3,200 related texts · Page 3 of 67
The story of Lot, Abraham's nephew, is a powerful example of this very idea. We find a fascinating, if somewhat harsh, interpretation of Lot's choices in Bereshit Rabbah 52, a coll...
The Torah tells us, "The matter was greatly distressing in Abraham’s eyes, regarding his son" (Genesis 21:11). This refers to the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael. But why was Abraha...
The story of Abraham and the binding of Isaac, the Akeidah, is a powerful lens through which to explore this idea. Our text today comes from Bereshit Rabbah 55, a collection of rab...
We find a poignant example in the story of Abraham's burial, as recounted in Bereshit Rabbah 62, a section of the classic midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic collection th...
One such moment comes to us in (Genesis 17:18). Abraham, after hearing God's promise of a son, Isaac, through Sarah, turns to God and says, "O may my son Ishmael live before thee!"...
"Far be it from You to do such a thing!" Abraham said it to God's face. He was standing between Sodom and heaven, and he was arguing (Genesis 18:25). The Hebrew word is chalilah — ...
We're in the aftermath of a huge moment: God’s promise to Abraham. But it's not just any promise; it's a covenant. A sacred agreement. God tells Abraham, "My covenant shall I estab...
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text, gives us a glimpse. It’s like a backstage pass to some of the most pivotal moments in the Torah. Imagine the scene: Abraham is visited...
We're talking about Abraham, and his son, Isaac. Specifically, when Isaac was weaned. Now, weaning might not seem like cause for a huge shindig today, but in ancient times, it was ...
We often think of Abraham as this towering figure of faith, but the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text from the Second Temple period, gives us a stark look at the consequence...
And He said, "Because thou hast obeyed My voice, and hast not withheld thy son, thy first-born, but hast offered him up to Me, in order that I might make a great nation of thee, an...
It tells us that Abraham, wise as he was, gave Ishmael and his sons, along with the sons of Keturah, gifts before sending them off. He then bequeathed everything else to his belove...
The Book of Jubilees, a text not found in the Hebrew Bible but considered sacred by some, gives us a peek behind the curtain, fleshing out stories we think we know. And one of thos...
But when you're talking about someone like Abraham, the father of monotheism, the grief takes on a whole new dimension. Let's turn to the Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text t...
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)....
We find ourselves with Isaac, the son of Abraham, a man who clearly inherited not only his father's land, but also, crucially, his father's unwavering faith. The text tells us, "be...
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...
We often focus on the big, dramatic moments – the covenant, the near-sacrifice of Isaac. But what about the everyday stuff? The family dynamics? The sibling rivalry? The Book of Ja...
He'd just pulled off a daring rescue, freeing his nephew Lot from the clutches of invading kings. And in doing so, he'd recovered a great deal of stolen goods. Now, the King of Sod...
But let's rewind a bit, to the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Abraham, known for his humility, gave Sarah the authority to deal with Hagar as she saw fit. However, he did offe...
to a story about Abraham, our patriarch, and his audacious negotiation with God over the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. It's a story filled with compassion, courage, and a little bit ...
And the story, as told in Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews, is a real nail-biter. We all know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities were, shall we say, not exactly shining ex...
The story of Lot is a fascinating example. We know him best, perhaps, for his narrow escape from the fiery destruction of Sodom. But did you know that his salvation wasn't just a s...
Before the terrible twos, before squabbles over toys… try inheritance disputes! The story of Isaac and Ishmael, sons of Abraham, gives us a glimpse into just that. As Isaac matured...
It wasn't the battles with kings or the famine in the land that weighed heaviest on his heart. No, it was the separation from his son, Ishmael, that caused him the most profound gr...
We know the story of Isaac, the son born in Abraham's old age, the one through whom the Jewish people would descend. But what about Ishmael, Abraham's firstborn? Was he forgotten? ...
Turns out, even he had to deal with pushy neighbors and the occasional diplomatic dance. After a twenty-six-year stay in Philistine lands, Abraham moved near Hebron. Can you imagin...
For many years, Abraham dwelled in Beer-sheba, and his primary occupation wasn't just tending flocks, but spreading the word, the dvar Hashem, of God. He wasn't content to keep his...
You might imagine sibling rivalry, but perhaps you haven't imagined this level of one-upmanship. The story goes that Ishmael, brimming with pride, decided to brag to Isaac. Accordi...
But this isn't your typical horns-and-pitchforks depiction. This Satan is far more subtle, far more insidious. Take, for example, the story of Abraham and Isaac – the binding of Is...
The story of the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac, is one of the most powerful—and unsettling—in Jewish tradition. It tests the limits of belief, love, and obedience. Imagine this: Ab...
It's a city that resonates through millennia, a place where, according to legend, the very ground remembers the most important moments in our shared past. Think about Abraham, read...
Legend tells us Isaac wasn't just Abraham's son; he was his counterpart. The Legends of the Jews tells us he resembled his father "in beauty, wisdom, strength, wealth, and noble de...
We find Isaac following in his father Abraham's footsteps, settling in Gerar. But trouble seems to follow them, doesn't it? According to Legends of the Jews, Isaac, noticing the lo...
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...
We often think of the Biblical figures as these grand, larger-than-life heroes and villains. But sometimes, when you really dig into the stories, you find details that are just… sh...
They loved to explore these "what if?" scenarios. What if Abraham, Isaac, and Moses met? Who would come out on top? Thankfully, we have some playful, insightful answers preserved i...
Three hundred and eighteen men against four armies. That's what Abraham brought to the battle—and he won. According to Josephus, the trouble started when the cities of Sodom fell u...
The Torah tells us God instructed Abraham: "Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of t...
The Torah tells us that Isaac eventually married Rebecca. But did you know that, according to some traditions, they faced a long period of infertility? Twenty-two years, to be exac...
Often, it’s because they grapple with fundamental questions of justice, morality, and divine intervention. Take the story of Sodom, for instance. It's a tale we find in Pirkei DeRa...
Lead with something positive before diving into the difficult stuff. It turns out, this isn't just good manners; it's a lesson we learn from God Himself! Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a ...
It’s a question that’s occupied thinkers for millennia, and the Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations from the early Middle Ages, certainl...
The Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations from the early Middle Ages, gives us a glimpse. It tells us that Isaac was thirty-seven years ol...
Our story today, drawn from Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating collection of stories and interpretations of the Torah, touches on just such a moment in the life of Abraham. The ...
God tests Abraham, tells him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, and then at the last possible second, sends an angel to stop him, providing a ram instead. But what really happened in t...
That's the pickle Isaac found himself in with the Philistines. We find the story in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer (Chapter 36), a fascinating text that retells and expands upon biblical n...
The Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of rabbinic commentary on the Bible, offers us fascinating glimpses into these connections. Let's look at one small piece, specifically Yalkut Shi...
