2,273 related texts · Page 20 of 48
At the climax of the Song of the Sea, Israel proclaimed: "The Lord will reign for ever and ever" (Exodus 15:18). It is one of the most sweeping theological declarations in the enti...
It’s a question that’s echoed through millennia, and Jewish tradition offers some truly remarkable answers. We all know the story: a baby, hidden in a basket, floating down the riv...
We all know the triumphant tale of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, escaping Pharaoh's clutches. But what about the Egyptians swallowed by the waves? It turns out, Jewish tradi...
Talk about pressure! So, what do you do when you're stuck between a relentless enemy and a seemingly impassable sea? That's exactly the question Moses puts to the Holy One, blessed...
The standard Torah tells us that Jacob traveled to Beersheba and offered sacrifices before heading down to Egypt. But Targum Jonathan, the ancient Aramaic translation dating to the...
High Priest Simeon & Alexander. Taanit, f. 7 b, 88 b. Meg. Taanit, ch. 9, 21 st Kislev. Yoma, f. 69 a. cf. 61 a. cf. J. Berakhot, IV, 1. cf. Pesikta, Parah. Pesikta Zutta to Exod. ...
Jacob saw the leaders of Esau listed in the Torah — king after king after king (Genesis 36:31-43) — and was afraid. "How can I stand against all of them? I am one man." The Holy On...
Let’s look at Isaac, the son of Abraham. The book of Genesis tells us, "There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was during the days of Abraham, and Isaac went...
It’s a beautiful custom, wishing them the qualities we admire in these two brothers. But there's something even more interesting hidden within that blessing, something that goes ba...
“We extended a hand to Egypt, Assyria, to be sated with bread” (Lamentations 5:6).“We extended a hand to Egypt, Assyria, to be sated with bread.” What would the Ten Tribes do? They...
That’s the feeling you get reading the story of Tamar and Judah in the Book of Jubilees. Remember Judah? One of Jacob’s sons, a key figure in the story of Joseph and his coat of ma...
We all know the story of Moses striking down the Egyptian taskmaster to save a Hebrew slave. But what happens next? The Book of Jubilees, a text considered canonical by some but ex...
Let's look at a moment from the Book of Judith, a story filled with intrigue and courage. We find ourselves listening to Achior, the leader of the Ammonites, recounting the history...
It might surprise you. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document from around the 2nd century BCE, gives us a glimpse into the mind of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the Greek ruler ...
The Letter of Aristeas, a text purporting to be from the 2nd century BCE, gives us a glimpse of the author's perception of Egypt. It paints a picture of immense scale, almost unbel...
The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text that purports to describe the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, touches on this very question. Imagine the scene: Egyptian priests...
It’s a powerful feeling, one that can drive us to great heights... or lead us to stumble. Our story today comes from The Book of Maccabees I, a historical account filled with brave...
We often associate it with powerful Egyptian rulers, but its origins are a bit…unconventional, to say the least. Buckle up, because the Book of Jasher has a wild story to tell abou...
The Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text that fills in gaps in the biblical narrative, offers some fascinating glimpses. to one particularly dramatic episode from Chapter 15...
That’s the emotional whirlwind that engulfs the sons of Jacob after selling their brother Joseph into slavery, as recounted in Chapter 43 of the Book of Jasher. The chapter opens w...
Book of Jasher, a fascinating, albeit non-canonical, work that expands upon biblical narratives. According to Jasher, Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, reaching the ripe ol...
But this tale comes from a different, less-known source: The Book of Jasher. Specifically, we’re diving into Chapter 60. Now, the Book of Jasher isn't part of the standard biblical...
Chapter 64 of the Book of Jasher throws us right into one of those cycles. We're back in a world of ancient grudges and shifting alliances. Balaam, son of Beor – yes, that Balaam, ...
We know him as the great leader, the lawgiver, the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. But what about his birth, his infancy, those perilous first months? The Book of Jasher, ...
It's considered by many to be part of the Apocrypha, a collection of writings of uncertain origin, that elaborates on stories from the Bible and fills in gaps. Think of it as histo...
There are entire books dedicated to filling in those gaps, offering tantalizing glimpses into the lives of our ancestors. One such book is the Book of Jasher, a work referenced in ...
According to the legends, entering Paradise isn't just strolling through a gate. Imagine two immense gates made of carbuncle, a fiery, glowing gem. And guarding them? Sixty myriads...
And it wasn't a coincidence. See, the famine that struck during Abraham's time? It wasn’t just a random act of nature. According to Legends of the Jews, specifically volume one, th...
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...
You know the story. Abraham, fearing for his life in a foreign land, tells everyone that his wife, the stunning Sarah, is actually his sister. A classic "mistaken identity" situati...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, when Abraham and his entourage finally arrived back in Canaan, they made a point of seeking out the same lodgings they'd u...
It sounds so ancient, so powerful, so… well, Egyptian! But the story behind it, according to some fascinating threads in Jewish tradition, is more surprising than you might think. ...
Ever find yourself in a sticky situation, and think, "Didn't I just do this?" Well, let's talk about Abraham. He's about to have a serious case of déjà vu. After leaving Egypt, Abr...
Take Isaac, for example. His life, as the great compilation Legends of the Jews tells us, reads like a mirror image of his father Abraham's. Abraham had to leave his homeland. So d...
That’s a glimpse into the trials of Joseph. The story of Joseph, as told in the Torah, is already But the rabbinic tradition, the wellspring of Jewish interpretation and storytelli...
Take the story of Joseph and his brothers, for instance. It's a tale of sibling rivalry, jealousy, and ultimately, redemption. But let's zoom in on one small piece, a little misund...
But what if that dream hinted at a future where you were elevated above them? That's exactly where we find ourselves at the beginning of Joseph's story. "Hear, I pray you, this dre...
We're talking about the dream where he saw a ladder stretching to heaven, angels ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12). According to Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, Jacob...
The tale begins simply enough. Jacob's sons, Joseph's brothers – remember, the ones who definitely weren't Joseph's biggest fans – were pasturing their father's flocks near Shechem...
That’s the situation Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob, found himself in with his younger brother, Joseph. Reuben had good reason to worry. As the eldest, he knew that if anything ha...
We all know the story: Joseph, the favored son, flaunts his special coat, stirs up jealousy, and ends up thrown into a pit by his brothers. But have you ever stopped to imagine the...
We all know the basics: Joseph, the favored son, with his infamous coat, is tossed into a pit by his jealous brothers. But what happened exactly down there? And how did he go from ...
His own brothers, driven by jealousy, threw him into a pit. But the story doesn't end there, does it? He's pulled out, not to be rescued and returned home, but to be sold. And here...
Turns out, even biblical figures weren't immune to buyer's remorse. Let's rewind a bit. We know the story of Joseph. Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. But who exactly did ...
The Ishmaelite merchants, thinking they've scored a good deal, are trekking across the desert. Everything seems normal enough. Then… BAM! Suddenly, darkness descends. Not just a li...
The coat of many colors, the jealousy, the betrayal... But what about those first few hours after that fateful act? According to Legends of the Jews, that amazing compilation of ra...
They’d just sold him into slavery, a betrayal that surely echoed in the heavens. But now, they had a bigger problem: how to explain his absence to their father, Jacob. According to...
The only clue? A tattered, blood-stained coat. It's a scene ripped straight from the biblical story of Joseph, and the heartbreaking moment Jacob, his father, is presented with wha...
