538 related texts · 3 related myths · Page 1 of 12
The story begins with the tribes of Reuben and Gad. As Israel was in the process of conquering and dividing the land, these tribes, as the midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary...
Gad chose land east of the Jordan. The Hebrew blessing in (Genesis 49:19) puns on the name, gad sounds like gedud, a raiding band. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan expands the pun into a bat...
There's a fascinating little moment in the Torah that really highlights this human tendency, and it involves the tribes of Reuben and Gad. They come to Moses with a proposition. Th...
The tribes of Reuben and Gad had enormous herds, and when they saw the conquered territory east of the Jordan, they wanted to stay. The Targum's version of (Numbers 32) captures Mo...
The Torah, in the book of Numbers (30:2), grapples with this very idea: "Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying: This is the matter that the Lord ...
In the ancient world, and even described in the Torah, there was a system in place to offer refuge. The book of Numbers instructs us, "You shall designate cities for you" (Numbers ...
It's a window into a world where relationships, words, and intentions intertwine in complex ways. Our starting point is Bamidbar (Numbers) 30:14: "Every vow and every oath of bindi...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 24:4) describes what Moses built at dawn: Mosheh wrote the words of the Lord, and arose in the morning and builded an altar at the lower pa...
It’s a human experience, unfortunately, one that even touched the lives of the biblical figures readers often hold up as paragons of virtue. the tradition turns to Gad, one of the ...
When it comes to the Tribes of Israel, their names aren't just labels, they're prophecies, whispers of a future redemption woven into the very fabric of their identity. Each name, ...
The Hebrew Bible calls Moses "the man of God" (Deuteronomy 33:1). Targum Onkelos adds one word: "the prophet of God." Moses is not merely a man who belongs to God. He is a prophet,...
Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations on the book of Genesis, presents us with a stark contrast: four individuals who made vows, or nedarim, but w...
It's a wild ride of interpretations, isn’t it? " Now, Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi], the compiler of the Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law), offers a double-edged interpretation. ...
It’s not a typo, and it’s definitely not random! There’s a beautiful lesson tucked away in that apparent inconsistency. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, offered a pow...
Shir HaShirim Rabbah turns to The Unsung Heroes Who Organized the Temple Tribes. The passage starts with Rabbi Simlai interpreting a verse, connecting a "bed [mitato]" to "his trib...
Dan shall judge his people like one of the tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:16). Like one signifies that like Judah, he was one of the most distinguished of the tribes. Another explanatio...
More than just architecture and gold, Take the ephod, for instance. That's the priestly vestment. Ginzberg, in his Legends of the Jews, tells us it had two precious stones, one on ...
You return, weary but victorious, only to find… things aren't exactly as you left them. That's what happened to the two and a half tribes who ventured east of the Jordan River in t...
The book of Numbers, Bamidbar in Hebrew, recounts the Israelites' journey through the wilderness. In chapter 32, we encounter the tribes of Reuben and Gad. "The children of Reuben ...
It all comes down to the Sanhedrin, the ancient Jewish high court. The Shir HaShirim Rabbah, a Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) commentary on the Song of Songs, offers ...
The Rabbis, in their insightful way, connect verses from different parts of the Bible to illuminate the Exodus story. They begin by focusing on the verse "Behold the bed [mitato]."...
“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent. They have placed dust on their heads, have girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have lowere...
When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel according to their number (Exod. 30:12).14Pesikta de Rav Kahana, Shekalim, p. 156. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Ta...
Another interpretation (of Deut. 3:23), “I besought [the Lord].” This text is related (to Is. 30:19), “Indeed, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall surely weep no ...
After the overwhelming experience of hearing God's voice at Sinai, the Israelites retreated. (Exodus 20:18) records: "And the people stood from afar." The Mekhilta specifies the di...
R. Yishmael says: Come and see the mercies of the One who spoke and brought the world into being, for flesh and blood. For a man acquires himself with money from the hands of Heave...
Reuben, firstborn son of Jacob and Leah, lay dying in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. Two years had passed since Joseph fell asleep forever. Now Reuben's own sons ga...
Gad, ninth son of Jacob, born of Zilpah, spoke to his sons in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. He had been valiant in keeping the flocks, guarding them at night. When...
Take the story of the offerings brought by the tribes of Israel in the desert. Each tribe, a unique thread in the tradition of the nation, brought their own special gifts to the Mi...
The Torah portion V'Zot HaBerachah, "This is the blessing," gives us a glimpse into that raw, fervent side of prayer as Moses, in his final act, intercedes for the tribes of Israel...
We've all been there. But what does Jewish law say about the power – and responsibility – of our words? This week, It wrestles with the intricacies of vows, oaths, and the weight t...
In the book of Bamidbar, also known as Numbers, we find a fascinating discussion about vows, and particularly, the power a father and husband have to either uphold them or, to use ...
The Hebrew Bible says the Israelites camped by their tribal standards (Numbers 2:2). It never describes what was on them. The Targum Jonathan fills that silence with a riot of colo...
The blessings are done. Jacob has said something hard or something heroic about each of his sons, one has lost the birthright, two have been scattered for their rage, one has been ...
The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Exodus 28:19) lists the third row of the breastplate: ligure, and agate, and amethyst, engraved with Gad, Asher, and Issachar. The tribes of this row...
When Betzalel finished the choshen, the breastplate of judgment, he did not simply sew a garment. He built a map of the world the House of Israel carries on its heart. In Targum Ps...
And the Lord said unto him: “Therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” and the Lord set a sign for Cain (Gen. 4:15). The Holy One, blessed be H...
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel (Gen. 49:28). Elsewhere it is written: Twelve princes shall he beget (Gen. 17:20). These are the number of the tribes, and the world is ar...
Another interpretation (of Lev. 27:2) “When anyone explicitly vows […]”: This text is related (to Prov. 11:30), “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but a wise person acq...
Book of Jubilees turns to Reuben and the Patriarchs of Bilhah. Chapter 33. It's a short passage, but it packs a punch. The core message? Incest is absolutely, unequivocally forbidd...
That feeling – that’s what I want to A time of immense struggle. Your people are oppressed, your sacred places desecrated. Hope seems lost. Then, a voice rises above the despair, a...
The Bible gives us glimpses, but the Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13, (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers a more detailed narrative. The ch...
What would you say? Would you offer blessings, warnings, or maybe even a bit of both? That's what happened with Jacob, also known as Israel, as he lay dying in Egypt, surrounded by...
In Legends of the Jews, a couple of years after Joseph's death, Reuben fell ill, sensing his time was near. He gathered his sons, grandsons, and brothers, ready to share his hard-e...
Compiled by Ginzberg, in his 132nd year, Naphtali invited his children to a banquet. The next morning, he announced his impending death, which they, of course, disbelieved. But Nap...
Leah, found herself in a predicament. She had stopped bearing children, while her sister Rachel's handmaid, Bilhah, had already given Jacob two sons. According to Legends of the Je...
Legends of the Jews turns to Reuben and the Fires of Gehenna. Remember the story of Joseph, the favored son, and his jealous brothers? They threw him into a pit, planning to leave ...
Consider the story of Joseph and his brothers. We know about the coat, the jealousy, the slavery in Egypt… but what about their lives outside of that central drama? The year that J...
