3,492 related texts · Page 64 of 73
(Lev. 20:9:) “For anyone whatever who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” So too is it stated (Exod. 21:17), “He who curses his father or his mother shal...
(Numb. 1:1-2) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert […, ‘Take a census of the whole congregation of the Children of Israel…’].” This text is related (to Cant. 7:3), “...
(Numbers 7:54:) "On the eighth day, the prince of the Children of Manasseh." R. Abbin Berabbi the Levite said, “As Joseph was offering his praise, his master saw him murmuring with...
(Numb. 19:2:) “This is the statute of the Torah.” This text is related (to Job 14:4), “Who can produce something clean out of something unclean; is it not One?”32English translatio...
[(Numb. 20:29:) “Then all the congregation saw that Aaron had died.”] What is written after this (in Numb. 21:1)? “When the Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb, heard [t...
(Numb. 22:2:) “Now Balak ben Zippor saw.” What is the meaning of “Now he saw?” He saw retribution which would come against Israel in the future.3Numb. R. 20:2. And he hated them mo...
(Numb. 25:2:) “And they invited the people to the sacrifices for their gods.” Thus they (i.e., daughters of Moab) were going by the counsel of Balaam, as stated (in Numb. 31:16), “...
(Numb. 34:2:) “When you come [into the land of Canaan].” This text is related (to Jer. 2:31), “You, O generation, understand the word of the Lord! Have I been a desert (hmdbr, vowe...
(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to (Job 9:2)2), “It is all one; therefore, I say, ‘He destroys the innocent and the wicked.’” Moses said, “Master of the ...
(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to I (Kings 8:30) // II Chron. 6:21), “And may You harken unto the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication.” See, ...
It is written (in Prov. 3:9), “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” Thus if you are handsome, do not be uncontrolled in sexual matters, lest people say, “So and so is handsome but not...
(Deut. 16:18:) “[You shall appoint] judges and law officers.” This text is related (to Ps. 147:19), “He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.” “Hi...
Another interpretation: "As these nations that you are about to dispossess, etc. but you not like this to you" (Deuteronomy 18:14). It is speaking about Avraham, as he saw through ...
These words: This is what the verse stated, "Have I not written you thirds with counsels (moatsot) and knowledge" (Proverbs 22:20). The numerical equivalent of counsels is six hund...
This one’s half fire, half ice. Quite the contrast. According to 3 Enoch 32:1, when God opens this extraordinary book, something incredible happens. Avenging angels are unleashed. ...
We often think of him in the Garden of Eden, or perhaps being expelled from it. But Jewish tradition holds some truly fascinating ideas about his ultimate fate. One such idea, foun...
Jewish tradition certainly sees more. There's a place, called the "Place of the Stars." And it’s far more wondrous than any observatory. Imagine a realm where the stars aren't just...
The bite taken. The realization dawning. But what happened next? We often skip ahead to the consequences, the exile, the shame. But let's linger for a moment on God's arrival. Acco...
Ben Sira, also known as Ecclesiasticus, is a book of wisdom literature from around the 2nd century BCE – a time of huge cultural shifts and anxieties. It’s not part of the Hebrew B...
Let’s talk about a figure who, according to ancient texts, literally built the foundations of his community's safety and spiritual life. The Book of Ben Sira, a work of wisdom lite...
We all know the story in broad strokes, but some ancient texts give us a deeper look into the consequences, the divine anger, and the curses that followed. The Book of Jubilees, a ...
The Torah tells us simply that "Enoch walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). A bit mysterious, isn't it? Well, the Book of Jubilees – a fascinating ...
The Book of Jubilees has some pretty strong words about that kind of thinking. It tells us, bluntly, that "if one gave everything that is on the earth, He will not regard the gifts...
And our tradition, Jewish tradition, certainly doesn’t shy away from trying to answer it. Today, let's peek into the Book of Jubilees, a text that, while not part of the standard H...
In chapter 10, we find a fascinating little snippet about a character named Peleg. We're told that in the thirty-third jubilee – a jubilee being a period of 49 years – and specific...
Let’s talk about brit milah, circumcision, and a fascinating text called the Book of Jubilees. This ancient Jewish work, considered scripture by some but not included in the standa...
We often read the stories of the Torah, of the Hebrew Bible, as one continuous flow, but sometimes pausing to consider when things happened adds a whole new layer of meaning. Take ...
The Book of Jubilees, a text not included in the Hebrew Bible but considered sacred by some, gives us a peek into that world. Specifically, we're looking at chapter 21. Here, we fi...
But what if that long life came at a steep cost? The Book of Jubilees, a text considered scripture by some but excluded from the standard Jewish biblical canon, paints a rather ble...
You’re not alone. The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating Jewish text from around the 2nd century BCE, wrestles with this very feeling. It imagines a future time where people lament th...
In it, we find a stark warning, a line drawn in the sand regarding actions so egregious that they warrant the ultimate penalty. The passage states, “And for this law there is no co...
to one of those today, a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of Moses' infancy. We all know the story: Pharaoh, gripped by fear of the Israelites' growing numbers, decrees that ...
We're not talking about gentle parables here. This is war. This is conquest. This is the kind of brutality that makes you want to look away – but we won't, because within it lies a...
The Book of Judith, a story found in the Apocrypha, tells of a brave and pious Jewish woman who saves her people from the Assyrian general Holofernes. But before she steps into her...
Maybe you've been searching for a light in the darkness, a glimmer of hope when things seem bleakest. Well, the Book of Tobit, a beautiful story from the Apocrypha, offers us just ...
This letter, if you're not familiar, supposedly recounts how the Septuagint – that's the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible – came to be. But tucked inside this historical (or p...
Our tale begins in the year 137 of the Greek kingdom. Now, this wasn't just any kingdom; it was the sprawling empire that Alexander the Great had forged, now fractured and ruled by...
That feeling, that struggle, is at the very heart of the story we find in 1 Maccabees 2. It’s a time of immense pressure on the Jewish people. The mitzvot, the commandments, are un...
The Book of Maccabees is full of such moments. Let's look at one. We're in the thick of it, the aftermath of some serious upheaval. The king, seeing the damage done by someone who ...
It’s a story of alliances, of mutual benefit, and, well, a little bit of realpolitik. Imagine this: you’re a small nation, the Jewish people in Judea, trying to maintain your indep...
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 story unfolds in a time of exile, a time of vulnerability for the Jewish people. Shoshana, a woman renowned for her beauty and piety, becomes the target of unwanted attention. ...
The Book of Jasher, an ancient text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers some pretty fascinating, and sometimes unsettling, glimpses.. The chap...
Sometimes, looking to other texts can give us a fuller picture. Take, for example, this passage from the Book of Jasher. It begins with a rumble of war. Chedorlaomer, king of Elam,...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating slice of ancient history from the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text filled with captivating stories and alternative perspectives on...
The chapter opens with Jacob finishing his seven years of service to Laban, all for the hand of Rachel. The wedding day arrives, a feast is prepared, and everyone gathers to celebr...
We all know the story from Genesis 34 – how Shechem, son of Hamor, defiled Jacob's daughter, Dinah, and how Jacob's sons, particularly Simeon and Levi, exacted a brutal revenge. Bu...
We pick up with Jacob, now 99 years old, receiving a divine instruction. "Arise, go to Bethel," God tells him, "and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth ...
