3,894 related texts · 15 related myths · Page 3 of 82
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...
You're reading one story, and suddenly – BAM! – It can feel a little jarring. Well, the ancient Rabbis noticed this too, and they dove deep into those textual "interruptions" to fi...
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 scene: Joseph, now a powerful figure in Egypt, is reunited with his brothers, though they don't recognize him. He asks them, "Is all well with your father? Is the elder whom yo...
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 ...
Bereshit Rabbah turns to Jacob's Deathbed Blessing Comparing God to a Shepherd. The scene: Jacob, nearing the end of his life, blesses Joseph, saying, "The God before whom my fathe...
The story of Joseph and his brothers, as told in Genesis, is a classic example. But what happens after the happy reunion, after Jacob's death and the grand funeral procession back ...
The book of Exodus, Shemot in Hebrew, opens with a seemingly simple verse that holds a profound message about humility and identity. "All the people who emerged from the loins of J...
This is the weight of the story It begins with a warning, a plea really. "Therefore let these words of mine which I am about to speak find entrance into thy heart.." It’s a serious...
The seed itself failed. That is the detail Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 41:55) adds to the Torah's account: the famine in Egypt was not merely the absence of rain but the ref...
The meal is over. The brothers have eaten, drunk, been seated by their mothers' names, watched Benjamin receive five portions. They expect to go home with grain and a story. Joseph...
A small silver cup changes the course of Jewish history. Joseph hands it to his steward with a single instruction. "Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youn...
The brothers cannot answer. So Joseph does something astonishing. He invites them closer. "Joseph said to his brothers, Come near, I pray, and examine me. And they came near. And h...
The Holy One makes Jacob a promise so intimate that the Targum cannot bear to phrase it as mere accompaniment. It phrases it as presence. "I am He who in My Word will go down with ...
The Torah counts seventy souls of Jacob's house entering Egypt. Do the math in (Genesis 46:27) and you find sixty-nine. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan closes the gap with one of the st...
In (Genesis 47:31), once Joseph has sworn to bury him in Canaan, Jacob does something cryptic. He "bowed himself upon the bed's head." The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan pulls back the cur...
The Hebrew calls Naphtali "a hind let loose, that giveth goodly words" (Genesis 49:21). The image is a deer sprinting across a mountainside with news. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan names ...
The Book of Jubilees certainly thinks so. It retells familiar biblical narratives, but with a unique perspective, filling in details and offering its own interpretations. to a snip...
Book of Jubilees turns to Joseph Holds Simeon Hostage and Demands Benjamin. The Book of Jubilees, a text preserved in Ethiopian manuscript tradition and valued by many others for i...
Book of Jubilees turns to Judah Pledges His Own Life for Benjamin's Safety. Our scene unfolds as Jacob, still grieving for the supposed loss of Joseph, is incredibly reluctant to l...
The story It's considered apocryphal by some, meaning it's not included in the standard Hebrew Bible canon, but it offers incredible insight into the beliefs and interpretations of...
That feeling, that tension, is right at the heart of the story we find in the Book of Jubilees as Jacob, now also known as Israel, prepares to leave the familiar for the unknown. T...
The Book of Jubilees, an ancient Jewish text that expands on the biblical narrative, gives us a beautiful glimpse into those moments. It tells us that Joseph and his brothers gathe...
Chapter 46 tells us about a significant moment: the Israelites, after a period of time, gathered up all the bones of Jacob’s children, with one notable exception: Joseph. And where...
After journeying from Shechem to Hebron to be with their father Isaac, Jacob's sons settled in the valley. The pastures of Shechem were still good, and that’s where they tended the...
The Book of Jasher, a collection of Jewish legends and lore, fills in some of those gaps, offering a more detailed (and sometimes surprising) account. So, the brothers have just to...
Book of Jasher turns to Joseph's Legacy of Pharaoh. The story opens with a looming crisis: a famine. "In those days, after the death of Isaac, the Lord commanded and caused a famin...
The chapter opens with Pharaoh, secure in his reign, commanding the construction of a magnificent palace. And who does he enlist to help? None other than the sons of Jacob, adding ...
The Bible gives us a glimpse, but the Jewish tradition, particularly in works like Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, really fills in the emotional and narrative gaps. The reunion, a...
Jacob, bless his heart, sends young Joseph off to check on his brothers and the flocks. But before he does, he gives Joseph a very specific instruction: travel only by daylight. Wh...
Jacob was the last to know that Joseph was alive. That was Jacob. Everyone else in his close family knew that Joseph was alive and, incredibly, ruling in Egypt. But not Jacob. He w...
He's already endured the unspeakable loss of his beloved son, Joseph. Or so he thinks. His other sons, driven by jealousy, had secretly sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt years ago,...
Take Joseph, for instance. You remember Joseph. Sold into slavery in Egypt by his jealous brothers, rises through the ranks, interprets Pharaoh's dreams, becomes a powerful leader....
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph Pressed Benjamin for the Full Story of the Bloody Coat. In Legends of the Jews, Joseph wasn't just interested in reconciliation. He wanted to kn...
Take the story of Joseph and his brothers. The familiar version gives us the tale. The favored son, the jealous brothers, the sale into slavery. It's a foundational story, but did ...
Our story today centers on Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and his fierce loyalty to his younger brother, Benjamin. You might remember the story: Joseph, long thought dead,...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph Tests His Brothers Over Benjamin's Freedom. Joseph, now a powerful figure in Egypt, is testing his brothers. He's been playing coy, hiding his t...
Perhaps they were discussing the old days, lost loved ones, or maybe even just the weather. We don’t know for sure, but it’s a safe bet Jacob wasn’t expecting what was about to hap...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph's Vision of Egyptians. Joseph earned the title "the God-fearing one", an honorific he shared with only a few other luminaries like Abraham, Job,...
It turns out, even back in biblical Egypt, there were struggles for power and privilege, and Joseph, yes, that Joseph from the coat of many colors, was right in the middle of it al...
Our story today touches on exactly that – the vulnerability that even the mightiest among us can face. As he neared the end of his life, he had a very specific request. And not jus...
Jacob, our ancestor, felt it too. Him, poised on the edge of a life-altering decision: leaving the familiar land of Canaan to journey to Egypt. But five nagging questions gnawed at...
On his deathbed, Jacob imparted crucial knowledge to his son Joseph, the key to recognizing the future redeemer of Israel, the one who will deliver them from the harsh bondage of E...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph — Jacob's Transgression. Jacob begins, according to Legends of the Jews, by acknowledging Joseph's upbringing: "O son whom I bred up, Joseph, wh...
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...
The Egyptians, according to Legends of the Jews, actually mourned Jacob. Why? Because they believed his presence had lessened the severity of the famine. Instead of lasting the div...
Legends of the Jews turns to An Army of Seir Attacked Joseph's Family Three Days After Jacob Died. The Ginzberg's says masterful retelling in Legends of the Jews, Joseph and his br...
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 agains...
