2,729 related texts · 21 related myths · Page 4 of 57
The nine brothers stopped for the night, and one of them discovered something impossible. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 42:27) names him: Levi, "who had been left without Sime...
Our ancestors did too. In fact, there's a fascinating passage in Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis, that digs into just that feeling....
What it means to truly come "home?" The Torah touches on this very human longing as Jacob, nearing the end of his life, makes a heartfelt request of his son, Joseph. "The time for ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Jacob's Deathbed Blessing Comparing God to a Shepherd. The scene: Jacob, nearing the end of his life, blesses Joseph, saying, "The God before whom my fathe...
Our sages grappled with it too, and one place where they explore this idea is in Kohelet Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse in ...
Zebulun, sixth son of Jacob and Leah, was dying in his hundred and fourteenth year, two years after Joseph. He gathered his sons and said: "I am not conscious that I have sinned al...
Take the story of Jacob's sons and the city of Shechem. It's a brutal tale, full of moral complexities. And it's found not just in Genesis, but also amplified in other ancient Jewi...
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text not included in the Hebrew Bible but considered scripture by some, certainly thinks so. It gives us a slightly different spin on famili...
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text, gives us a beautiful glimpse into that very moment. Rebecca, Jacob's mother, is waiting, her heart pounding. She’s been living in a to...
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." Jacob girded his loins with strength, an...
The birthright, the trickery, the stolen blessing... But what about the aftermath, the settling of scores, the final chapter of their fraught relationship? Well, the Book of Jubile...
Genealogies stretching back to… well, seemingly forever! A reader can skim over them, but sometimes, buried within those lists, are little gems of insight. The Book of Jubilees, a ...
It's right at the heart of the Book of Judith. Judith isn't just any story; it's a powerful tale of courage, faith, and a woman taking matters into her own hands. It's set during a...
Book of Jasher turns to Jacob Before the Flood. In Jasher, Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, reaching the ripe old age of 147. As his health began to fail, he summoned Jose...
It’s a relentless chronicle of life and death, battles and betrayals. The years are marked by a somber rhythm: "In that year.. died.." First Reuben, then Dan, each passing at a rip...
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....
In Legends of the Jews, a couple of years after Joseph's death, Reuben fell ill, sensing his time was near. He gathered his sons, grandsons, and brothers, ready to share his hard-e...
The story of Jacob and Esau, those eternally squabbling twins, offers us a fascinating glimpse into just that. The familiar version gives us the tale: Jacob, the trickster, steals ...
The coat of many colors, the jealousy, the betrayal. But what about those first few hours after that fateful act? In Legends of the Jews, that amazing compilation of rabbinic tales...
Consider the story of Joseph and his brothers. We know about the coat, the jealousy, the slavery in Egypt… but what about their lives outside of that central drama? The year that J...
A monumental work compiled by Louis Ginzberg, the brothers spoke freely, thinking their words were veiled by the interpreter, Manasseh. Little did they know, Joseph understood ever...
He's already endured the unspeakable loss of his beloved son, Joseph. Or so he thinks. His other sons, driven by jealousy, had secretly sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt years ago,...
Remember, he'd already "lost" his beloved Joseph, and Simeon was being held hostage. Sending Benjamin, his youngest, felt like tempting fate. But Judah stepped up. Judah, in a mome...
Legends of the Jews turns to Ephraim's Transgression. In Legends of the Jews, that incredible compilation of Jewish folklore by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, the Ruach (spirit) Hakodesh – ...
It’s a powerful theme that echoes through the Torah and the later rabbinic traditions. Take Jacob, for example, on his deathbed, surrounded by his sons. His words, according to Leg...
The story returns to the funeral procession of Jacob, or as he was also known, Israel. This wasn't just any funeral. This was Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes, being returned...
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), ...
It raises a fascinating question: who takes responsibility? Who steps up to handle the sacred duty of burial? Jacob's other sons, his children besides Joseph, they left all the arr...
Drawing on various Midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) sources, the simmering tensions between the descendants of Jacob and Esau erupted once more. Remember the little scu...
That’s kind of what happened to Levi, son of Jacob, in the story of Dinah and the city of Shechem. It’s a tale filled with passion, betrayal, and some pretty intense family dynamic...
This is a glimpse into the life of Levi, son of Jacob, ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. And it's a story about how doing things with a pure heart can lead to unexpec...
Tonight, It centers on Jacob, later known as Israel, and a pivotal dream he had while resting his head on a rather unusual pillow. The story goes that Jacob, in his travels, took t...
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...
It paints a picture of a final transaction, a division of inheritance, that has echoes even today. The story goes that Esau took all that his father, Isaac, had left. But then – an...
The wrestling match at the Jabbok River is one of the most mysterious scenes in all of Genesis. A man fights Jacob in the dark, and by morning Jacob has a new name and a limp. The ...
The Torah's account of Jacob blessing Joseph's sons is already dramatic, the old patriarch crossing his hands to favor the younger son over the firstborn. But Targum Jonathan adds ...
The Hebrew Bible says the Israelites camped by their tribal standards (Numbers 2:2). It never describes what was on them. The Targum Jonathan fills that silence with a riot of colo...
The death of Moses is the most devastating scene in the Torah. And the Talmud in Sotah 13b expands it into something almost unbearable. Moses pleaded with God not to let him die. H...
A psalm of David, written after Doeg the Edomite betrayed him, that's where Aggadat Bereshit anchors the story of Jacob's ladder. Strange placement. But the rabbis had a method. Do...
Before Jacob left Beersheba for Haran, Isaac did something that could not be undone. He transferred the blessing of Abraham, the promise of land, seed, and covenant, from father to...
Leah's second son is Simeon, whose name comes from the Hebrew shama, "He heard" (Genesis 29:33). The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan extends her words into another layer of prophecy. She na...
"Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar unto Eloha, who revealed Himself to you in your flight from before Esau your brother." Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (Gene...
"Put away the idols of the peoples which are among you, which you took from the temple of Shekem, and purify you from the uncleannesses of the slain whom you have, and change your ...
"And they journeyed from thence, offering praise and prayer before the Lord. And there was a tremor from before the Lord upon the people of the cities round about them, and they pu...
When Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers in Shechem, the Torah gives no reason for the trip other than routine concern. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 37:13) reveals a f...
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 24:4) describes what Moses built at dawn: Mosheh wrote the words of the Lord, and arose in the morning and builded an altar at the lower pa...
Our stories are woven into our lineage, and sometimes, those threads get tangled. to a fascinating passage from Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of N...
And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: The envy also of Ephraim shall depart … Ephraim shall not envy Judah (Isa. 11:13)....
