An analogy — A king's son goes abroad—he goes after him

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta Tractate Shirah 3:17

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 19, 2025

An analogy: A king's son goes abroad—he goes after him and attends upon him. He goes to a different city—he goes after him and attends upon him. Thus with Israel. When they went down to Egypt, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Genesis 46:4) "I shall go down with you to Egypt." When they went up, the Shechinah went up with them, viz. (Ibid.) "and I shall also bring you up." When they went down to the sea, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Exodus 14:19) "And the angel of G–d, who went before the camp of Israel, etc." When they went out to the desert, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Ibid. 13:21) "And the L–rd went before them by day, etc."—until they brought Him with them to His holy Temple,

Themes

Moses Angels Temple Holy Land

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Apocrypha The First Torah We often picture Moses on Mount Sinai, receiving the divine word directly from God. Forty days and forty nights of dicta... Apocrypha God Commands Moses to Write Down All History That's the scene set for us right at the beginning of Jubilees. God commands Moses, "Write down for thyself all these wo... Apocrypha The Sanctuary Rebuilt on Mount Zion This ancient Jewish text, considered scripture by some but excluded from the standard biblical canon, paints a sweeping ... Book of Jasher Abram and the Angels The Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text that fills in gaps in the biblical narrative, offers some fascinating gl... Book of Jasher Abraham and Creation of Moses The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), fills in s... Book of Jasher The First Days of Freedom After Leaving Egypt We know the big story: the plagues, the Exodus, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the nitty-gritty details of t... Book of Jasher Arad in Battle That feeling of frustration, of being turned back just as you're reaching your goal... well, the Israelites knew it well... Ginzberg A Jewish Icarus This isn't your typical biblical story. It’s a myth, a folk tale, preserved in the Israel Folktale Archives, about a won... Ginzberg Vol. 1 Man And The World Jewish tradition offers a powerful, poetic answer: it was all for us, for humankind. But there’s a twist. According to L...