9,687 related texts · Page 2 of 202
That’s the feeling I get when I read about Joseph and his brothers in Egypt. : Joseph, sold into slavery by his own brothers, rises to become one of the most powerful men in Egypt....
That’s where we find ourselves in the story of Joseph and his brothers. They'd sold him into slavery, a secret festering between them. Now, facing hardship, their first thought, th...
We often think of the biblical Joseph as this wise, almost saintly figure. But what if I told you there was a moment, a crucial encounter with his brothers, where he seemed... less...
That's the kind of tension we find ourselves in with the story of Joseph and his brothers in the Book of Genesis, a story amplified and deepened by Jewish legend. Joseph, now a pow...
That’s kind of what happened when Joseph and his brothers finally made peace in Egypt. Remember the story? Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, rises to power in Egyp...
Jacob, nearing his end, isn't just dictating his will. He's imparting something far more profound. He turns to Joseph, his favored son, the one who rose to power in Egypt. "And tho...
She faked an illness to be alone with him. That detail—from Josephus's retelling in the Antiquities—transforms a familiar story into something far more calculated. Potiphar's wife ...
Two years. That is how long Joseph sat in an Egyptian prison after correctly predicting the fate of Pharaoh's cupbearer—who had promised to remember him and then promptly forgot. T...
Joseph made his brothers swear a solemn oath, and the Mekhilta records the exact logic behind his request. He said to them: "My father went down to Egypt of his own free will, and ...
The ancient text Sifrei Devarim, a commentary on the Book of Deuteronomy, delves into just that. It all centers around a specific verse, a prohibition against kidnapping found in (...
We're looking at Parsha 86, where we find ourselves in the middle of the Joseph narrative. Remember Joseph? Sold into slavery in Egypt? He ends up in the house of Potiphar, an Egyp...
The ones that make you think, "Wait, how did that happen?" to a fascinating little corner of the Joseph story, found in Bereshit Rabbah, a compilation of rabbinic interpretations o...
Judah, fourth son of Jacob and Leah, gathered his sons and told them everything. His mother had named him Judah, saying, "I give thanks to the Lord, because He has given me a fourt...
Dreams not just of success, but of them bowing down to you! You can almost feel the tension in the air, can’t you? Initially, Joseph’s brothers brush off his dream, unwilling to ev...
Let me tell you a story, one ripped from the pages of Legends of the Jews, that might just give you a taste. Imagine this: Joseph, elevated to power in Egypt, is finally face-to-fa...
That’s exactly what happened to Zepho. After a fierce battle, Joseph—yes, that Joseph, of the coat of many colors—returned triumphant. But instead of celebrating, he ordered Zepho ...
We're talking about the story of Joseph in Egypt, specifically his potential marriage to Asenath. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, during the first of the ...
And someone was ready to stoke those embers. The son of Pharaoh, consumed by his own wicked ambitions, wasn't about to let things lie. He'd already failed to turn Simon and Levi ag...
A heavy scene. That's where we find ourselves with a certain king in the Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg). He's surrounded by Queen Alfar'anit and his nobles, all weeping, as he prep...
A golden cup hidden in a sack of grain. That was Joseph's final test—not to punish his brothers, but to see whether they had changed. He planted his own drinking cup in Benjamin's ...
That feeling, that pervasive sense of collective responsibility, echoes powerfully in a passage from Sifrei Devarim, a collection of legal interpretations on the Book of Deuteronom...
Joseph's sale into slavery is one of the most dramatic episodes in Genesis. But the Targum Jonathan adds details that the Hebrew original never mentions, turning a family tragedy i...
Genesis 42 tells how Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain during the famine and failed to recognize him. Targum Jonathan turns this reunion into something far more calculat...
We often hear about its benefits, but Jewish tradition also explores its potential pitfalls, especially when it comes to spiritual well-being. Rabbi Elazar, commenting on the verse...
Take the story of Joseph, for example. It's a rollercoaster of sibling rivalry, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption. But what really set the stage for all that drama? It all start...
It's like peeling an onion – each layer reveals something new, something unexpected. Take the verse from (Genesis 39:1): "Joseph was taken down to Egypt and Potiphar, the official ...
Remember the story? Joseph, wrongly imprisoned, interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's chief butler. He asks the butler, once restored to his position, to remember him and mention him ...
Take the tale of Joseph and his brothers. We often focus on the grand reconciliation, the forgiveness, the happy ending in Egypt. But what about the really prickly parts? Bereshit ...
We get a glimpse into that momentous meeting not just from the Book of Genesis, but also from other ancient Jewish texts. Today, let's look at how the Book of Jubilees, an ancient ...
Take the story of Joseph and his brothers, for instance. It's a tale of sibling rivalry, jealousy, and ultimately, redemption. But let's zoom in on one small piece, a little misund...
But what if that dream hinted at a future where you were elevated above them? That's exactly where we find ourselves at the beginning of Joseph's story. "Hear, I pray you, this dre...
The tale begins simply enough. Jacob's sons, Joseph's brothers – remember, the ones who definitely weren't Joseph's biggest fans – were pasturing their father's flocks near Shechem...
Joseph, ever the dutiful son, promises his father he'll be buried in Palestine, the land of their ancestors. But it's not just a simple promise. Joseph adds a crucial detail: "As t...
That's exactly where we find Joseph, son of Jacob, in the land of Egypt. What does he do? He makes his brothers swear an oath. But it's not just any oath. It's a promise that when ...
We get a glimpse into that complex moment, not just from the biblical text itself, but from the rich tapestry of Jewish legend. Imagine the scene: Years of separation, a devastatin...
It wasn't just about God wanting to give the Torah, you see. According to the legends, it was about who was receiving it. : right after the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites weren'...
The ancient texts grapple with this very idea, and there's perhaps no better example than the story of Joseph and his brothers. Midrash Mishlei, a collection of rabbinic teachings ...
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" It's a raw, honest cry of frustration and bewilderment. But what if that feeling of distance isn't quite what it seems? The Midrash T...
And it's all about… water. Think about Egypt. Specifically, the Nile. Egypt is basically a flat plain. Sifrei Devarim, commenting on (Deuteronomy 11:10), points out that in Egypt, ...
Specifically, we're looking at Sifrei Devarim 196. It deals with exemptions from military service – a topic that’s always relevant, isn't it? The passage starts with a seemingly si...
When Joseph's brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin in Genesis 43, the Hebrew text describes a tense meal. Targum Jonathan transforms it into a scene loaded with hidden signals, p...
The reveal scene in Genesis 45—Joseph breaking down and declaring "I am Joseph"—is already one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah. Targum Jonathan transforms it into a proph...
I find those connections absolutely fascinating! Today, let’s dive into a passage from Bamidbar Rabbah 9, which springs from the Book of Numbers and then takes us on a whirlwind to...
Take the tale of Joseph and his brothers, for instance. We all know the story: jealousy, betrayal, and a colorful coat. But the Rabbis, in their infinite wisdom, saw layers of mean...
The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife is a perfect example, and the Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah, that rich collection of Genesis interpretations, really dig into the nuances of thi...
This particular passage, from section 88, tells us about the downfall of two unfortunate souls: the butler and the baker of the Egyptian Pharaoh. What did they do? Were they plotti...
The Bible is full of them, and the story of Joseph and his brothers is no exception. It's a tale of betrayal, forgiveness, and ultimately, reconciliation. But what about the subtle...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah (Genesis Rabbah), a classic collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Specifically, we're l...
