3,287 related texts · Page 11 of 69
"And God spoke to Moses" (Exodus 6:2). The Hebrew word for "spoke" (vayedaber) implies harshness, while "said" (vayomer) implies gentleness. Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk uses this g...
The Mekhilta offers a striking interpretation of the phrase "from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of Pharaoh" (Exodus 18:10). Why does the verse mention both Egypt and Pharaoh ...
When Israel went out of Egypt, Moses said ‘Judah became His -holy one, Israel, His dominion’ (Psalms 114:2); and when Israel went out of Jerusalem, Jeremiah said ‘“Away! Unclean!” ...
Even a casual "How's it going?" can hold a world of unspoken understanding. Let's peek into Bereshit Rabbah, specifically section 70, for a gem on just this. The scene: Jacob, our ...
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...
And Joseph made ready his chariot (Gen. 46:29). R. Yudan said in the name of R. Aibu: Two men were accorded more homage than any other men in all the world; they were Jethro and Ja...
And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Jacob sent Judah before him to establish an academy wherein he might teach the Torah as he had previously done for the tribes. You know t...
That’s kind of where Jacob finds himself in the Book of Jubilees. Jacob, is about to leave Egypt. A pivotal moment. But before he goes, he receives a divine message, a glimpse into...
It’s a universal human experience, and it echoes through our sacred stories. Take the tale of Joseph and Potiphar's wife, for example. We know the story well from Genesis, but the ...
While Genesis gives us the basic family tree, other ancient texts fill in fascinating details, sometimes even offering slightly different accounts. Today, we’re diving into one of ...
The Torah is full of these moments, these transitions, these reminders of our own mortality. And the Book of Jubilees, that fascinating text that expands upon Genesis, Exodus, and ...
It's easy to think of him as simply a messenger, a conduit for God's will. But the Book of Jubilees, a fascinating text from around the 2nd century BCE, paints a picture of Moses t...
We pick up with Jacob, now 99 years old, receiving a divine instruction. "Arise, go to Bethel," God tells him, "and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth ...
That’s the emotional whirlwind that engulfs the sons of Jacob after selling their brother Joseph into slavery, as recounted in Chapter 43 of the Book of Jasher. The chapter opens w...
The Book of Jasher, a fascinating and controversial text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers a compelling narrative. Chapter 65 plunges us rig...
The Book of Jasher, an ancient text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers us a glimpse into just that – a world of expanded tales and alternativ...
There are so many fascinating texts that offer different perspectives and details on familiar narratives. Today, we're diving into a chapter from one of these books: the Book of Ja...
Today, we're diving into a fascinating, if somewhat tragic, tale from the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text that fills in gaps left by the Torah. Our story unfolds in Egy...
We all know the highlights – the Nile turning to blood, the frogs, the darkness. But some sources really dial up the intensity, giving us a truly nightmarish vision of divine retri...
We know the big story: the plagues, the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the nitty-gritty details of those first few days of freedom? The Book of Jasher, a text m...
(Yes, that's the title of the whole collection.) It's a wild ride through the aggadah – the stories, the embellishments, the "filling in the blanks" that surrounds the more straigh...
Her story, as told in Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, is filled with love, loss, and a touch of the mystical. When her son Joseph was born, she named him Yosef, which means ...
According to Legends of the Jews, he was just waiting for Joseph to be born so he could finally head home. Why? Because Jacob had a sense – a ruach (spirit) hakodesh, a holy spirit...
According to Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg, naturally drawing on earlier Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary)ic sources), things were still pretty tense. See, Jacob, ever the...
We know from the Torah that Jacob took precautions, dividing his family and possessions. But Ginzberg, in Legends of the Jews, paints a more vivid picture of Jacob’s strategic, alm...
The story of Jacob and his reunion with his brother Esau offers a powerful glimpse into just that kind of devotion. We all know the story: Jacob, after years of estrangement, is pr...
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...
The Torah, in the story of Joseph, doesn’t shy away from those very human emotions. In fact, it puts them front and center. The brothers of Joseph, were seething. And it all starte...
We all know the story of the coat, but sometimes we forget about the dreams that really kicked things off. The second dream is the real kicker. Joseph dreams that the sun, the moon...
That’s the situation Reuben, the eldest son of Jacob, found himself in with his younger brother, Joseph. Reuben had good reason to worry. As the eldest, he knew that if anything ha...
Turns out, even biblical figures weren't immune to buyer's remorse. Let's rewind a bit. We know the story of Joseph. Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. But who exactly did ...
The coat of many colors, the jealousy, the betrayal... But what about those first few hours after that fateful act? According to Legends of the Jews, that amazing compilation of ra...
They’d just sold him into slavery, a betrayal that surely echoed in the heavens. But now, they had a bigger problem: how to explain his absence to their father, Jacob. According to...
It wasn't just the loss of one loved one; it was a cascade of sorrow that threatened to overwhelm him completely. The news of his son Joseph's supposed death – a deception, as we k...
It wasn't just the unbearable pain of losing a child. Jacob's situation was, as these stories often are, layered with complexities, with promises and spiritual anxieties. See, Jaco...
After all the drama with his brothers, being sold into slavery, and landing in Egypt, Joseph finally caught a break. He rose through the ranks, becoming a powerful figure in Potiph...
We all know the story – Joseph, sold into slavery, rises through the ranks in the house of Potiphar, an Egyptian official. But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Potiphar's wife, well, ...
The story of Joseph, as told in Legends of the Jews, gives us a raw glimpse into such a struggle. Imagine Joseph, a young man in a foreign land, working in the house of Potiphar, a...
But there's a twist. In Legends of the Jews, we hear how she noticed a sudden change in Joseph's face. "My friend and true-love, why art thou so affrighted that thou art near to sw...
Our story begins with Pharaoh's chief butler, recently tossed in the slammer. He's troubled, haunted by a vivid dream he can't shake. "In my dream," he recounts, "behold, a vine wa...
We all know the story, but let's try to picture it. Imagine Joseph, now a powerful figure in Egypt. He’s no longer the naive youth they tossed into a pit. The text paints a vivid s...
The brothers of Joseph certainly did. Let’s rewind a bit. We’re in the Book of Genesis, and Joseph, after being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, has risen to become a pow...
He bids them farewell at the frontier, extending an invitation for their entire families to join him. It's a moment filled with the promise of reunion and prosperity. But then, he ...
We’re talking about Jacob, of course, and his son Levi. Jacob, nearing the end of his life, was deeply concerned about the future of his family, his tribe, his legacy. According to...
Jacob, nearing the end of his days, yearned to bestow a blessing upon Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He called them close, showering them with kisses and embraces. Why? He ho...
The stories of the patriarchs, passed down through generations, are full of these hidden gems. Let's look at a couple concerning Jacob and his grandsons, Ephraim and Joseph. : what...
Let’s talk about Jacob, his sons, and a family feud for the ages. The scene: Jacob, on his deathbed, surrounded by his sons. You’d think it would be a time for peace, reflection, m...
And sometimes, the stories we tell about those moments, those final farewells, reveal even more about the living than they do about the dead. Take, for instance, the story of Jacob...
