2,651 related texts · 45 related myths · Page 4 of 56
There was a very real chance that Jacob wouldn't have made it. It all boils down to a moment of vulnerability, a brush with death, and a divine intervention that's easy to miss if ...
The story doesn't end with Jacob receiving the blessing? What if there's more to the conversation, a divine rebuke even? In Legends of the Jews, that monumental work by Rabbi Louis...
The familiar story is this: Jacob, with a little help from his mother Rebecca, receives the blessing intended for his older brother Esau. Understandably, Esau isn’t thrilled. He’s ...
Take Isaac's blessings to his sons, Esau and Jacob. The first reading, they seem like simple pronouncements of fortune, but scratching beneath the surface reveals a complex theolog...
Villains is often remembered as straightforward, but sometimes their motivations are twisted and surprising. Take Esau, for example. The Ginzberg's says retelling in Legends of the...
The Legends of the Jews, that incredible collection compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, gives us a glimpse into the inner lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs. Isaac, blessed with ...
A monumental compilation of Jewish folklore by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, Rebekah, overcome with distress, began to weep as soon as Jacob departed. Isaac, ever the comforter, reassured ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob's Journey of Esau. As Legends of the Jews recounts, Jacob wasn't just casually strolling off. He was wrestling with a profound question: "My pare...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob Wept and Sent Gifts to Appease Esau's Army. So, what does Jacob do? He tries to smooth things over. He sends messengers to Esau, hoping to placat...
Birthright, blessings. sibling rivalry taken to epic proportions. But the Bible only gives us so much. What was Esau thinking? What fueled his rage? Well, the ancient texts fill in...
I'm talking about Jacob and Esau. We know their story. The birthright, the blessing… but there’s so much more simmering beneath the surface. A reader can look at Jacob and see him ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Rebekah Was Buried Secretly Because Only Esau Was Nearby. It wasn’t long after that Rebekah herself passed away. But unlike Deborah, her death wasn't m...
Legends of the Jews turns to Isaac's Transgression of Esau. Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, drawing from a wealth of traditional sources, paints a poignant picture. As his days d...
Jacob, also known as Israel, patriarch of the Israelite nation, has passed away. His sons, the heads of the tribes, are preparing to lay him to rest in the Machpelah (מַכְפֵּלָה), ...
The story of Jacob and Esau, found in (Genesis 25:21-26), really makes you wonder about that. It's a tale filled with sibling rivalry, destiny, and some serious prenatal drama. The...
Here he is, a man learned in Torah, yet understandably terrified of receiving his father's curse instead of a blessing. Can you blame him? His mother, Rebecca, steps in, offering a...
The story in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer paints a pretty vivid picture. The scene: Jacob, with his sons, grandsons, wives, the whole shebang, journeys to Kirjath Arba, wanting to be nea...
In the plain Torah, Laban hears that Jacob has arrived and runs to meet him (Genesis 29:13). The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan unpacks exactly what Laban had already heard. And the list i...
The Torah says Jacob refused to be comforted and declared he would go down to the grave mourning. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 37:35) adds a heartbreaking line the Hebrew onl...
The Torah, and the wisdom of our Sages, are deeply concerned with justice, with making sure the scales are balanced. And the story of Isaac and his sons, Jacob and Esau, is a power...
The Torah, in its infinite wisdom, actually speaks to this very feeling, using one of the most iconic scenes in Genesis. Think about Jacob and Esau. The story unfolds in (Genesis 2...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is one that resonates with that feeling, and the Rabbis of the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) grappled with it intense...
That feeling is at the heart of our story today, a story about brothers, blessings, and a whole lot of bad blood. It all stems from that infamous scene: Jacob, aided by his mother ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Jacob — Isaac at the Dawn of Creation. In this, midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary), or interpretation, King Solomon, with divine inspiration (ruach...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Jacob Hopes Esau Has Repented After All These Years. Jacob, remember, is about to face his brother Esau, from whom he'd essentially stolen a birthright and...
