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"Command the Children of Israel" (Numbers 28:2). This is [the meaning of] that which was stated by the verse (Job 27:23), "The Omnipresent we have not found to be of great power"; ...
(Numb. 29:35:) “On the eighth day [you shall have] a solemn assembly.” Let our master instruct us: Is it permitted to eat outside the sukkah on the Feast (of Tabernacles)?39BB 75a;...
(Numb. 29:35:) “On the eighth day [you shall have] a solemn assembly.” This text is related (to Is. 26:16), “You have added to the nation O Lord, You have added to the nation and b...
(Numb. 29:35:) “On the eighth day.” What was the reason for [the number of sacrificial animals] being reduced on each day?43Numb. R. 21:25. The Torah is simply teaching you etiquet...
Jubilees, for those unfamiliar, is a Jewish work of the Second Temple period. It retells the stories of Genesis and Exodus but with a unique theological slant and additional detail...
It's like a post-diluvian real estate transaction, recorded for posterity. Specifically, we’re diving into Jubilees Chapter 9, which lays out the inheritance of Shem, one of Noah's...
It’s not just a vague "they went off and settled," but a detailed allocation. We find a fascinating, if somewhat cryptic, account in the Book of Jubilees. This ancient Jewish text,...
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 ...
That's the story of the daughters of Zelophehad, and it's a tale that resonates even today. These weren't just any women; they were on a mission. Their father, Zelophehad, had died...
Jewish mystical tradition, particularly the Kabbalah, is all about unveiling those secrets. And one of the most fascinating places to look is in the Tikkun (spiritual repair)ei Zoh...
Rabban Gamaliel, a sage from the first century, certainly thought so. He delved into the symbolic meanings behind the offerings brought in the Temple, revealing layers of connectio...
Specifically, we're diving into Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 788, which wrestles with some tricky questions arising from the story of the daughters of Zelophehad. Remember them? They we...
And it will be, from new month to new month, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will come to bow before Me," said Hashem (Isaiah 66:23). Teach us, our teacher, a person from Is...
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be your name (41:18:31). May our ...
We get glimpses of the Ark in the Bible, but Jewish tradition, particularly in the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), fills in the blanks, offering us vivid images of that...
These are the generations of Noah. Blessed be the name of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who chose Israel from among the seventy nations of the world, as it is wri...
(Numb. 25:7:) “When Phinehas [ben Eleazar ben Aaron the priest] saw.” But did they all not see it?100Numb. R. 20:25. And is it not written (in vs. 6), “before the eyes of Moses and...
(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 ...
It pulls no punches in its call for humility and divine justice. Ben Sira, a sage writing in Hebrew around 200 BCE, gives us these powerful words: "Make an end of the head of the p...
For a home, for a future, for a connection to something bigger than himself. And then he arrives at Shechem. The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text that expands on the stories we...
We often think of holidays as something ancient and unchanging, but every tradition has a beginning. Let’s peek into one possible origin story, found in the Book of Jubilees, a tex...
The Book of Jubilees, a text from around the 2nd century BCE, offers a pretty stark perspective. It dives deep into the laws and history of Israel, and it doesn’t shy away from lay...
It's a moment of sheer, unadulterated panic. The people knew they were in trouble. Real trouble. So, what did they do? They cried out to God. The text tells us, "They cried to the ...
That feeling, that raw, desperate plea, it's woven deep into the fabric of Jewish history. And it echoes powerfully in the Second Book of Maccabees. This book, part of the Apocryph...
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...
We often hear about the wickedness of humankind, but some fascinating stories lurk beneath the surface, involving fallen angels, giants, and divine justice. According to Legends of...
The story of Noah and the vine is a wild ride through temptation, disrespect, and divine retribution. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, Noah's troubles began...
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...
According to Legends of the Jews, Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, experienced not just one, but two ascensions to heaven! The first time, Enoch was still living amongst human...
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....
When God first called to Abraham, He didn't immediately reveal the destination. Imagine that! “Leave your home,” God said, in essence, “and go…” But go where? According to Legends ...
It wasn't just about building altars, though he certainly did that. According to the legends, each altar he raised was the center of his missionary work. Imagine this: Abraham arri...
Even if you're Abraham, the father of monotheism, it turns out you're not immune. Imagine this: Abraham has just pulled off an incredible victory, rescuing Lot and defeating a coal...
That’s what the biblical Rebekah experienced during her pregnancy with Jacob and Esau. She suffered terrible pains, unlike anything she'd ever felt before. She asked other women if...
We know the story: a hungry Esau, returning from the fields, famished, practically trades his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew. But was it just about the food? The traditional ...
Take the blessing Jacob gave to his youngest son, Benjamin. It seems straightforward, but the Rabbis saw in it a glimpse into the future of the entire Israelite nation. Jacob, on h...
We all know the story: The Israelites, fresh out of Egypt, get impatient waiting for Moses on Mount Sinai. They demand a god they can see, and Aaron, in a moment of weakness, fashi...
But for Elisheba, the joy is amplified fivefold! As Ginzberg recounts in Legends of the Jews, luck seems to be showering blessings specifically on her. Her husband, Aaron, is the H...
We're talking about the third census of the Israelites, you know, that head count they did to see who was ready for battle. What's striking is this: the number of fighting men was ...
Fire that blazes with purpose, either as a sign of God's favor or His… well, let's just say, His displeasure. Fire is powerful, transformative. It can create and destroy. And in Je...
The story of Balaam and Balak is one wild ride, filled with ego, failed magic, and a divine sense of humor. According to Legends of the Jews, when Balaam finally made his way to th...
The story of Micah and his homemade sanctuary is a wild ride through the human tendency to, well, improvise. We find this tale tucked away in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews, painti...
Eli, as the story goes, had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Now, Phinehas – not to be confused with Eli's grandson of the same name – was the younger, and, well, let's just say he w...
The Ark of the Covenant—the holiest object in Israel—fell into enemy hands. And the man responsible for guarding it died the moment he heard the news. The Philistines launched a ma...
Scripture specified it (the fourteenth day) as mandatory. It is not the second assumption, then, that is to be accepted, but the first. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Scri...
When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army bearing down on them and the Red Sea blocking their escape, the Torah says they "were exceedingly afraid." But what did they do with that ...
(Exodus 23:18) "You shall not slaughter in the presence of chametz the blood of My sacrifice": You shall not slaughter the Pesach (Passover) offering while chametz is still present...
Turns out, according to some fascinating Jewish traditions, even God feels that way sometimes! This idea comes up in connection with Rosh Chodesh, the celebration of the new moon. ...
