2,729 related texts · 21 related myths · Page 5 of 57
Jacob's blessing of Dan is spare in Hebrew. "Dan shall judge his people." The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan hears a specific future in it. "From the house of Dan there is to arise a man w...
The image is unsettling. Jacob compares Dan to a serpent lurking beside the road, waiting for horses' heels. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan explains the metaphor and names the man. "A chos...
Issachar, fifth son of Jacob and Leah, called his sons together and said: "Hearken, my children, to Issachar your father. Give ear to the words of him who is beloved of the Lord." ...
Gad, ninth son of Jacob, born of Zilpah, spoke to his sons in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. He had been valiant in keeping the flocks, guarding them at night. When...
To teach us that as one metes it out to others, so is it meted out to him. Miriam waited a short time for Moses, viz. (Ibid. 2:4) "And his sister stood from afar to know what would...
After Issachar, Leah bears Zebulun, the sixth son of her own womb. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 30:20) gives his name a meaning that becomes a pillar of Jewish economic e...
Joseph, having risen to power in Egypt, brings his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to visit his aging father. Now, it first appears this would be a joyous occasion. A reunion of fa...
Book of Jubilees turns to Jacob's Final Years and Burial Instructions. This particular detail? It's all about Jacob, Yaakov, as he’s known in Hebrew, nearing the end of his life. H...
Manasseh wasn't just any king. Leviticus! But here's the kicker: despite all that knowledge, he fell headfirst into idolatry. How does that even happen? The Talmud, in Sanhedrin 10...
Sifrei Devarim turns to Reuben Claims the Birthright but Levi Wins the Priesthood. Sifrei Devarim tells us that Asher steps in and "reconciled his brothers." Because of this act, t...
The Targum Jonathan on (Deuteronomy 6) contains one of the most beloved stories in all of rabbinic literature. And it appears right in the middle of the most sacred prayer in Judai...
Burial of Scholar & Taxgather. Shimeonh. Shetah&W itches m of Ascalon. J. Hagigah, II, 2. Sifre, Deut. § 221, f. 114 b. Midr. Decalogue, IX, ib. Nissim, f. 3 b. Rashi to Sanhedrin ...
The familiar story centers on Joseph and his coat of many colors, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. But what about Reuben? What role did he play in this dramatic saga? (Ge...
It all goes back to Jacob's blessings to his sons on his deathbed, a scene fraught with emotion and anticipation. And within that scene, the blessing to Judah stands out, packed wi...
It’s not a typo, and it’s definitely not random! There’s a beautiful lesson tucked away in that apparent inconsistency. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, quoting Rabbi Levi, offered a pow...
Book of Jubilees turns to Laban Chases Jacob to the Mountains of Gilead. The Book of Jubilees, by the way, is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories from Genesis and Exodu...
The Aramaic Levi Document (ALD) is one of the oldest texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, parts of it may date to the 3rd century BCE, making it older than most of the books of ...
The story in Genesis leaves us with Esau heading off to Mount Seir, and it feels like maybe, just maybe, the brothers have finally found a way to coexist. But as readers often find...
What would you say? Would you offer blessings, warnings, or maybe even a bit of both? That's what happened with Jacob, also known as Israel, as he lay dying in Egypt, surrounded by...
As Joseph lay on his deathbed, he made his brethren swear a solemn oath. He didn't just ask it of them, but instructed them to have their sons swear it too: when God would finally ...
The story, as told in Legends of the Jews, paints a vivid picture of divine encounters and a sacred calling. In Ginzberg's retelling, when Levi knew his time was near, he gathered ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph — Reuben and Divine Judgment. Reuben had good reason to worry. As the eldest, he knew that if anything happened to Joseph, the blame would fall ...
It’s a story brimming with jealousy, deception, and ultimately, reconciliation. But tucked within the familiar narrative is a curious detail about why Jacob, Joseph’s father, remai...
