3,492 related texts · Page 48 of 73
That’s the kind of raw, desperate place we find ourselves in at the beginning of the story of Mattathias and the Maccabees. The Book of Maccabees I plunges us into a world where Je...
We're talking, of course, about the spark that ignited the Maccabean revolt, that incredible story of Jewish resistance against the Seleucid Empire. Mattathias, a priest from the v...
That’s the kind of pressure Judas Maccabeus and his brothers were under. Imagine it: a small band of Jewish rebels standing up against the mighty Seleucid Empire. It's a classic un...
The Greeks, under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, are doing everything they can to stamp out Jewish practice. It’s a dark time. So, what do the Israelites do? Where do they turn? The Book ...
That feeling isn't new. It echoes across millennia, resonating with stories like the one we find in the Book of Maccabees. Imagine the scene: The Temple in Jerusalem, the very hear...
That feeling, that desperate plea for help, echoes through the ages, and we hear it loud and clear in the Book of Maccabees. Imagine receiving a desperate message. Not just one, bu...
The story plunges us right into the thick of it. Judas Maccabeus, the hammer of God, and his army are on the move. They’ve just made a sharp turn "by the way of the wilderness unto...
Our story takes us to the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, during the time of the Maccabees. The Book of Maccabees I gives us a glimpse of a truly desperate situation....
Judas Maccabeus knew that feeling all too well. We’re in the thick of the Maccabean Revolt, a pivotal moment in Jewish history. Judas, the hammer – that’s what Maccabeus means, mak...
That feeling echoes through the ages, especially when we look at the story of Judas Maccabeus. The Book of Maccabees I, a historical text from the Second Temple period not included...
Sometimes, it's about more than just words. Sometimes, it's about tangible acts of kindness and understanding. In the ancient texts of The Book of Maccabees I, we find a fascinatin...
The story of Simon Maccabeus ends with just such a twist, a chilling reminder that even the most triumphant lives can be cut short by treachery. We find ourselves in the Book of Ma...
Her story, found in The Book of Susanna, is a powerful one. It all unfolds with a chilling simplicity. The text tells us "the people of the house heard her cry and ran to the viney...
We all know the story of their destruction, but the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text that elaborates on stories from the Hebrew Bible, really paints a vivid picture. Cha...
The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), fills in some fascinating details.. Jacob, now on the run toward Haran...
It’s a relentless chronicle of life and death, battles and betrayals. We're in Egypt, some seventy-nine years after Jacob and his family arrived. The years are marked by a somber r...
We know about Mount Sinai, the thunder, the lightning, the booming voice... but what about the days that followed?Book of Jasher and see what unfolded. The story picks up right aft...
Before Eve, there was Lilith. According to the Alphabet of Ben Sira, a medieval text composed between 700 and 1000 CE, God didn't create Eve first. God created a woman from the sam...
After the expulsion from Eden, Adam was separated from Eve for 130 years. He slept alone. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Mo...
Cain was the first city builder. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, after marrying his wife Qalmana, Cain...
When Pharaoh sought counsel on what to do about the growing Israelite population, he summoned three men: Reuel the Midianite, Job, and Balaam of Petor. Their answers determined the...
Darius summoned Daniel to test his wisdom and found him seven times wiser than any report had claimed. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle tra...
Zerubbabel won the riddle contest, but when King Darius offered him any reward up to half the kingdom, he asked for something no treasure could buy. According to the Chronicles of ...
Mattathiah was dying. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle preserved by Moses Gaster in 1899, the father of the Maccabean revolt called his fiv...
God answered Abraham's question about evil with a revelation about the nations. He was angered at them on account of Abraham's descendants, the people who would be separated after ...
Abraham asked again: "How long a time is an hour of the Age?" God answered: "Twelve years have I ordained of this ungodly age to rule among the heathen and in your seed. Until the ...
After the ten plagues, after the final convulsions of the dying age, God revealed to Abraham the moment everything would change. "Then I will sound the trumpet out of the air and w...
Naphtali, eighth son of Jacob, born of Bilhah, was dying in his hundred and thirtieth year. His sons gathered on the first day of the seventh month. He was still in good health. He...
Asher, tenth son of Jacob, born of Zilpah, spoke to his sons in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life, while still in health. "Hearken, you children of Asher, to your fathe...
One of the most powerful, and frankly, unsettling, of these stories is the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac. It all starts with a test. God, in perhaps the ultimate trial of faith, as...
In the house of Jacob, that dance of happiness and grief played out on a grand scale. Let's rewind. Remember Deborah, Rebekah's nurse? She wasn't just a caregiver; she was family. ...
We all know the story of Joseph and his brothers. Sold into slavery in Egypt, he rises to prominence, eventually saving his family from famine. But let's rewind and look at the ver...
According to these accounts, Joseph's imprisonment wasn't just a random act of misfortune. It was, in a way, a consequence for speaking ill of his brothers before their father, Jac...
To his right sits his queen, Alfar’anit. And to his left? His daughter, Bithiah, with a three-year-old Moses on her lap. Now, this isn’t just any toddler. In a moment of pure, unfi...
Spoiler alert: it wasn't. In fact, a heavenly debate raged, with the angels themselves deeply divided about whether creating humankind was a good idea. Imagine the scene. The Angel...
The animals came to him two by two, male and female, but he had no companion. So, what did the Divine do? According to the legends, God decided to give Adam a wife. Enter Lilith. U...
We’re diving into one of those now, a glimpse into the life of Abraham, long before he was… well, Abraham. Imagine a young Abraham, not yet the patriarch, walking the streets. Peop...
We know that CANAAN, son of HAM, and his descendants settled in the land. But the story goes that they didn’t exactly have permission. According to Legends of the Jews, Canaan disr...
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...
Abraham, Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham, grappled with just such a question. He believed in God’s promise that his descendants would flourish, but he yearned to understand how t...
The Torah tells us of Abraham's incredible generosity in welcoming these strangers. But even more remarkable, says tradition, is what he did next: he went with them to see them on ...
The stories we hear about Sodom in the Torah only scratch the surface. Jewish tradition paints a truly horrifying picture of this infamous city and its sister, Gomorrah. According ...
Our tale begins with angels leaving Abraham at midday, their wings carrying them towards Sodom as evening approached. Now, usually, angels are all about speed. They deliver their m...
Talk about a wake-up call! He and his people were terrified, convinced a similar fiery doom might be headed their way. Can you blame them? Abimelech, understandably shaken, summons...
Let’s delve into a fascinating encounter in the lives of Abraham and Abimelech and see what we can uncover. Remember the story? Abraham, fearing for his life in Gerar, tells everyo...
You might imagine sibling rivalry, but perhaps you haven't imagined this level of one-upmanship. The story goes that Ishmael, brimming with pride, decided to brag to Isaac. Accordi...
The story doesn’t just end there. There’s more to the tale, details that paint a richer, more complete picture of this pivotal moment in Jewish history. According to Legends of the...
It wasn’t a small, quiet affair. Oh no. This was a grand event, a spectacle of mourning and respect. According to Legends of the Jews, everyone who was anyone showed up. Shem and h...
