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The most detailed account of the lost tribes of Israel comes from Eldad the Danite, a traveler whose report is preserved in the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chron...
Three men approach death. Each begs their family for something to bring to the next world. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by Jer...
Rabbi Eliezer's students asked him a direct question: what happens in the grave? According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by Jerahmeel ben...
After Daniel walked out of the lions' den unharmed, the king returned with him to the palace and issued an extraordinary declaration. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12...
Cyrus conquered the known world because God strengthened his hand. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, God...
On the night King Ahasuerus could not sleep, something far stranger was happening in heaven. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle preserved by ...
Judah Maccabee did not wait to be attacked. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle preserved by Moses Gaster in 1899, when the Macedonian general...
When the voice stopped speaking, Abraham looked in every direction. No one. No breath of a man anywhere. His spirit was seized with terror. His soul fled from him. He became like a...
While Iaoel was still speaking, fire closed in around them on every side. A voice was inside the fire, like the voice of many waters (Ezekiel 1:24), like the roaring of the sea in ...
There was one final thing to do before Enoch could go home. God called one of the older angels — a terrible, menacing being, white as snow, with hands like ice and the appearance o...
God pronounced three curses. One for the man. One for the woman. One for the serpent. And with those three curses, the world as it had been ended forever. To Adam, God said: "Since...
Solomon pressed Beelzeboul further. "If you want a respite from your labor, tell me about the things in heaven." The prince of demons leaned forward. "If you burn gum, incense, and...
What happens to the body after death? Not the soul — the body. Will the dead come back as they were? Will they be transformed into something else entirely? Baruch asked God the que...
Uriel took Ezra back to the beginning. Before the portals of the world were in place. Before the winds blew or thunder sounded. Before the innumerable hosts of angels were gathered...
"Many have been created, but few shall be saved." With those words ringing in his ears, Ezra launched into the most daring prayer in all of Jewish apocalyptic literature — a prayer...
This is one of the most stunning visions in all of Jewish literature. A grieving woman becomes a city of light. And no one — not even Ezra — sees it coming. God had told Ezra to go...
Seven days of fasting. Then, in the dead of night, Ezra dreamed. A wind rose from the sea and churned all its waves. And from the heart of the sea — not its surface, not its shallo...
That feeling is at the heart of our story today, a tale I call "The Cottage of Candles," retold from Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls. Once, there was a Jew driven by an unshakeable...
That's a glimpse into the world of the dybbuk. Our story begins in the mystical city of Safed, a center of Kabbalah in the Galilee. There lived a widow, known throughout the commun...
That’s the kind of feeling that permeates the story of the Ari, or Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), the great Kabbalist, and his annual pilgrimage to Meron. Every Lag ba-Omer – that ...
It’s a question that’s captivated mystics and theologians for centuries. Our tradition offers some pretty wild and wondrous answers! According to Legends of the Jews, that incredib...
There's a wild story in Jewish tradition that explains exactly why, involving a heavenly court, a lot of pleading, and even a little bit of divine disappointment. The Legends of th...
Jewish tradition has some pretty incredible answers. to the very first day of creation. According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, on day one, God brought forth ten things. : te...
According to our tradition, the fifth day of creation was all about bringing forth life into the waters and the skies. The Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, tells us that...
Jewish tradition certainly has, and the figure of Adam, the first man, looms large in that contemplation. to some fascinating stories about him, drawn from the rich tapestry of Jew...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, before the world even existed, there was a need for beings to praise God. So, He created the angels, the holy Hayyot (holy...
The Bible doesn't offer much detail. But the Jewish tradition, rich with stories and interpretations, fills in the gaps, painting a vivid picture of their struggle, their sorrow, a...
It wasn't always peaceful. The story of Cain and Abel, the first brothers, is a chilling tale of jealousy, resentment, and ultimately, fratricide. But according to tradition, the s...
We often hear about the wickedness of humankind, but some fascinating stories lurk beneath the surface, involving fallen angels, giants, and divine justice. According to Legends of...
We know that Noah and his family were spared, a fresh start for humanity. But, well, it didn't take long for things to go sideways again, did it? According to Ginzberg’s retelling ...
The story of the Tower of Babel is a classic tale exploring that very theme. It’s a story about ambition gone wild, about a collective "we can do anything" attitude that ultimately...
The sages tell us that there were ten generations between Noah and Abraham. Ten generations! And the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) emphasizes that this long span shows...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, when Abraham reached the ripe old age of twenty, his father Terah, an idol maker, fell ill. Now, Terah needed some cash, s...
to the legends and find out. According to the Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, the people of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Zoar (the cities of the plain) were… well, let's j...
Jewish tradition, particularly the aggadah – the storytelling tradition – doesn't shy away from these questions. to a fascinating tale from Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg), about Ab...
The traditional texts offer some fascinating, and frankly, unsettling insights into Esau's true character and the events surrounding that infamous stolen blessing. According to Leg...
According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, after the incident at Shechem, where Simon and Levi took drastic action, fear rippled through the surrounding lands. The neighboring p...
We often hear about the immediate aftermath – the vengeance of Simeon and Levi. But what about Jacob and his family? Did they just pack up and leave? Well, according to the Legends...
That's the story of Joseph, whose relationship with his brothers is one of the most dramatic and heartbreaking in the Torah. It all started with Joseph's "talebearing," as Ginzberg...
"Throw the stick up in the air," goes the saying, "it will always return to its original place." And perhaps that's how Zuleika, Potiphar's wife, felt about her growing desire for ...
The Bible gives us a glimpse, but the Jewish tradition, particularly in works like Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, really fills in the emotional and narrative gaps. The reunion, a...
Her story takes a dramatic turn in Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, and it involves treachery, divine intervention, and a whole lot of pebbles! Imagine this: Asenath, surroun...
We often hear about the big names – Abraham, Moses, David. But what about the seemingly quieter figures, the ones whose stories whisper rather than shout? Today, let’s delve into t...
We get a glimpse of Job's ultimate fate, and it’s quite a ride. It's a tale of forgiveness, restoration, and a little bit of divine fashion. As Job continues to proclaim his innoce...
According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, an angel whisked Moses away – not just across the border, mind you, but forty days' journey away! That’s a serious relocati...
We know Moses, of course. But what about the man who welcomed him into his home, whose daughter became Moses' wife, and who offered crucial advice that shaped the Israelite legal s...
We all know the big picture: plagues, Moses, Pharaoh, the Red Sea. But what about the details, the little-known corners of the narrative? to one of the most dramatic moments: the s...
According to Legends of the Jews, a monumental work compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, God actually created and destroyed several worlds before He finally settled on this one! Appar...
