2,273 related texts · Page 12 of 48
They'd already made one harrowing trip to Egypt for food during a devastating famine. But now, the meager supplies they brought back were gone. The little children were crying, beg...
I'm talking about Joseph, of course, and his brothers. We know the story: Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises to power in Egypt, and then, years later, fate br...
Take Joseph, for instance. His story is one of dramatic ups and downs, from slavery to becoming second-in-command in Egypt. But how did he find love? The answer, according to the a...
As Joseph lay on his deathbed, he made his brethren swear a solemn oath. He didn't just ask it of them, but instructed them to have their sons swear it too: when God would finally ...
The Israelites, after witnessing incredible plagues and finally being released from Pharaoh's grip, found themselves trapped between the sea and the pursuing Egyptian army. Talk ab...
There’s a powerful story in Jewish lore, found in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, about resilience in the face of famine that’s been echoing through generations. Imagine a land gri...
A famine drove one family out of Bethlehem and into the land of Moab. Elimelech took his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chillon, across the border to survive. The sons m...
The Mekhilta preserves a rapid-fire debate about what exactly earned the tribe of Judah the right to kingship over Israel. The exchange is compressed and dramatic, as rabbinic dial...
We know from Genesis that before he passed, Joseph made his brothers swear a solemn oath: when God finally remembers them, they must carry his bones out of Egypt with them (Gen. 50...
And trust me, the list is pretty surprising. The passage we're looking at today focuses on Psalm 80, specifically the verse "Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh." Now, these are...
That sense of, "Which way do I go?" That's precisely where we find Jacob in the Book of Jubilees, chapter 44. He's facing a dilemma of epic proportions. His son, Joseph, is a power...
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 c...
We know the biblical account, but there are other traditions that fill in the gaps, offering a more detailed picture of his reign. Today, we’re diving into Chapter 58 of the Book o...
The Torah tells us the broad strokes, but some of the details… well, they’re just fascinating. Let's pick up the thread as the story continues its winding path toward Egypt. The br...
Pharaoh certainly did. Remember the story? Seven fat cows, followed by seven skinny ones that devoured the healthy ones whole. And then ears of grain – plump and full, swallowed up...
That’s kind of where we find Mirod, Pharaoh’s chief butler, in this story from Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg). Pharaoh, is in a right state. He's had these terrifying dreams (we'll...
The scene: Joseph, now a powerful figure in Egypt, has just made a demand. He wants one of his brothers to stay behind as a hostage, a guarantee of their good faith. It's a tense m...
The food they'd bought in Egypt was gone, and the children, their tiny voices filled with hunger, cried out, "Give us bread, that we die not of hunger before thee." Can you picture...
That’s the kind of showdown we're about to dive into, ripped straight from the Legends of the Jews – specifically, a rather tense moment involving Judah, his brothers, and Joseph i...
Specifically, it's about a moment when Jacob is standing before Pharaoh in Egypt. Now, remember the backstory: Jacob's had a life. He wrestled an angel, was tricked by his uncle La...
The text tells us that Jacob was grievously ill, and it’s no wonder. Think about all he’d been through! Remember his years of relentless toil while working for Laban? Day and night...
That’s the scene we encounter when Jacob, also known as Israel, passes away in Egypt. His sons, overcome with grief, didn't just weep quietly. No, they rent their garments, a tradi...
We find a glimpse of it in Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg's monumental work that draws together so many threads of Jewish tradition. Reuben, knew he was partially responsible ...
Imagine, you're finally free. Free from centuries of enslavement, free from back-breaking labor, free from the sting of the whip. But where do you go? The Israelites, fresh from th...
We often think of the classic texts – the Torah, the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) – but there's a whole other world of accounts out there, often written by those not ...
That’s exactly what we find ourselves facing when we delve into the writings of Lysimachus, a figure who, according to Josephus in his work Against Apion, spun a tale so incredibly...
The ancient rabbis certainly did. And they found evidence of it woven throughout the stories of our ancestors. to a fascinating little gem from Midrash Tehillim (a collection of ra...
The Torah tells us about the 10th plague, the death of the firstborn in Egypt, and the Exodus that followed. But the details… they’re fascinating. Rabbi Shimon Ben Yochai, a toweri...
We often talk about it in broad strokes – centuries of suffering, a nation in bondage. But what if I told you that, according to one tradition, the actual period of intense enslave...
"I will assemble Jacob, all of you; I will bring together the remnant of Israel" (Micah 2:12). The end of Aggadat Bereshit's prophetic arc arrives here: not the death of Jacob, not...
Take the story of the war against Amalek in (Exodus 17:9). Moses tells Joshua, "Choose men for us and go out and wage war with Amalek; tomorrow I will be standing on top of the hil...
And Joseph was brought down into Egypt (Gen. 39:1). May it please our master to teach us whether one may recite the Havdalah (the ceremony marking the end of Shabbat (the Sabbath))...
Jacob said unto his sons: “Why do ye look one upon another?” (Gen. 42:1). Jacob told his sons: Since you are strong and handsome, do not enter through one gate, nor stand together ...
Who came into Egypt with Jacob (Exod. 1:1). Did they actually enter Egypt on that very day? Had not many days passed by since their arrival? (This informs us that) as long as Josep...
And Joseph died, and all his brethren (Exod. 1:6). Nevertheless, the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly (ibid., v. 7). R. Yannai declared: Each woman bore si...
We know so much about Jacob himself, and his twelve sons who would father the tribes of Israel. But what about their wives? The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating ancient Jewish text ...
Joseph was brought down to Egypt (Genesis 39:1). Lamentations gives the frame: "Good is the man who sits alone and is silent, for he will bear the yoke upon himself. He will put hi...
Sometimes, the answers are tucked away in unexpected corners of our history, like in the Book of Jubilees. Now, the Book of Jubilees isn't part of the standard Hebrew Bible we read...
It’s a universal human experience, and it echoes through our sacred stories. Take the tale of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, for example. We know the story well from Genesis, but the ...
That's the razor's edge Judah found himself walking in the Book of Jubilees, chapter 43. It all revolves around a cup. Not just any cup, mind you, but a cup that Joseph, disguised ...
That’s where Jacob found himself when he heard the news – unbelievable news – that his beloved son, Joseph, was not only alive but thriving in Egypt. Can you imagine the scene? His...
Then imagine the reunion. The overwhelming rush of emotion... That's the scene we're about to step into. We find Joseph, who after years of hardship, has risen to power in Egypt. A...
We know he was found in the reeds, destined for greatness. But what happened between that moment and the burning bush? Well, the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating ancient text not in...
It’s a longing, a hope so fervent it practically vibrates off the page. This ancient text, not included in the Tanakh but preserved in the Septuagint, gives us a glimpse into the h...
After journeying from Shechem to Hebron to be with their father Isaac, Jacob's sons settled in the valley. The pastures of Shechem were still good, and that’s where they tended the...
Zebulun, sixth son of Jacob and Leah, was dying in his hundred and fourteenth year, two years after Joseph. He gathered his sons and said: "I am not conscious that I have sinned al...
Joseph, eleventh son of Jacob, beloved of Rachel, was about to die. He called his sons and brethren together and spoke. "My brethren and my children, hearken to Joseph the beloved ...
The Torah portion of Shmot – Exodus – introduces us to Moses, arguably the greatest prophet in Judaism. But even before the burning bush, before the plagues, before the parting of ...
