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The Torah tells us he was "righteous in his generation" (Genesis 6:9). But what does that really mean? Bereshit Rabbah, a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis,...
We all know the story: the flood, the animals, the ark bobbing along on a chaotic sea. But what happened after? The waters receded, the dove returned with the olive branch… and the...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 36, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) commentary on the Book of Genesis, which grapples with this v...
We see it everywhere, from synagogue art to holiday decorations. But have you ever stopped to consider why? Well, let’s dive into a fascinating passage from Shir HaShirim Rabbah – ...
Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish philosopher who lived way back in the first century. He tried to bridge the gap between Greek philosophy and Jewish tradition, and his writings off...
It’s more than just pretty light refracting through raindrops. In Jewish tradition, it's a profound promise. A covenant. A cosmic reassurance. But what exactly is it reassuring us ...
In his commentary on Parashat Bereshit, Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk (the Noam Elimelech) asks a deceptively simple question: why does the Torah begin with the word "beginning"? Ras...
The Mekhilta extends its catalogue of divine judgment by east wind to yet another generation: the builders of the Tower of Babel. The pattern grows stronger with each example — God...
Gaster's Exempla of the Rabbis (1924), preserved from the Ma'aseh Book, tells a courtroom tale set in the court of Alexander. The people of Afriki — the descendants of Canaan who h...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 8:17) gives Noah his first instruction on the new earth, and it is almost identical to the instruction the Holy One gave Adam in Eden. Bring fort...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 8:21) preserves one of the gentlest and most realistic sentences the Holy One ever speaks. After Noah's sacrifice, the Lord said in His Word, I w...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 9:2) marks a sharp change in the relationship between humanity and every other living thing. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon e...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 9:4) delivers one of the oldest and most surprising laws in Torah. Flesh which is torn of the living beast, what time the life is in it, or that ...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 10:7) lists the sons of Kush, the son of Cham, and then spins out a gazetteer the Hebrew does not provide. Seba, and Havilah, and Sabta, and Raam...
“Zion spread her hands, there was no comforter for her; the Lord has commanded for Jacob that her adversaries surround her. Jerusalem has become like a pariah among them” (Lamentat...
We all know the story of the flood, the animals two-by-two, and the rainbow's promise. But what about the aftermath? What did the world look like when the waters finally receded? T...
When Noah finally stepped onto dry land, one of the first things he did was offer a sacrifice. But what was so special about it? The Book of Jubilees, a text that expands on the st...
The Book of Jubilees, treasured as scripture by some ancient Jewish communities like the Essenes of Qumran, retells the Torah with a storyteller's eye for detail — and chapter 6 li...
The Book of Jubilees, a text revered by some but not included in the standard biblical canon, offers a fascinating answer, connecting the earthly and the divine in a truly profound...
The Book of Jubilees, a text considered canonical by some but relegated to the Apocrypha by others, offers a fascinating, detailed account. It's like a divine property survey, layi...
To one of them, shall we? We find a fascinating account in the Book of Jubilees, a text considered canonical by some, like the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but considered apocryphal ...
We all know the story of Noah, the ark, and the animals. But what about the aftermath? What kind of world did Noah and his family rebuild? The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text ...
Today, we're diving into the Book of Jubilees, a text not found in the canonical Tanakh, but considered sacred in some Jewish traditions. It retells much of Genesis and Exodus, but...
We're talking about a time when the Seleucid Empire, under King Antiochus IV Epiphanes, was in full swing, trying to Hellenize, or make Greek, everyone under its rule. It wasn't ju...
We all know the basic story: the flood, the animals, the rainbow... But some ancient texts offer us a glimpse into the nitty-gritty, the behind-the-scenes drama. Book of Jasher, a ...
The raven's journey on the ark wasn't exactly smooth sailing. When Noah needed a scout to check on the receding floodwaters, he called upon the raven. But the raven wasn't exactly ...
We often hear about angels as these purely good, ethereal beings. But what happens when angels, shall we say, misbehave? The story of Azazel and Shemhazai is one of those tales. It...
We pick up with Shemhazai and Azazel. Now, these weren’t just any angels. They were part of a group who, according to some traditions, were sent to Earth to observe humanity. But, ...
While the Torah gives us hints, it's in the later Jewish traditions, the stories whispered from generation to generation, that we really start to get a sense of just how wild thing...
Not just any book. According to Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, this was a sapphire book, encased in gold! Think of the bling! More import...
Let’s talk about the Flood. We all know the basic story: Noah, the Ark, the animals two-by-two. But what about the people who didn't make it? What about the sinners left behind? Ac...
We often picture him building, gathering animals, maybe arguing with his neighbors. But what about his personal life? It turns out, there's a story there, too, a very human story o...
We all know the story: the animals, the flood, the rainbow. But what about the after the flood? What was Noah thinking, feeling? Did he get everything. Well, according to some fasc...
Noah, his family, and all the animals are finally stepping off the ark, blinking in the sunlight, the world utterly transformed. The very first thing Noah does? He builds an altar....
Take Noah, the righteous man who saved humanity from the flood. You’d think he’d be on a pretty straight path after that whole ordeal. But nope. The story takes a turn, and it invo...
Legends of the Jews tells us that the south fell to the lot of Ham. Think scorching deserts, sweltering jungles... that kind of heat. The north? That became the inheritance of Japh...
They're about to embark on a mission to rebuild the world, and the first order of business? Dividing the land. But not just any land – we're talking about the entire planet! Accord...
The land wasn't exactly empty when Jacob's sons were destined to inherit it. No, no. It was provisionally granted to a whole host of Canaanite nations: the Canaanites themselves, t...
Take Shib'ah, for instance. It's the name given to the spot where Isaac made a covenant with the Philistines. But why Shib'ah? Well, according to tradition, it's a double entendre,...
After all the materials were gathered, ready for this incredible, portable sanctuary to be built, Bezalel didn't just get to work; he dove in, soul first. And that's what the Torah...
The answer, as often happens in Jewish tradition, is layered and complex, and more than a little surprising. According to the Legends of the Jews, compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg,...
Think about Noah's dove. After the flood, Noah sends her out to see if the waters have receded. The verse tells us, "...and she no longer returned to him, at all" (Gen. 8:12). A si...
When Moses stood before Israel at Sinai and "took the book of the covenant and read it in the ears of the people" (Exodus 24:7), a question immediately arises: what exactly did he ...
It's more than just a colorful arc in the sky. It's a promise, a symbol, and, according to some, a glimpse of something truly extraordinary. The most familiar story, of course, con...
We all know the tale of Noah, the ark, and the animals. But what if the water wasn't just… water? A fascinating idea emerges from the depths of Jewish tradition: the generation of ...
The ancient sages did. And in Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Psalms, they grapple with this very question, particularly in relation to th...
Our ancestors grappled with this too. And Midrash Tehillim, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Psalms, offers some fascinating perspectives on why, and what we...
The Pesikta DeRav Kahana, a collection of Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) teachings, offers a fascinating insight into this very question. It all starts with a verse f...
