2,682 related texts · 19 related myths · Page 3 of 56
Just as he was gentle with them, he became a helper and counselor to the Egyptians. And when Pharaoh passed away, the old king had one final request: that Joseph be a father figure...
It's just the beginning of a whole new chapter! After Joseph's incredible rise, having gone from enslaved prisoner to second-in-command, he needed a wife. And the Bible tells us (G...
Each stone, according to tradition, wasn't just a pretty gem; it was a symbol, a story etched in mineral form. Joseph, the dreamer, the charmer, the one who rose from the pit to be...
When we look at the story of Joseph, the biblical hero, we find a fascinating answer. Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt, faces temptation at every turn. But he remains steadfastly...
The familiar version gives us the verse: "And they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Gen. 15:18). But how does that square with other timelines we ...
Israel in Egypt, fruitful and multiplying, a thousand thousand and myriad myriads. And still, in God's eyes, like a single beloved child. That's the paradox this section of Aggadat...
This, the rabbis say, is Joseph. But then comes a twist. "And did not turn to the proud" (Psalms 40:5) – because Joseph asked the chief butler to remember him and mention him to Ph...
How Egypt's Magicians Failed to Interpret Pharaoh's Dream is the question behind this passage from Bereshit Rabbah. The passage begins, "He sent and summoned…" referring to Pharaoh...
The ancient rabbis certainly did, and they found wisdom in the story of Judah and Joseph in the book of Genesis to guide us. Our story begins with a tense encounter. Judah, pleadin...
So, Pharaoh tells Joseph: "Say to your brothers: Do this: Load your animals, and go, and come to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I...
Kohelet Rabbah turns a small city's forgotten rescuer into Joseph, the man who saved Egypt and was nearly erased from memory. The passage starts with a familiar scenario: "There wa...
The steward's reply is the gentlest sentence in all of Genesis 43. The brothers have just thrust their silver forward, insisting on their innocence. And the steward, Menasheh, in t...
The brothers returned to Canaan and retold the story to their father. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 42:33) preserves the terms as they remembered them: the lord of the land wi...
The famine grinds on. Grain runs thin. And Jacob, the aged patriarch, sits paralyzed at the thought of sending his youngest, Benjamin, down into Mizraim (Egypt). The viceroy there ...
At Joseph's table the platters move in a strange rhythm. Every brother receives a portion. Then Benjamin receives five. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan accounts for the arithmetic. "Benjami...
A small silver cup changes the course of Jewish history. Joseph hands it to his steward with a single instruction. "Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youn...
The familiar version gives us the dramatic ending – sold into slavery, rising to power in Egypt, and eventually saving his family from famine. But what about those missing pieces, ...
The brothers of Joseph certainly did. Remember them? They who sold their own brother into slavery? Well, their story takes another twist in the Book of Jubilees, specifically chapt...
There's a whole world of fascinating texts out there, bubbling with stories and details that expand on the familiar narratives. one of them: the Book of Jubilees. Specifically, Now...
A fascinating, if somewhat tragic, tale from the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text that fills in gaps left by the Torah. Our story unfolds in Egypt, 180 years after the I...
That was Pharaoh's predicament, as told in Legends of the Jews. He summons all his wise men, his magicians, his interpreters of dreams. "Tell me," he demands, "what do these vision...
Pharaoh had one of those. And it wasn't pretty. Pharaoh's dream: Seven fat cows devoured by seven gaunt ones. Seven healthy ears of grain swallowed by seven withered ones. A classi...
Take the story of Joseph, for example. You know, the one with the coat of many colors? readers often focus on the coat, the brothers' jealousy, but there's so much more depth to un...
He was absolutely floored by the sight of the Egyptian king. This teaching paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? It wasn't just the king himself, arrayed in princely garments with a ...
The familiar story is this: Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises through the ranks thanks to his ability to interpret dreams. But the encounter with Pharaoh, as...
No sooner had Joseph left the king's presence than a messenger arrived with startling news: the birth of Pharaoh's son. But joy quickly turned to sorrow. Another messenger followed...
The familiar story is this: Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt, faces incredible trials. But he also possesses unshakeable integrity. Perhaps the most famous test comes with Potiph...
That’s where we find ourselves in the story of Joseph and his brothers. They'd sold him into slavery, a secret festering between them. Now, facing hardship, their first thought, th...
The tension, the unspoken words hanging in the air… it’s almost unbearable, isn't it? That's the kind of scene unfolding between Joseph and his brothers in Egypt, a reunion thick w...
Take the tale of Joseph and his brothers. readers often focus on the coat, the betrayal, the rise to power in Egypt. But what about the moments in between, the motivations, the sub...
A monumental work compiled by Louis Ginzberg, the brothers spoke freely, thinking their words were veiled by the interpreter, Manasseh. Little did they know, Joseph understood ever...
The brothers of Joseph certainly did. Let’s rewind a bit. A famine strikes, and his brothers, unaware of his true identity, travel to Egypt to buy grain. The story unfolds with lay...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob Wrote a Letter to the Ruler of Egypt Not Knowing It Was Joseph. “I have said all now that is in my heart," he declared. These aren't just words; ...
The stakes? Nothing less than the fate of Egypt, and the freedom of his own people. In Legends of the Jews, the situation had reached a fever pitch. Egypt was reeling from the plag...
He’s risen from slavery to become a ruler, second only to Pharaoh himself! But beneath the surface of power, there’s a whisper of doubt, a nagging feeling that he’s still seen as a...
The story unfolds as Jacob, after years of heartbreaking separation, is finally reunited with his beloved son, Joseph, in Egypt. Imagine the scene: Joseph, now a powerful figure ad...
It turns out, even back in biblical Egypt, there were struggles for power and privilege, and Joseph, yes, that Joseph from the coat of many colors, was right in the middle of it al...
The Egyptians, according to Legends of the Jews, actually mourned Jacob. Why? Because they believed his presence had lessened the severity of the famine. Instead of lasting the div...
You're not alone. Even Joseph, the powerful vizier of Egypt, had to navigate those tricky waters. The scene: Jacob, Joseph's father and the patriarch of the Israelite people, has j...
It wasn't a simple affair, that's for sure. The Bible tells us he died in Egypt, surrounded by his family. But getting him back to the land promised to his ancestors? That was a wh...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph Visited Potiphar and Was Offered Asenath in Marriage. In Ginzberg's retelling in, Legends of the Jews, during the first of the seven years of pl...
Our story takes us back to Joseph in Egypt, a man who rose from prisoner to viceroy. As his life neared its end, Joseph knew he had one crucial task left: to ensure his bones would...
Pharaoh, wasn't just a generic bad guy. According to tradition, he had a dream. A rather unsettling one. In this dream, all of Egypt was balanced on scales, and a single, solitary ...
Life was good... for a while. Initially, the Egyptians welcomed Jacob and his family with open arms. Joseph, after all, had saved their entire kingdom from famine! But as time pass...
Darkness, locusts, boils… you name it, they got it. And now, finally, Pharaoh is ready to let the Israelites go. But it wasn't exactly a gracious departure. In Ginzberg's, Legends ...
It wasn't just about getting cheap labor back, oh no. According to the ancient stories, it was something far more sinister. The Legends of the Jews tells us the Egyptians weren't a...
Our sages certainly did. The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, dives deep into this very question. Specifically, it wrestles with (Psalm 78:4...
Her story, as told in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (chapter 38), takes a turn you might not expect. So, what happened to Asenath before she met Joseph? According to this tradition, Jacob...
