2,458 texts in Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg)
Death had been decreed against him. Seriously. But Hezekiah, being the resourceful and pious king that he was, wasn't about to take that lying down. He prayed. He pleaded with God....
Take the story of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah's recovery from a life-threatening illness was miraculous in itself. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, it was actu...
The story begins with an embassy, a delegation, sent by the king of Babylon. Now, according to Legends of the Jews, this wasn't just a friendly visit. It was, at its heart, an ackn...
Yet, even he wasn't perfect. The story goes that when envoys from Babylon came to visit, Hezekiah made some… questionable choices. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of t...
He was one of the most righteous kings of Judah, a real standout. He lived way back when, around the 8th century BCE. And he's remembered for some seriously impressive things. The ...
King Hezekiah knew the feeling. He finally listened to the prophet Isaiah and took a wife – Isaiah's daughter, no less! A match made in, if not heaven, then at least in spiritually...
The story of King Manasseh, successor to the righteous Hezekiah, offers a chilling example. According to Legends of the Jews, after Hezekiah's death, Manasseh completely abandoned ...
The story of King Manasseh is a wild ride, a evidence of the idea that no one is beyond the reach of repentance. See, Manasseh wasn't just a bad king; he was really bad. He deserve...
Manasseh wasn't just any king. Leviticus! But here's the kicker: despite all that knowledge, he fell headfirst into idolatry. How does that even happen? The Talmud, in Sanhedrin 10...
Legends of the Jews turns to Kingdom of Amon. In Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg's masterful retelling of rabbinic tradition, Amon was even more wicked than his father. And what's tr...
He was, to put it mildly, not a nice guy. His deeds were so evil, so contrary to everything the Torah stood for, that he really should have forfeited his share in the olam ha-ba, t...
King Josiah, a righteous ruler of Judah, found himself in just that position. The prophecies were grim. Destruction loomed. And Josiah, desperate to protect his people, decided on ...
He was a righteous king, determined to bring his people back to God. He tore down idols, reinstituted the proper observance of the Law, and really tried to get everyone on board. B...
Take the story of King Josiah, a righteous ruler who met a tragic end. Josiah was a king known for his piety and his efforts to purify the land of idolatry. He reigned during a tum...
His reign, according to the Legends of the Jews, was truly something special. After Solomon, he was the only king to rule over both Judah and Israel. Imagine the scope of that! And...
Legends of the Jews turns to Death of Jehoiakim. So, here’s the setup: After the death of Josiah, the people chose Jehoahaz as their king, even though his brother, Jehoiakim, was a...
As Ginzberg tells us in Legends of the Jews, He held back, specifically because the people were leading God-fearing lives during the reign of Jehoiakim. Even the righteous couldn't...
After his little "expedition" into Palestinian territory, he swaggered back to Babylonia, the ancient texts tell us, to a hero's welcome. Huge celebrations, the whole shebang. And ...
Jehoiachin was a king of Judah, and not a particularly lucky one, it seems. He inherited the throne at a turbulent time, with the Babylonian empire breathing down Jerusalem's neck....
That was Jehoiachin's fate. He was taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar, along with members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court. Now, the Sanhedrin were seriously worried. With J...
Legends of the Jews turns to Nebuchadnezzar and the Holy Sanctuary. The Legends of the Jews, that incredible collection of rabbinic tales compiled by Louis Ginzberg, recounts this ...
Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful Babylonian king, had installed Zedekiah as a vassal king. He wanted to ensure Zedekiah’s loyalty, so he demanded an oath. Now, Zedekiah was ready to sw...
It all started with a vow – a solemn promise made by Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, to Nebuchadnezzar. But things went south, as they often do in these stories. Zedekiah, for re...
King Zedekiah of Judah knew that feeling all too well. He made a promise he couldn't keep, and the consequences, well, they were devastating. Zedekiah's big mistake? Perjury. A bro...
The story of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah before the Babylonian exile, is a powerful example. We find it told in fascinating detail in Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews. Zedekiah ...
Even though he messed up big time by breaking his oath, he was, at heart, a good and just ruler. So good, in fact, that God almost changed His mind about punishing the wicked gener...
As a young man, Jeremiah received the call to be a prophet. But unlike some heroes who leap at the chance, Jeremiah hesitated. He flat-out refused! "O Lord," he argued, "I cannot g...
That was life for the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah's debut on the public stage happened during the reign of Josiah. He didn't mince words. He went right into the streets and declared...
That’s kind of what it was like for the prophet Jeremiah during the reign of King Zedekiah. According to Legends of the Jews, he was facing opposition from pretty much everyone. – ...
Take the story of Jeremiah, one of the major prophets in the Hebrew Bible. His life was a constant battle against not just external enemies, but also deeply rooted personal animosi...
The prophet Jeremiah certainly knew. Even as tragedy unfolded around him, he refused to sugarcoat the truth. Imagine him, standing before the king, knowing that his words could sea...
The answer, surprisingly, might lie in just a few steps… and a little divine intervention. The story of Jeremiah and his suffering comes to a close when Nebuchadnezzar finally capt...
Let me tell you about Nebuchadnezzar. For eighteen years, can you imagine, eighteen years daily, a heavenly voice boomed through his palace! This wasn't some quiet whisper; this wa...
Even after all his victories, all his power, the thought of Jerusalem gnawed at him. But why? What pushed him to finally launch his attack? Well, according to the legends, it wasn'...
Let me tell you a story about Akiba, a name that once echoed with strength and defiance within the besieged walls of Jerusalem. The scene: Jerusalem, desperately clinging to surviv...
Legends of the Jews turns to Trial of Hanamel. Hanamel, the uncle of the prophet Jeremiah, wasn't content to sit idly by as the Chaldeans threatened the city. Oh no. He took matter...
The Talmud (Yoma 69a) certainly seems to think so when it tells us that the presence of a righteous person can protect an entire city. But what happens when that person is removed?...
The Talmud, specifically Tractate Gittin 56b, recounts the horrific events surrounding the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. It wasn't just a military defeat; it was a ...
He was, to put it mildly, a key player in a pretty dark chapter of Jewish history. As Nebuchadnezzar's captain of the guard, he was instrumental in the destruction of the First Tem...
Yet, the Jewish mystical tradition doesn't shy away from portraying God as deeply affected by the events of human history, especially the tragedies. And perhaps nowhere is this mor...
The story goes that after the destruction of the First Temple, the prophet Jeremiah found himself with a daunting task. He was told to bring the news to the Avot, the Patriarchs th...
The story God, seemingly distant, and the angels, filled with complaints. It all starts with Abraham, our patriarch, arriving in God's presence, weeping for his exiled children. Th...
We remember him most vividly, perhaps, from the Binding of Isaac, the Akeidah. A moment of ultimate faith, ultimate sacrifice averted at the last possible second. But what about th...
That, my friends, is the essence of this poignant tale from Legends of the Jews. The story picks up long after Moses has passed. Forty long years he served as a faithful shepherd t...
“the sound of their grief pierced to the very heavens.” It paints a vivid picture of despair. Where is Moses, their leader, during all this? He’s gone to plead with the Avot, the P...
The Talmudic Sages certainly did, and they taught some beautiful stories that explore this idea. One of the most moving involves our matriarch, RACHEL. Imagine the scene: Jacob, tr...
The familiar story centers on the Babylonian exile, the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. It’s a bleak chapter in Jewish history. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, s...
The prophet Jeremiah certainly did, and the story of his choice after the destruction of the First Temple is a powerful one. The scene: Jerusalem has fallen. The Temple is in ruins...