Devarim Rabbah turns to Jacob and Creation of Esau. What does that even mean? Rabbi Aḥa offers a profound insight: "If you harm him, you are really harming yourselves." Powerful. I...
And Isaac trembled very exceedingly (Gen. 27:33). What is written before this? Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac, his father (ibid., v. 30). This indicates t...
Rebekah is pregnant at last. And the pregnancy is not gentle. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 25:22) describes the twins inside her pressing against each other like men at war. ...
Book of Jubilees turns to Isaac Blesses Jacob With the Dew of Heaven. Isaac, old and nearly blind, his hand resting on Jacob's head. He pours out his heart, saying: "Jacob, my belo...
The Book of Jubilees gives us glimpses into just such moments. In chapter 22, we find Isaac sending a thank-offering to his father, Abraham, via Jacob. A "best thank-offering," no ...
It's a retelling and expansion of stories we find in Genesis, offering a slightly different perspective. Our focus? Chapter 24. It's a short, sharp account of Isaac and his struggl...
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text expanding on the Torah, speaks to just that feeling. It tells a story of wells, oaths, and the sometimes-difficult path to peace. We pi...
A mother, hands placed gently on her child's head, bestowing not just love, but something…more. Something divinely inspired. We find a beautiful instance of this in the Book of Jub...
Book of Jubilees turns to Rebecca Blesses Jacob Before He Deceives Isaac. “Blessed be he that blesseth thee, And all flesh that curseth thee falsely may it be cursed." Simple, yet ...
Book of Jubilees turns to Jacob's Journey of Isaac. In this particular moment, Jacob is wrestling with a difficult decision. He's being asked to leave his father, Isaac, but he fea...
That feeling, that yearning for a brighter future, it’s ancient. And it echoes beautifully in the Book of Jubilees, specifically in Chapter 31, a moment of pure blessing and hope. ...
The Book of Jubilees gives us a peek into the morning after. Jacob, still buzzing with the memory of his encounter with the Divine, rushing to tell his father, Isaac. He recounts h...
Book of Jubilees turns to Isaac Gives Jacob Final Advice Before Dying. Here, Jacob is visiting his father, Isaac. Isaac, nearing the end of his days, gives his son some crucial adv...
Book of Jubilees turns to Isaac's Offering of Jacob. The narrative unfolds with Isaac's household singing the praises of Jacob. They declare, "Since he came from Haran unto this da...
That feeling echoes through the ages, all the way back to the time of the Maccabees. And it’s where our story begins. These aren’t my words,. This is straight from The Second Book ...
Rebekah? She shone. The text says she didn’t walk in their ways; her piety, her devotion, was on par with Isaac himself. Yet, their marriage wasn't all smooth sailing. Can you imag...
Jewish tradition certainly seems to think so. Take the story of Jacob and Esau, those eternally feuding twins from the Book of Genesis. Their very names, given at birth, are loaded...
It all boils down to a simple bowl of lentils. Yep, lentils. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, this encounter happens soon after the death of their grandfat...
The patriarch Jacob and his brother Esau, those iconic twins, grappled with these very questions in a fascinating exchange, as recorded in Legends of the Jews. The scene. These two...
Legends of the Jews turns to Birth of Esau of Jacob. The traditional texts suggest there was much more at stake. The scene: Jacob, ever the thoughtful one, isn't so much interested...
Legends of the Jews turns to Isaac and the Patriarchs of Abimelech. Word of Rebekah's loveliness eventually reaches the king, Abimelech. Now, Abimelech wasn't a fool. He remembered...
The Torah hints at it in so many ways. the story turns to the story of Isaac and some very important wells. Isaac, as we know, was the son of Abraham, and he found himself in Gerar...
His blindness is often remembered as a simple physical ailment, a consequence of old age perhaps. But the legends, oh, they tell a different story. According to Legends of the Jews...
