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These are the accounts of the tabernacle … and the bronze of the offering (Exod. 38:21, 29). The bronze of the offering (tenufah) refers to the bronze vessels given to a bride, for...
(Lev. 17:3:) “If any single person from the House of Israel.” This text is related (to Ps. 51:20–21), “Make Zion prosper in Your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then...
What is written after this passage (in Lev. 21:10)? “And the priest that is highest among his brothers”22Lev. R. 26:9. Why is he called by the name, “high priest?”23THE PRIEST THAT...
(Numb. 7:2:) “Now the princes of Israel drew near (to make an offering).” You find that when Moses proclaimed and said (in Exod. 35:5), “Take from among you an offering [for the Lo...
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...
Imagine, if you will, the very first family facing the ultimate crisis. Adam, the first man, is nearing his end. Can you even fathom the weight of that moment? The realization that...
The Book of Ben Sira, a treasure trove of wisdom literature, gives us a glimpse into this very idea, specifically through the lens of the priesthood. It speaks of one called to "mi...
That’s kind of what happened after Joseph's incredible rise to power in Egypt. Remember Joseph? Sold into slavery by his brothers, then, through a series of unbelievable events, ri...
It's more than just packing a lunch! The Book of Judith, a captivating story of courage and faith, gives us a glimpse into the logistics of ancient warfare. : it wasn't just swords...
Sometimes, it's quiet strength, unwavering faith, and a profound understanding of her people. Today, we turn to the story of Judith. The Book of Judith introduces her with simple, ...
The Book of Tobit, a beautiful story nestled in the Apocrypha, knows all about that feeling. We find ourselves with Tobiyyah, son of Tobit, who's just married Sarah, daughter of Re...
We find them, in the Book of Maccabees I, facing down an army camped at Emmaus, in the plain country. A formidable force, poised to crush the rebellion. Remember, this is all happe...
That’s the feeling that practically leaps off the page as we look at this short passage from the First Book of Maccabees. The scene: The Maccabees, led by the indomitable Judas Mac...
After years of war and strife, the Maccabees were looking for lasting peace and autonomy for Judea. And in 1 Maccabees 11, we see Jonathan, the leader of the Maccabees after his br...
The feeling is, unfortunately, timeless. And it's a feeling Simon Maccabaeus knew all too well, as we find in the Book of Maccabees I. Imagine this: You're fighting for your people...
The story of Simon Maccabeus, as told in the First Book of Maccabees, resonates with that unsettling truth. We find Simon, the leader who helped liberate Judea, doing what leaders ...
Nebuchadnezzar wants to kill Ben Sira. He's just not very subtle about it. "I have a friend I hate," the king says, barely disguising his intentions, "and I want to kill him with f...
When Naphtali grew old and felt his strength fading, he gathered his children and gave them one final command. It was not about silver or gold. "I speak to you about a very easy ma...
Why did God Himself attend to the burial of Moses? Because of what Moses had done decades earlier in Egypt, when everyone else was busy loading up silver and gold for the exodus. W...
After Joshua died, Israel had no leader. The people asked God who should fight the Canaanites, and God told them to cast lots. The lot fell on Kenaz, from the tribe of Caleb, who b...
From the Exodus to the destruction of the First Temple, Israel was exiled eight times. According to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses...
Abraham laughed in his mind and sighed in the grief and anger of his soul. "How can something manufactured by my father be his helper? Should the body be subject to its soul, and t...
I stumbled across a wild little story, and I just had to share it. It comes from Tree of Souls, Howard Schwartz's collection of Jewish folktales. It's a quick glimpse into a world ...
We often think of it as just a snake, but according to the Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, this serpent was something truly extraordinary. It wasn't just any anim...
We know him as the ultimate liberator, the lawgiver, the one who spoke to God face to face. But there's a fascinating story, tucked away in Jewish legend, about Moses the King of E...
It’s not just about a snake slithering around and causing trouble. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, this serpent was no ordinary animal. It was, in fact, t...
It wasn't just a solitary trek. It was the start of something far bigger. The story goes that Abraham, after his encounters with kings and potentates, didn't just walk away empty-h...
But what if that destiny also put your child in mortal danger from the moment they were born? That's exactly the predicament Terah, Abraham's father, found himself in. The story, a...
It paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? The story goes that a king – we don't know his name, but his actions speak volumes – decided to impose a truly… unique… tax. A tax on the dea...
See, news had reached Abraham about his nephew Lot, and it wasn’t good. Lot was in serious trouble, caught up in the wickedness of the cities of the plain. Now, Abraham and Lot had...
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 ...
That's a glimpse into the world of Joseph and Zuleika, as recounted in Legends of the Jews. The story, a vibrant expansion of the biblical narrative, paints Zuleika, Potiphar's wif...
He was absolutely floored by the sight of the Egyptian king. The text paints a vivid picture, doesn't it? It wasn't just the king himself, arrayed in princely garments with a golde...
A tale of loyalty, promise, and righteous living. before he passed, Joseph made his brothers promise to carry his bones with them when they finally left Egypt. A pretty big ask. Bu...
"I give you no command concerning my silver, or my gold," Naphtali said to his sons. He wasn't concerned with material wealth or earthly possessions. Instead, his focus was on some...
After the boils, the loss of his family, the relentless questioning... what then? Well, the story doesn't end with him sitting in ashes. According to Legends of the Jews, Job event...
Even MOSES himself couldn't get a straight answer. The story goes that Moses, in his insatiable quest for knowledge, posed this very question to Shamshiel, the prince of Paradise. ...
And it involves… a second chance Passover! Imagine this: The Israelites are in the desert, fresh out of Egypt. God is laying down the law, literally. Among the instructions is the ...
We find a classic example of that in the story of Balaam, the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites. Balak, the King of Moab, was understandably nervous. A huge Israelit...
Balaam, the non-Jewish prophet-for-hire, was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to curse the Israelites (Numbers 22-24). He built seven altars – a huge number – and offered bullocks and...
He’s led the Israelites through the desert for forty years, faced down Pharaoh, received the Torah at Sinai. And now, this. And what does Moses do? He doesn't rage against God. He ...
to a fascinating corner of Jewish legend, a story about the tribe of Asher, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and the blessings they received. According to tradition, Moses himse...
Let’s talk about Sisera and Jael. Their story is a whirlwind of war, deceit, and a moment that sealed a nation's fate. Sisera, the commander of the Canaanite army, was having a ter...
Let me tell you a story that’s practically ripped from the pages of a spy thriller, only this one is ancient. It all begins with Joab, a key figure in the Israelite army. He had a ...
Today, we’re diving into the story of Solomon, a king whose legendary wisdom was almost overshadowed by his transgressions. We all know Solomon for his wisdom, but let's be real: h...
It involves King Solomon, wisest of all men, and a knotty problem presented to him by none other than the king of Rome. Now, Solomon, as we know from the Bible and countless storie...
Let’s talk about Solomon. Solomon, in all his glory. The king whose wisdom was legendary, whose wealth was unparalleled, whose temple stood as a testament to divine favor. Yet, eve...
Daniel was off doing who-knows-what, probably advising some other royal, and Nebuchadnezzar, in his infinite wisdom (or lack thereof), decided everyone needed to worship a giant id...