Our ancestor Jacob, on his deathbed, wrestled with this very question. He’d just given each of his sons a unique blessing, a glimpse into their destinies. But were these destinies ...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob's Sons Rode Celestial Steeds in a Shared Dream. The story goes that one of Jacob's sons (the text doesn't specify which one) recounts a vision fr...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob's Vision of Joseph. Jacob, nearing the end of his life, recounts a powerful vision to his sons. This wasn't just a fleeting image; it was a doubl...
"Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) Vayisu": It is based on the verse "They journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were around them, and they did not pur...
Jacob blesses his sons with a breaking voice. "God the Almighty give you mercies before the man," he prays, "that he may release to you your other brother, and Benjamin" (Genesis 4...
It's one that our sages grappled with too. This week, in our journey through Bamidbar Rabbah, specifically Bamidbar Rabbah 3, we stumble upon a fascinating exploration of being cho...
It’s a question the rabbis grappled with centuries ago, and their insights, drawn from the Torah itself, are surprisingly relevant today. We find a fascinating discussion in Bamidb...
The story of Jacob and Esau, and their mother Rebecca, is definitely one for the ages. It's a story ripe with sibling rivalry, parental favoritism, and a mother's desperate attempt...
"By your sword you will live, and you will serve your brother; it will be when you will revolt, you will remove his yoke from your neck" (Genesis 27:40). It’s a confusing mix of do...
Take the story of Jacob's dream in Genesis 28, where he rests his head on a stone and sees a ladder stretching to heaven. On that ladder, angels ascend and descend. A seemingly sim...
Jacob, our patriarch, certainly did. In (Genesis 32:11), after years of wandering and working, facing down tricksters and building a family, Jacob cries out, "I am unworthy of all ...
The Torah tells us in (Genesis 32:28) that after wrestling with a mysterious figure, Jacob is told, "No more shall Jacob be said to be your name; rather, Israel, for you have striv...
Sometimes, it's in those very details that the most fascinating stories are hidden. Take the moment in (Genesis 33:5) when Jacob, after years of estrangement, finally meets his bro...
Our ancestors knew a thing or two about the struggle to find that peace. Take Jacob, for example. We read in (Genesis 37:1), "Jacob settled in the land of his father's residence, i...
Sometimes, it's woven into the very fabric of our stories. Take the story of Jacob and Joseph, father and son. At first, they're distinct individuals in the Book of Genesis. But a ...
When Joseph told his brothers about his dreams, he expected some reaction. But what he got was pure, unadulterated envy. That's exactly what we find in (Genesis 37:12): "His brothe...
The scene: a devastating famine grips the land. Jacob's sons have returned from Egypt with grain, but it’s gone. They need to go back, but the mysterious Egyptian ruler, who we, th...
The verse in Isaiah (11:13) says, "The jealousy of Ephraim will cease." Now, Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, sees a connection h...
It seems like a strange thing to worry about when, well, we're no longer around to worry about anything. But the story of Jacob, as he nears the end of his life in Egypt, gives us ...
The Torah tells us, "Jacob called to his sons, and he said: Gather, and I will tell you what will befall you at the end of days. Assemble and hear, sons of Jacob, and listen to Isr...
The ancient rabbis felt that way too, and they found profound hope in the story of the Exodus. In Shemot Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Exodus, we ...
Our exploration begins with a seemingly simple verse from Leviticus (1:2): "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man among you sacrifices an offering to the Lor...
The ancient rabbis pondered such a moment, centered on our patriarch, Jacob, and a vision of a ladder reaching to the heavens. The scene is set in Genesis, where Jacob dreams of a ...
This question, And it all stems from a seemingly simple verse in Leviticus (26:42): “I will remember My covenant with Jacob, also My covenant with Isaac, also My covenant with Abra...
Vayikra Rabbah turns Jacob's delayed vow at Bethel into a warning about promises made before God. Our starting point is (Leviticus 27:2): “Speak to the children of Israel, and say ...
