1,822 related texts · Page 26 of 38
The collection of rabbinic homiletic interpretations of Song of Songs, Shir HaShirim Rabbah, dives deep into this very question. Rabbi Berekhya offers a surprising take: how can ho...
It’s like a tiny seed containing an entire orchard. Take, for instance, the verse from (Song of Songs 7:5): "Your neck is like an ivory tower; your eyes are pools in Ḥeshbon, by th...
“Zion spread her hands, there was no comforter for her; the Lord has commanded for Jacob that her adversaries surround her. Jerusalem has become like a pariah among them” (Lamentat...
Rabbi Levi said: Accursed are the wicked who are engaged in evil counsel against Israel, and each one of them counsels in his way and says: ‘My counsel is better than your counsel....
These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:9). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Children’s children are the crown of old m...
And Jacob went out (Gen. 28:10). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: For He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways (Ps. 91:11). R. M...
He commanded them, saying; “Thus shall you say unto my lord Esau” (Gen. 32:5). R. Judah the son of Simon began the discussion with the verse: As a troubled fountain, and a corrupte...
(Lev. 22:27) “When a bull or a sheep or a goat.” R. Jacob bar Zavday in the name of R. Abbahu opened [his discourse] (with Ezek. 29:16), “And it shall no more be a source of satisf...
The Book of Jubilees, for those unfamiliar, is an ancient Jewish text that retells the stories of Genesis and Exodus, but with a fascinating emphasis on chronology and the observan...
You know, the Book of Jubilees? It's one of those ancient Jewish texts, considered apocryphal (meaning not part of the official canon) by some, but absolutely brimming with fascina...
We're diving into a tiny moment from the Book of Jubilees, chapter 42. It's a snippet that speaks volumes about fear, famine, and foresight – a story nestled within the larger saga...
We find it in the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text that retells and expands upon stories from Genesis. (It’s considered canonical by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, by the way, ...
We all know the story of Joseph. Sold into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, but ultimately rising to become second-in-command in Egypt. But what happened after he interpreted ...
There's a whole world of fascinating texts out there, bubbling with stories and details that expand on the familiar narratives. Today, let's peek into one of them: the Book of Jubi...
Abraham laughed in his mind and sighed in the grief and anger of his soul. "How can something manufactured by my father be his helper? Should the body be subject to its soul, and t...
Simeon, second son of Jacob and Leah, was dying in his hundred and twentieth year. Joseph his brother had already passed. When his sons came to visit, Simeon strengthened himself, ...
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...
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...
Joseph, eleventh son of Jacob, beloved of Rachel, was about to die. He called his sons and brethren together and spoke. "My brethren and my children, hearken to Joseph the beloved ...
Benjamin, twelfth and last son of Jacob, born of Rachel, had lived a hundred and twenty-five years. He kissed his sons and began to speak. "As Isaac was born to Abraham in his old ...
We all know the story: the coat of many colors, the dreams, the rise to power in Egypt. But what about before all that? What was Joseph really like as a teenager? According to Lege...
The ancient texts hint that such intense feelings aren't always random. Sometimes, they're woven into the very fabric of destiny, though perhaps not in the way we expect. Think abo...
We all know the story: Joseph, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, ends up in Egypt. He rises through the ranks, but then gets thrown in jail after being falsely accused. Bu...
It’s a story filled with twists, turns, and a whole lot of divine intervention. It's the story of Joseph. After Joseph correctly interprets Pharaoh's dreams, foretelling seven year...
That’s kind of what happened in Egypt, according to the legends surrounding Joseph, the dreamer who rose to power. Remember Joseph? Sold into slavery by his brothers, he ended up i...
It can make you feel like you can take on the world. That's the feeling that must have coursed through Joseph's brothers as they strode back into the Egyptian city. Remember, these...
Take Jacob's death, for example. It's more than just a passing in the Torah. According to the Legends of the Jews, it's a highly orchestrated event, full of meaning and significanc...
We often think of the biblical Joseph, Yosef, as a figure of dreams and colorful coats. But he was so much more. He was a leader, a compassionate advisor, and a son devoted to his ...
These weren’t just pretty rocks. Oh no. Each of the twelve stones corresponded to one of the twelve tribes of Israel, and according to the legends, they possessed unique properties...
Each stone, according to tradition, wasn't just a pretty gem; it was a symbol, a story etched in mineral form. Joseph, the dreamer, the charmer, the one who rose from the pit to be...
Daniel was still a teenager when Nebuchadnezzar brought him to Babylon in chains. He and three companions from the royal family of Judah—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were given B...
One intriguing piece of the puzzle lies within the concept of Nekudim, a crucial stage in the unfolding of creation according to Kabbalah. The very name Nekudim, meaning "points" o...
There is a direct road to God that does not require you to be a mystic or a saint. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi calls it the attribute of our patriarch Jacob: the path of compassi...
"And these are the names of the children of Israel" (Exodus 1:1). The Torah lists the twelve tribes again, even though they were already named in Genesis. Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Be...
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yehudah of Bortutha declared that God split the Red Sea in the merit of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribal structure of the nation — not the faith of any sin...
The Torah recounts that when the city of Shechem violated Dinah, it was specifically Shimon and Levi who took up swords and avenged her. The verse calls them "the brothers of Dinah...
Why was the Temple — the dwelling place of the Divine Presence on earth — built specifically on the tribal territory of Benjamin? The Mekhilta provides two remarkable reasons, both...
The story opens with a sage, simply called Rabbi, deeply engrossed in defining the precise borders of the tribe of Benjamin. Now, Benjamin was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, e...
Rabbi Meir was traveling through Samaria when he encountered a Samaritan who was proud of his lineage. "I am a descendant of Joseph," the man declared — claiming descent from the m...
Leah was hated — or unloved, depending on the translation, but the Hebrew is harsh — and God saw it (Genesis 29:31). This is where Aggadat Bereshit begins: with the divine attentio...
"Do not be hasty with your words, and let your heart not rush to bring a matter before God" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Jacob had said: "My way is hidden from the Lord." The rabbis found t...
Specifically, Bamidbar Rabbah – a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers – gives us a vibrant picture. It tells us that each of the twelve tribes had its own uniqu...
It’s truly fascinating. In (Genesis 30:14), we read about Reuben, Jacob’s eldest son, finding dudaim (דּוּדָאִים) in the field. The verse states: "Reuben went during the days of wh...
We start with Asher. Jacob's blessing, "From Asher, his bread is rich, and he will provide royal delicacies," (Genesis 49:20) seems straightforward enough. But the rabbis in Beresh...
It all starts with the phrase "Command the children of Israel" – which, on the surface, sounds like a divine order. But the Rabbis, masters of unpacking layers of meaning, saw some...
And the Lord saw that Leah was hated (Gen. 29:31). May our master teach us: May a man pronounce a blessing over the fragrance of spices employed in idolatrous worship? Our masters ...
And Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne unto Jacob, went out (Gen. 34:1). May it please our master to teach us whether a woman is permitted to walk about on the Sabbath...
(Numb. 3:4:) “And they had no children.” R. Jacob bar Abin said in the name of R. Aha, “If they had had children, they would have taken precedence over Eleazar and Ithamar, since w...
