They said — This thing was expounded by R

Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Mekhilta Tractate Amalek 3:46

Curated by The Jewish Mythology Team · Published January 23, 2025

They said: This thing was expounded by R. Tzaddok, viz.: When R. Gamliel made a feast for the sages, all the sages of Israel were seated before him and R. Gamliel arose and served them, whereupon they said: We are not worthy of this. At this, R. Yehoshua said to them: Let him serve us. We find one greater than R. Gamliel who served men. They: Who? R. Yehoshua: Our father Abraham, the greatest in the world, who served ministering angels thinking them to be Arab idolators. How much more so (should this be done by) R. Gamliel, serving sages, students of Torah!

Themes

Torah Patriarchs Angels Holy Land

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 Raphael Retrieves the Silver While Tobias Celebrates to a little story from the Book of Tobit that might just offer a glimpse. Our hero, Tobiyyah, has just married Sarah, a ... Book of Jasher Four Kings March Against Sodom With 800,000 Men Sometimes, looking to other texts can give us a fuller picture. Take, for example, this passage from the Book of Jasher.... Book of Jasher Birth of Amram of Pharaoh There are so many fascinating texts that offer different perspectives and details on familiar narratives. Today, we're d... Book of Jasher The Burning Bush of Egyptian We all know the story of the Exodus, the burning bush, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the years leading up t... Book of Jasher Trial of Adikam There are entire books dedicated to filling in those gaps, offering tantalizing glimpses into the lives of our ancestors... 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...