718 related texts · 10 related myths · Page 12 of 15
The Torah tells us that Moses took a census, not just once, but several times. This wasn't just idle counting! One specific count focused on the Levites, that special tribe dedicat...
Legends of the Jews turns to Pillars of Fire and Cloud of Moses. The Talmud, specifically in Sifrei Bamidbar (Numbers) Piska 84, tells us that when God wanted Israel to move, the c...
The Torah tells us that Moses, our great leader, was the humblest man on Earth. Now, that’s a big claim, isn’t it? In ancient texts, Moses’ humility wasn't a one-off thing. It was ...
You probably know Miriam as a prophetess, a singer, a leader. But she was also human, and like all of us, she wasn't perfect. There's a story in Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) abou...
It all starts with a story, a tale of spies, tears, and a day destined for sorrow. Moses and Aaron, leaders of the Israelites, send spies to scout out the land of Canaan, the promi...
That’s kind of how Moses felt about Korah's rebellion. The Ginzberg's says retelling in Legends of the Jews, Moses took Korah's transgression deeply to heart, fearing that after so...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses Appeals to the Levites to Abandon Korah. Moses, seeing that Korah was beyond reason, shifted his focus. He turned to the other Levites, the men o...
After realizing his words were falling on deaf ears, Moses gave them a final, stark warning. He challenged Korah and his entire company: "Be thou and all thy company before the Lor...
The destruction of Korah and his followers is often remembered as the end of a chapter, a moment of divine justice that should have brought peace. But according to Ginzberg's retel...
The scene is set during a time of desperate thirst. The people, parched and weary, have turned on Moses and Aaron, their leaders. But amidst their anger and despair, there's a glim...
It’s a story filled with faith, doubt, and the heavy burden of leadership. Our tale picks up with the Israelites, once again, thirsty and grumbling. Moses, ever the faithful servan...
Legends of the Jews turns to Moses Mourns Miriam and the Well Disappears for Hours. The grief was immense. That Miriam's death plunged everyone into mourning. Moses and Aaron wept ...
Normally, when Moses journeyed from his home to the Mishkan, the Tabernacle, it was a procession of carefully ordered respect. He, Moses, would walk in the very center. To his righ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Phinehas and the Patriarchs. Ouch. This "spiteful remark," as Ginzberg describes it, refers to Phinehas's maternal lineage. his mother was descended no...
Can you feel their anticipation, their weariness, their unwavering faith? They arrive at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, twin peaks that would become the stage for a powerful ritual....
Saul's end was that of a hero and a righteous person. Can you Despite his flaws, despite his errors, he died a man redeemed. The stories tell us his final days were filled with reg...
Even before the drama of Absalom's rebellion, there was a simmering tension between them. Why? Well, it seems David might have inadvertently slighted him. The story goes that short...
It wasn't just priests and pilgrims who showed up to admire Solomon's handiwork. According to the Legends of the Jews, rulers from all over the world flocked to Jerusalem, drawn by...
The kings of Judah, weren't always paragons of virtue. They were...well, human. Just like the rulers of the northern kingdom of Israel. Take Ahaziah, for example. According to the ...
Take Sennacherib, the Assyrian king who dared to threaten Jerusalem. His story takes a wild turn after his army's miraculous defeat. In Legends of the Jews, Sennacherib, brimming w...
That’s kind of what it was like for the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah. According to Legends of the Jews, he was facing opposition from pretty much everyone. – ...
Yet, the Jewish mystical tradition doesn't shy away from portraying God as deeply affected by the events of human history, especially the tragedies. And perhaps nowhere is this mor...
Not just any skull, but the skull of Araunah (also known as Araniah or Aravnah), the very man from whom King David purchased the land upon which the Temple stood! It first appears,...
It's not always about opportunity; sometimes, it's about astrological calculations, twisted interpretations of history, and a whole lot of bad luck. to the story of Haman, the infa...
The familiar story centers on Purim. But have you ever stopped to think about the sheer physical and emotional toll it must have taken on her? In Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg's ma...
Josephus, in his work Against Apion, gives us a glimpse into the Jewish understanding of this concept, and it’s surprisingly profound. Josephus argues that there should be one cent...
The people brought so much gold that Moses had to tell them to stop. That detail, preserved by Josephus, captures something remarkable about the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle...
Three bodyguards of King Darius entered a contest that would decide the fate of the Jewish Temple. The king had fallen asleep after a great feast and woke unable to sleep again. He...
Herod tore down the Second Temple and rebuilt it from scratch. Not because it was falling apart. Because it wasn't grand enough for him. The Josephus says in Antiquities XV, Herod ...
Zohar turns to The High Priest Enters The Holy Of Holies. Our focus? The High Priest, his heart pounding, preparing to enter the Kodesh HaKodashim, the Holy of Holies, the innermos...
The holiday of Sukkot, as we know, is based on the biblical verse, "You shall live in booths seven days" (Leviticus 23:42). We build these temporary dwellings, the sukkot (plural o...
It’s the word zot – "this." Sounds simple. But in the mystical tradition, particularly within the Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, the zot is anything but simple. It's a doorway....
Tikkunei Zohar turns to Sacred Service and the Altar. The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, a mystical commentary on the Zohar, offers a fascinating insight into this. It suggests...
The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, offers a fascinating perspective. It tells us that the offerings, the qorbanot – literally, the means of drawing ...
What sparks this joy? What ignites this closeness? The Tikkunei (spiritual repair) Zohar offers a striking image: an older person emerges from behind a wall. Now, walls in Kabbalah...
Moses' name does not appear in Parshat Tetzaveh. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev uses this conspicuous absence to explore a question about wisdom, unity, and the priestly garment...
The Mekhilta, the tannaitic midrash on Exodus, captures the moment when Pharaoh finally broke. After the tenth plague, the death of every firstborn in Egypt, Pharaoh summoned Moses...
The Mekhilta tells a parable. Robbers break into a king's palace. They despoil everything of value. They kill the king's courtiers, his loyal servants, the people who maintained hi...
Three things were given conditionally: Eretz Yisrael, the Temple, and the kingdom of the house of David, but not the Torah scroll and the covenant of Aaron, which were not given co...
Rabbi Yishmael examined a verse about the priests serving at the altar and found a surprising teaching hidden inside what appeared to be a redundancy. The verse warns: "so that you...
Variantly: whether non-consecrated or consecrated (animals). Rebbi says: Because it is written (in the same context as meat and milk) "the first of the fruits of your land," I migh...
The prophet Isaiah did. And his vision, described in the Book of Isaiah (6:1-8), has shaped Jewish understandings of God, heaven, and the very nature of holiness for millennia. It’...
The Shekhinah, often translated as "divine presence," is understood as the feminine aspect of God, the immanent presence that dwells among us. But what happens when we, through our...
It's a powerful, heartbreaking moment in our history. But what if I told you that in their darkest hour, God chose to share their pain, to literally go into exile with them? There'...
It all comes down to water… and a really old cavern. During Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, a very special ritual took place: the water libation, or nisuch ha-mayim. Imagine the ...
Moses, nearing the end of his earthly life. Instead of just fading away, God takes him on a field trip – a celestial tour of the highest heavens! There, according to Tree of Souls,...
Jewish tradition certainly hints at it, especially when we The familiar version gives us about the Temple in Jerusalem. But did you know there’s a celestial version, a Beit Hamikda...
There's a story in the Torah, a rather unsettling one, about two brothers, Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, and it's been echoing through Jewish tradition for millennia. We find...
