3,894 related texts · 15 related myths · Page 4 of 82
Our story takes us back to Joseph in Egypt, a man who rose from prisoner to viceroy. As his life neared its end, Joseph knew he had one crucial task left: to ensure his bones would...
Legends of the Jews turns to Jacob's Vision of Joseph. Jacob, nearing the end of his life, recounts a powerful vision to his sons. This wasn't just a fleeting image; it was a doubl...
Legends of the Jews turns to Joseph Confronted His Brothers About What They Told Jacob. The scene: Years of separation, a devastating famine, and finally, the moment of truth. Jaco...
His story is more than just a rise from slavery to power in Egypt. It’s a blueprint for how to live a life steeped in compassion. The text It speaks directly to Joseph's brothers, ...
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...
Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt after reuniting with the son he had mourned as dead. Seventeen years of peace, of proximity to Joseph, of watching his family flourish in the l...
Rabbi Ishmael reflects on a very specific moment. Ten times, the sons of Jacob addressed Joseph as "thy servant, our father." Ten times they repeated this strange formulation. And ...
The familiar version gives us the verse: "And they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years" (Gen. 15:18). But how does that square with other timelines we ...
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer turns to Abraham Isaac and Jacob of Egypt. He tells us, in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a fascinating and often imaginative collection of stories and teachings, t...
The Torah's account of Jacob blessing Joseph's sons is already dramatic, the old patriarch crossing his hands to favor the younger son over the firstborn. But Targum Jonathan adds ...
The moment when Joseph's brothers recognized him in the palace at Memphis was, according to the midrash, more violent than the Torah lets on. Some of the brothers, the sages said, ...
When Pharaoh granted Joseph's request, a procession formed that had no precedent in Hebrew history. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan records it plainly. "And Joseph went up to bury his fathe...
Bamidbar Rabbah 14, a fascinating exploration of the offerings brought by the princes of Israel, and how those offerings connect to Jacob, Joseph, and the tribe of Manasseh. The pa...
It revolves around Jacob's grief over the apparent loss of his son, Joseph. The verse It's a powerful image of a father's devastation. But the rabbis, ever keen to find deeper mean...
How Egypt's Magicians Failed to Interpret Pharaoh's Dream is the question behind this passage from Bereshit Rabbah. The passage begins, "He sent and summoned…" referring to Pharaoh...
It's a deep dive into the story of Jacob's sons and their trip to Egypt, and it's full of anxiety, suspicion, and loss. The passage begins with a recap from Genesis 42. Joseph, now...
Out of the blue, his sons return from Egypt with news that Joseph is not only alive, but a powerful ruler! It's a moment of incredible joy, but also… disbelief. The Torah tells us ...
Jewish tradition is just teeming with those kinds of moments. Take Jacob, for instance, as he's about to head down to Egypt to reunite with his son Joseph. The Torah tells us, "Isr...
It all begins with Jacob, now also known as Israel, standing at a crossroads. God speaks to him "in the visions of the night," a phrase that already sets a mystical tone. "Jacob, J...
The Torah portion Vayechi, at the very end of Genesis, gives us a glimpse into that very idea. Jacob, on his deathbed, blesses his sons. And when he blesses Joseph, it says, "He bl...
It starts with a small city, a vulnerable one. “There was a small city,” the text says, and the rabbis interpret this city as none other than Egypt. “And few men in it” – these, re...
It's like, bam, out of nowhere, you're bearing a load you didn't even see coming. Well, the ancient Israelites knew that feeling all too well when they found themselves in Egypt. W...
And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: The envy also of Ephraim shall depart … Ephraim shall not envy Judah (Isa. 11:13)....
This is it that their father spoke unto them and blessed them (Gen. 49:28). Scripture does not say “he blessed him” but rather he blessed them. Why is this so? Because he attribute...
Who came into Egypt with Jacob (Exod. 1:1). Did they actually enter Egypt on that very day? Had not many days passed by since their arrival? (This informs us that) as long as Josep...
"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...
Judah keeps building the case. He reminds the vizier of every step, every conversation, every refusal. The family could not return to Egypt without the youngest brother. "We told h...
The speech closes where it began. Judah returns, at the end, to the same pledge he gave his father at the beginning of the story, and makes it explicit. "Therefore thy servant beca...
Having named the sin, Joseph reframes it. He does not deny it. He places it inside a larger story. "It was not you who sent me hither, but it was from before the Lord that the thin...
The brothers arrive in Canaan. They find their father. They deliver the news. And Jacob cannot hear it. "They declared to him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and is ruler over all th...
Jacob pauses at Be'er Sheva on his way to Egypt. He offers sacrifices. He waits. He listens. And the Holy One speaks to him in a night vision. "He said, I am God, the God of thy fa...
When Jacob finally looks into the face of Joseph alive, his words in (Genesis 46:30) could have been pure relief. The Targum Pseudo-Jonathan hears something subtler. Jacob says, "I...
In a moment easy to skip, the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on (Genesis 47:30) flags a subtle refusal. Jacob had asked Joseph to place his hand on the mark of the covenant and swear to bu...
When Jacob asked Joseph who the two boys standing beside him were (Genesis 48:9), the question was not about identity. Jacob was old and nearly blind, but he recognized his grandso...
Book of Jubilees turns to Egypt — Joseph's Vision. Remember Joseph? The favored son, sold into slavery in Egypt? He rises to power, interprets Pharaoh's dreams, and foresees a deva...
Book of Jubilees turns to Trial of Judah of Joseph. It all revolves around a cup. Not just any cup, but a cup that Joseph, disguised as a powerful Egyptian official, uses to test h...
Years ago, you thought you'd lost your beloved son, Joseph, to a tragic death. The grief must have been unbearable. Now, after all this time, his brothers are returning from Egypt ...
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 ...
The story of Judah confronting Joseph in Egypt is just that, a dramatic face-off fueled by family secrets, accusations, and the desperate need to protect a brother. The scene is se...
Not just buzzing, practically vibrating with anticipation! The viceroy, Joseph, is about to be reunited with his father, Jacob, after years of separation. And the entire country is...
Legends of the Jews turns to Trial of Joseph of Judah. Remember the story? Joseph, having risen to power in Egypt, is testing his brothers, who don't recognize him. He accuses them...
The stakes? Nothing less than the fate of Egypt, and the freedom of his own people. In Legends of the Jews, the situation had reached a fever pitch. Egypt was reeling from the plag...
Joseph, having risen to power in Egypt, brings his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to visit his aging father. Now, it first appears this would be a joyous occasion. A reunion of fa...
After winning favor with the queen – thanks to a bit of help from her hairdresser, naturally – Joseph finally approached Pharaoh with a request: to honor his solemn oath to his dyi...
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev addresses a question that Nachmanides raised about Joseph's interpretation of Pharaoh's dream: if Joseph predicted seven years of famine but the f...
Genesis 44 contains one of the most emotionally powerful speeches in the Hebrew Bible, Judah's plea before the Egyptian viceroy to take Benjamin's place as a slave. Targum Jonathan...
Israel in Egypt, fruitful and multiplying, a thousand thousand and myriad myriads. And still, in God's eyes, like a single beloved child. That's the paradox this section of Aggadat...
Shechem son of Hamor once assembled a troupe of girls with tambourines to play outside the tent of Dinah, and when she "went out to see them" (Genesis 34:1), he carried her off. Fr...
