1,629 related texts · Page 12 of 34
We often picture a triumphant march, but the reality, according to Jewish tradition, was far more complicated. It's easy to imagine them yearning for the "good old days" – even tho...
Jewish tradition certainly thinks so. Take, for example, the story of the spies sent to scout out the Land of Israel, a pivotal moment that shaped the fate of a generation. Their v...
According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, when Moses witnessed the immense grief for Aaron, felt by both humans and celestial beings, he was overcome. He wept, not j...
And the story of how he pushed back, how he insisted on something more, is a powerful one. It's a story that reveals not just Moses' character, but something profound about the rel...
The story begins with an ass – not just any ass, mind you, but one created on the sixth day of creation itself! According to Legends of the Jews, this creature was gifted to Balaam...
Jewish tradition has a fascinating story about that very phenomenon, starring the infamous Balaam. Remember Balaam? The non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites? Well, even...
This story, recounted by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, paints a vivid picture of a man caught in a divine tug-of-war. Remember Balaam? The non-Israelite prophet hired to curse the Israelit...
We find this story in Ginzberg's retelling of the Legends of the Jews, and it’s a doozy. Remember Phinehas? He's the zealous priest who took matters into his own hands, remember, s...
Your father has died, leaving no sons. Now, under the laws of inheritance, you and your sisters are facing a grim future: no land, no security, no real place in the community. What...
That’s a glimpse into the struggle of Moses, as his life drew to a close. The story goes that God, having decreed that Moses would not cross the Jordan into the Promised Land, then...
Even Moses, the great lawgiver, the one who spoke face-to-face with God, reached such a point. Imagine the scene: Moses knows his time is near. He desperately wants to live, to con...
What would you ask? Well, according to Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, Moses wasn’t just curious about any old thing. He wanted to know about the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple. N...
The stories surrounding the giving of the Torah are filled with this kind of fiery devotion. In fact, the text tells us that at a certain point, overcome with emotion, Israel decla...
We know he ascended Mount Nebo, gazed upon the Promised Land he would never enter, and then… the Torah simply says he died. But Jewish tradition, never one to shy away from filling...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Saul's end was that of a hero and a saint. Can you imagine that? Despite his flaws, despite his errors, he died a man rede...
His life was basically one long chase scene, wasn't it? Always looking over his shoulder, always one step ahead of Saul. But even in those darkest moments, the legends tell us, mir...
Sometimes, it's through incredible feats of wisdom, especially when you're just a kid. Take Solomon, for example. Even before he was King, as a young lad during David's reign, he w...
Let’s dip into a little story, found within Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, a treasure trove of rabbinic lore. This one features an ass, an ox, and a farmer who gets a bit more tha...
Jewish folklore is filled with such mysteries, often revealing deeper truths about ourselves and the world around us. Take this story, for instance. It's a tale of trickery, overhe...
We often hear about the human labor, the cedar from Lebanon, the gold and precious stones. But there's a less-told tale, a whisper from the shadows, involving beings not quite of t...
It wasn't just about flashy displays of power, that's for sure. According to the legends, he put them to WORK! Ginzberg, in his monumental work Legends of the Jews, tells us about ...
King Solomon, the wisest of all men, certainly tried. And the story of his scribes, Elihoreph and Ahijah, is a fascinating, if ultimately sobering, tale about just that. These were...
The prophet Elijah knew. And according to tradition, the events leading up to that moment, and even his ascent to heaven, hold profound meaning for us all. The story goes that befo...
We know him as the fiery prophet, the one who challenged the priests of Baal and ascended to heaven in a chariot of fire. But what if there was more to the story? What if Elijah......
According to some traditions, the final act of the prophet Elijah, that fiery figure of the Hebrew Bible, will be the ultimate showdown. He will carry out God's command to slay Sam...
The Talmud (Yoma 69a) certainly seems to think so when it tells us that the presence of a righteous person can protect an entire city. But what happens when that person is removed?...
It comes from Legends of the Jews by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, drawing on ancient lore, and it involves prophets, angels, lions, and a very, very hungry group of them. While all sorts ...
What are the odds that a Jewish girl would become queen of Persia, just in time to save her people from annihilation? Well, let’s rewind a bit to the very beginning of the Book of ...
That's Sukkot (the Festival of Tabernacles). Now, you might know it as the Feast of Tabernacles or the Festival of Booths. It's a time of harvest celebration and remembrance of the...
That’s exactly where our story finds her. According to Legends of the Jews, Esther stood frozen in the fourth chamber, paralyzed by fear. The guards, who had let her pass through t...
It's a moment dripping with drama. According to Legends of the Jews, Esther reached out, intending to point directly at Haman, the wicked advisor. He wasn't just after her life, bu...
That's the situation the Jewish people faced in antiquity, and it's what prompted Flavius Josephus to write his powerful work, Against Apion. You see, back in the day, not everyone...
The historian Josephus, in his work Against Apion, gives us some insight into this very question. He highlights how Jewish law, as he understood it, navigated the delicate balance ...
The angel struck first. That detail matters. At the river Jabboc, in the dead of night, with Jacob alone and his entire family already across the water, a divine being appeared and...
We often think of heaven as a visual paradise, shimmering light and breathtaking vistas. But what about the auditory experience? Jewish tradition paints a picture of a heaven const...
For the Jewish people, tradition answers with a resounding name: Michael. But it's not always a simple story of unwavering support. Our relationship with Michael, the archangel, is...
And there’s even an angel assigned to help. His name is Yode'a, the Angel of Losses. Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, the great Hasidic master, seems to have conceived of this angel, thi...
It's one of the most enigmatic scenes in the entire Torah (Genesis 32:24-30), and Jewish tradition has offered some pretty wild interpretations over the centuries. One compelling i...
The Sha’ar HaGilgul (the reincarnation of souls)im, the "Gate of Reincarnations," part of the teachings of the Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria, a 16th-century Kabbalist, offers a fascinatin...
The text paints a picture of unparalleled majesty, asking, "Who is like unto our King among all the lofty ones… Who is like our Maker? Who is like unto the Lord our God?" It's a rh...
Even the most powerful beings in the heavenly realms experience a similar ebb and flow, at least according to the ancient text, Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati. This text,...
That’s the image conjured in the ancient mystical text, Heikhalot (the heavenly palaces) Rabbati. Heikhalot Rabbati, meaning "The Greater Palaces," is a key work in the Heikhalot l...
Jewish tradition grapples with this feeling in fascinating ways, especially when it comes to ritual purity, or taharah. One particularly intriguing story comes from Heikhalot (the ...
A being named Dumiel appears in the heavenly halls—but is that truly his only name? The text poses a question: "And is Dumiel indeed his name? And is not ’byrghydrhym (i.e. Air Ear...
More than just wasting food, Jewish tradition suggests there's something deeper at play. Something…cosmic. It’s a notion found in the mystical text Peri Etz Hadar, a fascinating ex...
But Jewish mystical tradition, particularly the Kabbalah, suggests exactly that. It proposes that while God, the blessed Creator, reigns over the earth and assigns angels to overse...
According to some fascinating corners of Jewish mystical thought, it's a layered process, a divine bureaucracy if you will, involving the Sefirot, angels, and even… well, we'll get...
You work hard, you get results. You slack off, things fall apart. Simple. Well, maybe not so simple. There's a belief, a really common one actually, that says the world operates ac...
