1,629 related texts · Page 21 of 34
The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating ancient text, gives us a glimpse into just that. It recounts the story of how the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, came ...
I’m talking about the kind of gathering described in the Letter of Aristeas, a text that purports to tell the story of how the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, creating the ...
1 Maccabees 1 paints a stark picture: "Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach, her honour into contempt." ...
The story in the First Book of Maccabees, Chapter 2, throws us right into the heart of that question, and it's a tough one. We're talking about a time of intense religious persecut...
The First Book of Maccabees, a historical text not included in the Hebrew Bible but considered canonical by some Christians, offers a powerful glimpse into this very question. It r...
We find them, in the Book of Maccabees I, facing down an army camped at Emmaus, in the plain country. A formidable force, poised to crush the rebellion. Remember, this is all happe...
That’s kind of the vibe we get in 1 Maccabees 10. Remember Bacchides? He was that Seleucid general who was trying to crush the Maccabean revolt. He built fortresses all over Judea ...
About the moments when a community decides, "This is important. This needs to be remembered"? Let's travel back to a pivotal moment in Jewish history, a time of war, resilience, an...
We’re dropped right into a world teetering on the edge. The passage speaks of a time after a ruler's death, a time when his sons, dripping with royal ambition, seize power. "And th...
The Book of Jasher isn't part of the canonical Hebrew Bible, but it's referenced within it (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8). It's considered by some to be a valuable historical s...
That’s where texts like the Book of Jasher come in, offering us a glimpse into those "untold" stories. Chapter 40 of Jasher picks up right after the sons of Jacob have plundered Ga...
We all know the story of the Exodus, the burning bush, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the years leading up to that moment? The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text of...
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 ...
The opening columns of the Community Rule describe a yearly covenant renewal ceremony that reads like a cross between a monastic initiation and an ancient Israelite oath of allegia...
God told Moses that the time had come for Aaron to leave this world. Moses prayed all night, agonizing: "How can I tell my brother his life is ending?" God answered with a promise—...
Rabbi Eliezer's students asked him a direct question: what happens in the grave? According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by Jerahmeel ben...
Two bands of angels stand at the gates of Gehinnom (גהינום) and call out one word: "Come! Come!" According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled ...
Paradise has two gates made of carbuncle, and sixty myriads of ministering angels guard them. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle compiled by ...
Even the great prophet Elijah, the fiery champion of God, reached that point. Imagine this: Elijah, fresh from his triumph over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (I Kings 18), i...
The followers of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, knew a thing or two about joy. Every year, they celebrated Simhat Torah – the culmination of Sukkot (the Festiv...
According to tradition, on the second day, God brought forth four distinct creations: the firmament (rakia in Hebrew), hell, fire, and the angels. Now, the firmament isn't just the...
Before the third day, the earth was a watery expanse. Then, God commanded, "Let the waters be gathered together," and suddenly, mountains and hills burst forth, creating basins for...
The story of Adam's creation, as told in Jewish tradition, is so much richer and more complex than you might think. It's not just about clay and divine breath; it's about reluctanc...
It all starts, according to some traditions, with a clash of egos, a refusal to bow, and a trial of wit gone wrong. The Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, gives us a fasci...
Jewish tradition offers some breathtakingly beautiful, and frankly, wild, ideas about the journey of the soul. One particularly vivid picture involves Adam, the first man, acting a...
We often focus on the eating of the fruit itself, but the consequences, as described in Jewish tradition, are pretty fascinating, and, frankly, a little terrifying. According to Gi...
According to Ginzberg's compilation of Jewish legends, after Eve was created, God divided Paradise between her and Adam. Adam got the east and the north, along with all the male an...
And while the Torah itself offers a relatively concise account, Jewish tradition, as it often does, fills in the gaps with breathtaking detail. According to Legends of the Jews, a ...
Her story, according to some traditions, is filled with sorrow, repentance, and a final plea for reunion. Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, ...
It's not just about a crime; it's about the very introduction of wickedness into the world. The stakes were high from the very beginning. Our sages tell us that there were ten gene...
We find him in Genesis, just a few lines. “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Cryptic. What does it mean to "walk with God?" And what does it ...
We often think of Abraham's journey as beginning with the covenant God made with him, the "covenant of the pieces," promising him descendants as numerous as the stars. But as Legen...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, the story starts with a prayer. Abraham had prayed for Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, and when Abimelech recovere...
The story begins with Abraham, who, concerned about finding the right wife for his son Isaac, sends his trusted servant Eliezer on a mission to Haran. Eliezer is laden with gifts a...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is definitely one of those moments. It’s a story filled with deception, family drama, and a bit of divine intervention, and it's f...
It all revolves around Joseph’s coat – that infamous coat of many colors. The story goes that after selling Joseph into slavery, Jacob's sons were immediately overcome with regret....
The story of Joseph in Egypt, as retold in Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, offers us a powerful lesson in these very qualities. After years of hardship, Jacob and his family final...
It all starts with Jacob, also known as Israel, nearing the end of his life in Egypt. Asenath, Joseph's wife, notices Jacob's declining health. Knowing the power of a righteous man...
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...
The story, as told in Legends of the Jews, paints a vivid picture of divine encounters and a sacred calling. According to Ginzberg's retelling, when Levi knew his time was near, he...
Today, we're diving into the final testament of Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob, as recounted in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews. Benjamin, at the ripe old age of one hundred an...
It’s a story ripe with tension, a hero in the making, and a glimpse into the early acts that shaped one of the most pivotal figures in Jewish history. According to Legends of the J...
The Bible tells us about the Israelites' enslavement in Egypt, but some of the most chilling details come from other sources, like Legends of the Jews by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg. Ginz...
Take, for example, the story of Moses and the burning bush. Moses, tending his flock near Mount Horeb, a place already imbued with a sense of holiness – even the birds seemed to kn...
We know he received the Torah, but according to some fascinating accounts, his journey didn't stop there. He was granted a glimpse into the ultimate destinations: Paradise and hell...
Even Moses, arguably the most important prophet in Judaism, tried to avoid his divine calling. And, as the Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) tells us, he paid a price for that relucta...
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, the day Moses and Aaron made their grand entrance was actually Pharaoh's birthday. Can you imagine the pomp and circumstan...
According to Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, as the time approached for the Israelites' redemption from Egyptian slavery, a dilemma arose. They hadn't accumulated enough goo...
