19 texts in Midrash Aggadah
Maybe it was just your imagination... or maybe, just maybe, it was Lilith. The Zohar, that foundational text of Kabbalah, tells us of a terrifying figure born not of dust like Adam...
Jewish tradition has a lot to say on the matter, and some of it is Let's talk about the fate of the soul, particularly what happens to those who, well, weren't so righteous in life...
According to some fascinating strands of Jewish tradition, that's exactly the case. We’re talking about God’s original plan, a blueprint for creation that, well, got a bit… revised...
Jewish tradition teaches that the world's very existence is conditional. According to Tree of Souls, God, in a moment of cosmic suspense, declared, "If Israel accepts the Torah whe...
We often think of it as a moment of pure revelation, of divine gift-giving. But some ancient stories paint a picture far more…intense. A picture of near annihilation and miraculous...
But Jewish tradition gives us some truly incredible details about that moment, details that speak to the power and the responsibility that come with accepting God's word. The story...
The tradition teaches that there aren't just one, but two Torahs: the Torah Shebichtav, the Written Torah (the five books of Moses we all know), and the Torah Sheba’al Peh, the Ora...
The idea of greeting the Sabbath Queen, or Shabbat Malkah, has captured the hearts and minds of Jewish mystics and everyday people for centuries. We find this beautiful custom echo...
According to some beautiful Jewish traditions, a little bit of heaven actually touches Earth on Shabbat (the Sabbath). Imagine this: when we keep the Sabbath, something amazing hap...
Jewish tradition suggests we're constantly surrounded by unseen forces, especially on Shabbat, the Sabbath. And some of those forces? Well, they’re angels. The Talmud, specifically...
There's a beautiful story, a whispered secret really, that suggests the fragrance of Shabbat (the Sabbath) comes from a very special spice. In fact, some say it’s actually called S...
We're talking about the cave of Shimon bar Yohai. The story begins in the days of Roman rule. Shimon bar Yohai, a prominent sage, found himself on the wrong side of the Roman autho...
Our tradition grapples with this question in fascinating, sometimes unsettling ways. Take the story of Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. We all know he murdered his brother ...
We find ourselves with the Israelites in the desert. Moses, their leader, has ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the divine law, from God. Days turn into weeks. Down below,...
Three converts came to Shammai with impossible requests. All three were turned away. All three then went to Hillel, who accepted every one of them. The contrast, recorded in Shabba...
When God gave the Torah at Sinai, the Israelites did not simply accept it freely. According to Shabbat 88a, Rabbi Avdimi bar Hama bar Hasa taught that God uprooted Mount Sinai and ...
When Moses ascended to heaven to receive the Torah, the angels were furious. According to Shabbat 88b, they confronted God directly: "What is a human being doing among us?" God tol...
The full scope of Moses's argument against the angels is recorded in Shabbat 89a, and it is a masterclass in turning your opponent's own premises against them. Moses went through t...
Every Friday night, two angels follow you home from the synagogue. One is good. One is not. According to Shabbat 119b, what they find when they arrive determines what happens next....
