127 related texts · 12 related myths · Page 2 of 3
In the 130th year after the Israelites went down to Egypt, Pharaoh had a dream. Sitting on his throne, he saw an old man holding a merchant's balance scale. The old man gathered up...
Take the story of Aaron and his sons, for example. Before they could even begin their sacred service, they had to retreat for seven days. A week of… what exactly? Preparation, yes....
Moses, desperate, remembers a secret he learned during his time on Mount Sinai, when he ascended to receive the Torah. It's a pretty wild story, actually. Each angel he encountered...
King Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper chamber and was badly injured. Instead of praying to the God of Israel, he sent messengers to consult the Fly, the god of Ekron. ...
It all comes down to the relationship between the sephirot – those divine emanations that make up the Tree of Life. The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar dives deep into the mystic...
If only a donkey's firstborn is redeemed, what does the Torah mean when it says in (Numbers 18:15), "but redeem shall you redeem the first-born of the unclean beast"? The Mekhilta ...
Some traditions suggest that Adam, the first human, wasn't just made on Earth, but actually brought something vital to Earth – fire and light themselves! Before Adam existed as a m...
Our journey begins with Isaac. According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 29, Isaac himself circumcised his twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Now, The text suggests that just as Esau despised hi...
A drought gripped the land, and the wells were drying. The Rabbi of the town sat in sackcloth and prayed. Prayer yielded nothing. Then a bat kol, a heavenly voice, came to him with...
The eighth day is the answer to a careful question: how soon can a newborn be brought under the covenant? Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 17:12) settles the timing and then push...
The Torah says Joseph told his steward to "slaughter an animal and prepare" a meal for his brothers. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan hears more than catering. It hears halacha. "Bring the m...
Bamidbar Rabbah turns to The Impure Nazirite Brings Turtledoves on the Eighth Day. The text hones in on the phrase "And on the eighth day." Why specifically the eighth? Could it be...
It's a fascinating, and sometimes complex, corner of Jewish law. Our guide for today is Bereshit Rabbah, a classic Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) text – meaning, a co...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to How a Starling Helped Determine Kosher Bird Species. Rabbi Ḥiyya Rabba doesn’t just consult a book. He uses a bit of practical ornithology, a dash of ancie...
Seven, for instance, pops up everywhere – the seven days of creation, the seven days of mourning (shiva), the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot (the Festival of Weeks). But ...
Take the story of Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, who died suddenly after offering a "strange fire" before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). What really happened? What led to such a...
Vayikra Rabbah turns to Had Nadav and Avihu Left Sons They Would Have Led Israel. Rabbi Yaakov bar Avin, quoting Rav Aḥa, makes a crucial point: if Nadab and Abihu had had sons, th...
And it was on the eighth day: Rabbi Tanchuma, Rabbi Chiya, Rabbah and Rabbi Berakhiya in the name of Rabbi Elazar [all] said, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' i...
"On the eighth day, the chieftain of the Children of Menashe" (Numbers 7:54). Teach us, our rabbi, what is [the status of] a light of Chanukah from the first day that has oil remai...
(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. 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;...
Rabbi Banna'ah opened [his discourse] (with Prov. 11:1), “Fraudulent scales are an abomination to the Lord….”:27PRK 3:4; Ruth R. 1:2; cf. PR 13:5. if you see a generation whose mea...
The familiar picture has it as a peaceful, almost idyllic scene. But Tensions would be high. Well, the legends tell us it wasn't always smooth sailing. Take the story of the raven....
It wasn't exactly a warm family reunion around the dinner table. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, the whole meal was fraught with tension, suspicion, and s...
At first, Moses wasn't exactly thrilled to hear from Jethro. Imagine receiving a letter, and your first instinct is to ignore it! But God, in a moment of profound teaching, tells M...
It involves… a second chance Passover! The Israelites are in the desert, fresh out of Egypt. God is laying down the law, literally. Among the instructions is the commandment to cel...
It’s a mystical land inhabited by the Sons of Moses, and it’s a vision of communal harmony that's been whispered about for centuries. Ginzberg, in his Legends of the Jews, paints a...
A fascinating, if somewhat cryptic, passage from Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar 86, a section known for its intense symbolism. It begins with the Leviathan. That legendary sea s...
The Mekhilta draws a stark contrast between the creative power of God and the limitations of human beings. The measure of flesh and blood, meaning any mortal craftsman, cannot even...
The Torah, in its own way, grapples with this very question. We find ourselves in the Book of Exodus, a pivotal moment in the story of the Israelites. Moses is about to ascend Moun...
Sounds daunting. Well, according to Sifrei Bamidbar (Numbers), Moses himself had a little trouble with it! In (Numbers 8:4), we read, "And this was the work of the menorah… accordi...
Sometimes, it's not as straightforward as it first appears. Take the classic example of basar b'chalav, meat and milk – a cornerstone of kashrut (dietary laws). You might assume it...
King Shapur of Persia once asked the sage Shmuel: "Tell me what I will see in my dream tonight." It was a test, could a Jewish sage truly predict what a foreign king would dream? S...
King Shapur of Persia once asked the sage Shmuel: "Tell me what I will see in my dream tonight." It was a test, could a Jewish sage truly predict what a foreign king would dream? S...
The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan sharpens Jethro's warning with a realism the plain text softens: "Thou wilt verily wear thyself away. Aaron also, and his sons, and the elders of thy peo...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 24:1) opens with an unexpected speaker: Michael, the Prince of Wisdom, said to Mosheh on the seventh day of the month, Come up before the L...
When Nadab and Abihu lifted their eyes at Sinai and beheld the glory of the God of Israel, they saw something no prophet had described before. Beneath the divine throne, serving as...
The plain Hebrew of (Exodus 24:17) says that the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. The T...
The Torah tells us, "Cain departed from the presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden" (Genesis 4:16). But where did he really go? The Rabbis of the Bereshit...
It turns out, this isn't just a human tendency. The Torah itself, according to some rabbinic interpretations, goes out of its way to avoid using harsh or impure language. Take the ...
(Lev. 16:1:) “After the death of Aaron's two sons.” It was taught in a baraita (a teaching from outside the Mishnah) in the name of R. Eliezer:37In y‘Eruv. 6:1 (31c); yGit. 1:2 (39...
We catch a glimpse of it, not from the Bible itself in this case, but from an ancient letter – The Letter of Aristeas. This fascinating text, though not part of the core biblical c...
A demon without a head was brought before Solomon. It had all the limbs of a man, arms, legs, torso. But where the head should have been, there was nothing. Just a stump above the ...
Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) turns to Abraham Views Earth And Heaven. The story goes that the archangel Michael, under divine command, took Abraham on a whirlwind tour high above...
The one of immense suffering. But before the trials, before the boils and the agonizing questions, Job was a leader. A judge. And according to the legends, he knew how to wield pow...
The Rechabites were not born Israelite, but the sages imagined them earning seats in the Sanhedrin. These weren't Israelites, not in the traditional sense. They were descendants of...
His sons, Nadav and Avihu, have died. The Torah tells us they offered "strange fire" before the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2) and were consumed. Can you picture the anguish? The disbelie...
When we look at the story of Joseph, the biblical hero, we find a fascinating answer. Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt, faces temptation at every turn. But he remains steadfastly...
