548 texts in Midrash Aggadah
There was a man who owned a prosperous vineyard and a cellar full of casks — fine oil and rich wine, the fruits of years of careful labor. He was wealthy by any measure. But he had...
There was a man who paid his tithes faithfully every single year without exception. Rain or drought, abundance or scarcity, he set aside exactly one-tenth of everything he harveste...
A farmer was harvesting his field when he realized he had forgotten a sheaf of grain. It was sitting in the far corner of the field, left behind in the rush of the day's work. His ...
Rabbi Tarfon was one of the wealthiest men among the sages, but he was famously reluctant to part with his money. He studied Torah with passion, observed every commandment with pre...
R. Tarfon was beaten by his superintendent, who finding him in the vineyard took him for a trespasser, he not telling who he was through his meekness. 79 ~ no. a man overheard a di...
A man with two heads appeared before King Solomon with an unusual legal claim. He was part of a family dividing an inheritance, and he demanded a double portion — one share for eac...
King Solomon wished to build a temple with unhewn stone, as he was not allowed to use iron, that being forbidden by law. So he tried to obtain Shamir which he was told was in the p...
The throne of Solomon was entirely made of gold, having 33 steps upon which were various animals. 12 golden lions, and 2 golden bears stood on each step and over the throne was a k...
Hananya, the nephew of Rabbi Joshua, was a respected scholar living in Babylon. And one day he made a decision that nearly split the Jewish world in two. He decided to set the cale...
A pious man owned a vineyard, and the hedge around it had fallen into disrepair. Gaps had opened in the fence, leaving the vines exposed to animals and thieves. The vineyard needed...
A poor tailor paid a dinar for the only fish left in Rome, in honour of the Sabbath. Upbraided by the Hip- par ch he explained the reason and was allowed to go free. He found a pri...
The history of the man in Laodicaea who grew immensely rich, because he left everything best for the Sabbath. He treated R. Hiya to a meal served on silver and gold trays.
The Story of Antoninas andR. [Jehudaha-Nassi] who preferred the cold meals of the Sabbath. The Rabbi explained to Antoninus that the superiority of Sabbath meals over those of the ...
A woman unknowingly baked in a loaf the dinar entrusted to her and gave it to a poor man. She swore that she had made no use of it, saying that if she had done so let one of her ch...
A man entrusted his money to another who appeared extremely pious and who afterwards denied having received it. Elijah appeared and told the first man to go to the wife of the othe...
A man who pursued an ascetic life, was accused by his sister-in-law of having stolen her jewelery; He declined to take an oath to prove his innocence. R.Johanan b.Zakkai prayed to ...
Dispute between R. Eliezer and R. Joshua about levi- tical purity. Appealed to in turn, the Harub tree [uprooted itself], the water turned back, the walls of the Midrash (rabbinic ...
The death and leave-taking of R. Eliezar the Great. He foretold to every one the manner of his death as well as the martyrdom of R. Akiba. He used the parable of the seas being ink...
R. Eliezer was taken ill. Four sages came to visit him and tried to comfort him, but none succeeded so well as R. Akiba, who said that suffering was invaluable for suffering begot ...
Rabbi Eliezer was one of the most formidable scholars in Israel — a man whose rulings could silence an entire academy. So when a slave in his household died and his students came t...
R. Pinehas b. Jair would never touch other peoples' bread. He crossed the river Ginai dryshod, when on his way to ransom captive after he had threatened that the river should other...
R. Zeira bought a field, not knowing that R. Gidel was negotiating for it. He then gave it up to him as a 6* - 84 present but R. Gidel would not accept it; hence it was called “The...
The story of the conversion to Judaism of Abu Golis, a priest of Damascus living in Tiberias. Making a bad use of some money entrusted to him, he lost his sight. His former friends...
R. Jose wept on his death bed because he had not taken sufficient part in the deliberations of the Court of Justice. Israel was like a ship and every member like a beam; if one wer...
R. Johanan b. Zakkai wept on his death bed because he had to appear before a King where no bribe was possible. He lamented over the difficulty of the choice between the two ways, t...
R. Akiba met a dead man gathering sticks for his own burning. in Gehinom. Akiba inquired how he could be saved and acted accordingly; viz., he educated the man’s son until he could...
The daughter of Nakdimon b. Gorian was very poor and picked up grains from dung for food. She was seen by R. Johanan b. Zakkai, who recognised her and married her to one of his dis...
Matia b. Haresh was tempted by Satan in the form of a beautiful woman. He blinded himself rather than see her and fall a victim to temptation. The angel Raphael cured him afterward...
The story of Ben Sabar who helped an orphan to be married. On his journey home he was met by the angel §5 of death. He went to the R. Shaffan b. Laish and was saved from death thro...
R. Joshua b. Levi met the angel of death, who brought him to the wall of the Garden of Eden. R. Joshua took the angel’s sword and jumped into the garden. He returned the sword at t...
Story of the son of R. Reuben the Libellarius to whom the angel of death appeared in the form of an old man at the wedding festivities. He was treated with great respect on the adv...
(147.) R. Akiba began his life as a very poor man and ended it as a very rich one. He had a large crown made for his wife set with many precious stones, and when his children asked...
Skipping one small ritual cost a man his entire identity. According to a tale preserved in the Exempla of the Rabbis, a 1924 compilation by Moses Gaster drawn from medieval Jewish ...
A man used to neglect to wash his hands after meals and another, observing the traces of the last meal on his fingers, went to that man's wife. He mentioned the food last partaken ...
R. Hanina b. Dosa who had preached on the text, “Receive every man as a friend" carried a Hegemon on his shoulders to his house; he washed his feet, fed him well and then carried h...
Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa was one of the most miracle-working sages in all of Jewish history. He lived in grinding poverty — the Talmud says that each week he survived on a single meas...
R. Hanina b. Dosa told his wife that heaven would provide for the Sabbath meals, and bade his daughter light a wick in a vessel filled with vinegar; it burned. The oven which his w...
Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa once placed his foot directly over the hole of a deadly scorpion — and it was the scorpion that died. This brief but astonishing tale, preserved in the Exempl...
Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa was deep in prayer, standing perfectly still, his eyes closed, his lips moving in silent communion with God. He did not notice the venomous adder that had sli...
The son of Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai fell desperately ill. The great sage, who would one day preserve Judaism itself by establishing the academy at Yavneh after the destruction of t...
R. Hanina b. Dosa prayed for the son of R. Gamliel and foretold the hour when the fever would leave him. It came true and he knew it from the fluency with which he was able to reci...
R. Joshua asked the students what R. Elazar b. Azaf yah taught. They replied that he taught that all without exception must attend school and service, for all that would attend wou...
R. Gamliel was proud and harsh and forced R. Joshua to stand up in the college during his lecture. Those present, greatly irritated, forced R. Gamliel to resign. R. Elazar b. Azary...
Eliezer b. Hyrkanos went to Jerusalem to study whilst his father and brothers fled with their goods from the attack of the Roman soldiers. He starved and was discovered by R. Johan...
Of all those who comforted R. Johanan b. Zakkai on the death of his son, Elazar b. Arach was pre-eminent; he said, “Thou hast but restored in a perfect condition that which was ent...
R. Janai and R. Johanan watched two Jews of whom two astrologers had said that a snake would kill them. They came home unharmed as no astrology was of any avail against Jews.
A man made an appointment with a woman and she purposely sent his own wife as a substitute. He did not recognize her and when he repented afterwards of his sin she told him that he...
A Greek bought a young Jewish girl as a slave. He brought her up in his house. When she grew up, the Master of Dreams ordered him to send her away,. Threatened with death in case o...
