2,248 related texts · Page 5 of 47
Isaac, son of Abraham, certainly knew that feeling. Our story picks up with him journeying towards Gerar, a Philistine territory, seeking refuge with King Abimelech. (Jubilees 24)....
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text that expands on the stories of Genesis and Exodus, gives us a peek into that moment. It’s like a family reunion, generations connecting...
Today, let's listen in on a tender moment from the Book of Jubilees, a text considered scripture by some, and a fascinating piece of Jewish history by all. We're focusing on chapte...
The scene opens with a sense of completion. Isaac, the son of Abraham and father of Jacob and Esau, has just finished giving his final instructions and blessings to his sons. Imagi...
The Book of Jubilees tells us he "remembered all her deeds which she had done during her life, and he lamented her exceedingly; for he loved her with all his heart and with all his...
It's a story about covenants, wells, and the surprising ways God's presence is revealed in the world. After living among the Philistines for 26 years, Abraham moves near Hebron. So...
The story of Jacob's marriages is a perfect example, filled with twists, deception, and unexpected turns. After working for Laban for seven long years, Jacob was ready to marry Rac...
In the house of Jacob, that dance of happiness and grief played out on a grand scale. Let's rewind. Remember Deborah, Rebekah's nurse? She wasn't just a caregiver; she was family. ...
His story doesn't end there. His descendants play a fascinating, sometimes unsettling, role in Jewish legend. , shall we? Apparently, the most righteous of Esau's sons was Eliphaz....
And the reason why might surprise you. According to some traditions, it was actually thanks to the merits of his grandson, Jacob, that Abraham himself was rescued from the fiery fu...
According to tradition, Abraham actually died five years early. That's right. He was supposed to live to be a ripe old 180, the same age his son Isaac eventually reached. But somet...
But the roots go way back, further than you might think, to the patriarch Isaac himself. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, after Isaac's interactions with K...
Some say it was Isaac! Or, as he's sometimes called, Elihu the son of Barachel. Imagine: it was through his debates with Job that the hidden wonders of nature were revealed. Quite ...
It’s a question that takes us right to the heart of Jewish mystical tradition. Take the story of Jacob and Isaac. It's a pivotal moment in Genesis. Jacob, disguised as his brother ...
According to Legends of the Jews, he was just waiting for Joseph to be born so he could finally head home. Why? Because Jacob had a sense – a ruach (spirit) hakodesh, a holy spirit...
The Torah is full of blessings, but it's not always straightforward. Some blessings are more potent than others, some are given grudgingly, and some come with unexpected consequenc...
"I have remained a stranger at Laban's" (Genesis 32:5). Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev reports his father's brilliant reading of Jacob's message to Esau. The Hebrew word garti (...
It's almost as if they're walking magnets for blessings. Well, Jewish tradition actually speaks to this phenomenon directly, suggesting that the presence of the righteous is a cata...
Abraham married again after Sarah's death. The Torah calls his new wife Keturah. The Targum reveals her true identity in a single phrase: "She is Hagar, who had been bound to him f...
Take the story of Jacob and Esau and that fateful bowl of lentil stew. We often think of it as a simple transaction, a hungry Esau trading away his birthright for a quick meal. But...
Our story comes from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis.Esau. You remember Esau. Jacob's twin brother, the one who traded his birthrig...
Our story begins with Esau, the elder twin of Jacob. He approaches his father, Isaac, with a request, a plea for a blessing. (Genesis 27:31) tells us, "He, too, prepared delicacies...
Our sages wrestled with it too. to a fascinating little corner of Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifi...
The book of Genesis tells us, almost in passing, "Jacob traveled to Sukot, and built him a house, and established booths [sukot] for his livestock. Therefore, he called the name of...
The Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the 2nd century BCE, offers a glimpse behind the curtain. Let's take a peek. Imagine Abraham, nearing the end of his days. He's...
We find ourselves at the end of Abraham's life. He’s preparing to pass on his legacy, his hopes, and his deepest blessings to his son, Jacob. Imagine the scene. The air is thick wi...
Think of it as a behind-the-scenes look at some of our most beloved stories. Our scene: Jacob, nearing the end of his long and eventful life. The text tells us, "And he placed two ...
Sometimes, the real magic happens in the stillness. Take this little scene from the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text that expands on the stories we find in Genesis. We’re with ...
That’s kind of where Isaac finds himself in the Book of Jubilees. really worried about his son, Esau. The text opens with a stark assessment: "…all his ways are unrighteousness and...
It's an ancient Jewish work that retells the stories from Genesis and Exodus, but with a whole lot of extra detail and a unique perspective on Jewish law and history. And it's in t...
The Book of Jubilees, for those who aren't familiar, is an ancient Jewish text, considered part of the biblical apocrypha or pseudepigrapha – writings that hover around the edges o...
Have compassion on thyself, father, and on us and on all our house, for they have come against thee to slay thee and to destroy thy house." And Jacob girded his loins with strength...
In chapter 38, we read about what happened after Jacob’s sons came into conflict with the sons of Esau in the mountains of Seir. The sons of Jacob, fierce and determined, pressed h...
Esau had moved away from his brother Jacob, but the sages in the Chronicles of Jerahmeel say it was not because his hatred had cooled. "His anger did he bear perpetually, and he ke...
According to the Legends of the Jews, compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, it was a near-death experience involving Esau's son, Eliphaz. Fueled by rage and a thirst for revenge, Esau ...
The Torah tells us that after wrestling with an angel all night, Jacob was left with a limp. But that wasn't the end of the story! According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, the...
The mourning period ended, but the story certainly didn't. In fact, it was then that the simmering conflict between the descendants of Jacob and Esau erupted again with full force....
Their story is well-known: a righteous couple, deeply devoted, yet facing the heartbreaking reality of infertility. They pleaded with God. They poured out their hearts in prayer. A...
Our story takes us back to Isaac, the son of Abraham, and a rather awkward encounter with Abimelech, king of the Philistines. Abimelech, was feeling a little… guilty? Anxious? Perh...
Isaac, son of Abraham, certainly did. The text tells us that as Isaac neared the age his mother Sarah had reached when she passed – 123 years old – he began to contemplate his own ...
Even as Esau spoke respectfully to his father, a darkness lurked within him, a hidden desire for Isaac's end. It’s a chilling thought, isn't it? To harbor such feelings while outwa...
Take Isaac, for instance, getting ready to bless his son. It wasn't just a simple, "May good things come your way." This was a prophetic act, shaping the future of generations. Isa...
Our ancestor Jacob certainly did. The story we're about to dive into is a perfect example of just how long resentments can linger, and how quickly they can reignite. Remember Laban...
According to Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg, naturally drawing on earlier Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic sources), things were still pretty tense. See, Jacob, ever the...
But then, his messengers return with chilling news. They deliver Esau's message, but it's not exactly a warm welcome. They also warn Jacob that Esau is marching toward him with an ...
Jacob wasn't just praying for himself. According to Legends of the Jews, he was also pleading for the future of his descendants, that they wouldn't be wiped out by Esau's line. Tal...
The story goes that after Jacob finished praying – really pouring his heart out, connecting with the Divine – he got down to brass tacks. He started organizing. See, Jacob was no f...
: Jacob sent messengers ahead, bearing gifts, with instructions to address Esau as "my lord... from his slave Jacob." It sounds deferential, doesn’t it? But according to the legend...
