time of profound transformation. It paints a picture of people turning towards the Divine—"with all their heart and with all their soul and with ...
We tend to think of "nature" as this impersonal force, but Jewish tradition often sees things differently. It paints a picture of a vast, intricate cosmic bureaucracy, teeming with...
Chapter 7 of Jubilees dives right into the chaos following the emergence of the Nâphîlîm, those figures often translated as "giants" or "fallen ones." Think of them as the offsprin...
We usually think of him as just relieved, planting vineyards, maybe a little… tipsy. But imagine being Noah. You’ve just survived the unimaginable. The entire world, wiped clean. Y...
The Book of Jubilees, a text considered canonical by some but not included in the standard Hebrew Bible, gives us a peek into Noah's anxieties about the future. Specifically, Jubil...
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text, grapples with this very human tendency in its own powerful way. Chapter 12 dives right into a crucial moment of religious awakening, a...
For a home, for a future, for a connection to something bigger than himself. And then he arrives at Shechem. The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text that expands on the stories we...
He’s just received a profound promise from God, a promise of protection and immense reward. "Fear not, Abram; I am thy defender, and thy reward will be exceeding great." It sounds ...
We often trace them back to the Torah, to Moses at Sinai. But what if some of those traditions, the feel of them, actually predate the Torah itself? to the Book of Jubilees, a fasc...
The Book of Jubilees gives us a glimpse into one of those moments – a moment of profound blessing and recognition. We're talking about Abraham. Imagine him, standing at a crossroad...
And it's one that the Book of Jubilees tackles head-on. Jubilees, for those unfamiliar, is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories of Genesis and Exodus, but with a distinc...
Let’s turn to the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the 2nd century BCE. It's not part of the standard Hebrew Bible, but it was highly regarded by some Jewish commun...
Like one wrong step and… well, you know. In the Book of Jubilees, we find this intense father-to-son talk that feels exactly like that—a guide to staying on that path. It’s like a ...
The text says: "offer them all together on the altar of burnt-offering; it is a sweet savour before the Lord." So, the whole animal, a burnt offering (olah), is going up in smoke. ...
Jubilees, in its 40th chapter, paints a picture of Joseph that goes beyond the familiar story of the coat of many colors and the dreams. It tells us, "for he walked in uprightness,...
That’s the kind of feeling that permeates the Book of Jubilees when it describes a devastating famine. A famine that wasn't just about empty stomachs, but about a land itself refus...
We all know the story: Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Epic. But what about the moments before all th...
We're not talking about gentle parables here. This is war. This is conquest. This is the kind of brutality that makes you want to look away – but we won't, because within it lies a...
That’s the feeling you get reading about Holofernes in the Book of Judith. He was that terrifying. We’ve talked about Judith, about her courage and her faith. But to truly understa...
They're facing Holofernes, the general of Nebuchadnezzar's army, and things are looking bleak. "Behold we have fallen before you to the ground," they plead. Can you imagine the des...
They were under siege by the army of Holofernes, an Assyrian general, and their water supply was gone. Utterly, irrevocably gone. The elders of the city, desperate and parched, gat...
The heroine of our story, Judith, had something to say about that. We find ourselves in the Book of Judith, a story set during a time of great crisis for the Jewish people. The Ass...
It’s a hymn, a song of praise erupting from the heart of Judith herself after her incredible victory. : a woman, acting with courage and faith, saving her people. And then, this ou...
Our story today begins with just that feeling. We’re diving into the Book of Tobit, specifically Chapter 6. It's a tale filled with adventure, divine intervention, and a fish – yes...
That’s the raw, human emotion that leaps off the page in the Book of Tobit. Here, we find Tobi and his wife Hannah in the depths of parental anguish. Their son, Tobiyyah, has been ...
Specifically, we're looking at Tobit chapter 12. Here, Tobit, blind and weary, is overflowing with thankfulness. His son, Tobiyyah, has just returned from a long and perilous journ...
It all begins with a letter – the Letter of Aristeas. Imagine this: you're a high-ranking official in the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus, the Greek ruler of Egypt in the 3rd century...
The Letter of Aristeas gives us a tantalizing glimpse. This ancient text, purporting to be a letter from an official named Aristeas to his brother Philocrates, describes the proces...
We catch a glimpse of it, not from the Bible itself in this case, but from an ancient letter – The Letter of Aristeas. This fascinating text, though not part of the core biblical c...
We read about it, we imagine it, but sometimes it's the small, sensory details that truly bring history to life. One of the most fascinating accounts we have comes from the Letter ...
That's the scene painted for us in the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text that purports to describe the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, resulting in the Septuagint....
The Letter of Aristeas, a text purportedly written by a Greek official named Aristeas in the service of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 BCE), recounts the story of how the Hebrew ...
