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Solomon pressed Beelzeboul further. "If you want a respite from your labor, tell me about the things in heaven." The prince of demons leaned forward. "If you burn gum, incense, and...
A demon without a head was brought before Solomon. It had all the limbs of a man — arms, legs, torso — but where the head should have been, there was nothing. Just a stump above th...
A winged dragon with the face and hands of a man rolled into Solomon's court. Its body was scaled like a serpent, but its limbs were human, and great wings folded against its back....
The parade of demons continued. One by one the thirty-six spirits of the zodiac stepped forward before Solomon's throne, each confessing the disease it inflicts and the angel whose...
The thirty-sixth and final zodiac demon, Bianakith, confessed: "I lay waste houses and cause flesh to decay. But if a man writes certain holy names on the front door of his home, I...
That feeling is at the heart of our story today, a tale I call "The Cottage of Candles," retold from Howard Schwartz's Tree of Souls. Once, there was a Jew driven by an unshakeable...
We all know the story of Job. It opens with a description so idyllic it almost feels unreal. "There was a man in the land of Uz," the Book of Job tells us. A man named…Job. And thi...
The Jewish tradition has a fascinating, and sometimes troubling, figure that embodies this very idea: the golem. The most famous golem story, of course, revolves around the Golem o...
That’s the kind of feeling that permeates the story of the Ari, or Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534-1572), the great Kabbalist, and his annual pilgrimage to Meron. Every Lag ba-Omer – that ...
It’s a question that’s captivated mystics and theologians for centuries. Our tradition offers some pretty wild and wondrous answers! According to Legends of the Jews, that incredib...
Jewish tradition has some pretty incredible answers. to the very first day of creation. According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, on day one, God brought forth ten things. : te...
It all starts, according to some traditions, with a clash of egos, a refusal to bow, and a trial of wit gone wrong. The Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, gives us a fasci...
We often focus on the eating of the fruit itself, but the consequences, as described in Jewish tradition, are pretty fascinating, and, frankly, a little terrifying. According to Gi...
The Bible doesn't offer much detail. But the Jewish tradition, rich with stories and interpretations, fills in the gaps, painting a vivid picture of their struggle, their sorrow, a...
Adam wasn't just picking apples and feeling sorry for himself. He was wrestling with the big stuff – the future, his children, and the whole darn world. Adam poured out his heart t...
After Eve was created, God divided Paradise between her and Adam. Adam got the east and the north, along with all the male animals. Eve, she was mistress of the west and the south,...
While the Torah itself offers a relatively concise account, Jewish tradition, as it often does, fills in the gaps with breathtaking detail. According to Legends of the Jews, a comp...
It's not just about a crime; it's about the very introduction of wickedness into the world. The stakes were high from the very beginning. Our sages tell us that there were ten gene...
We often speak of "the world," but what if there are actually layers to our reality, different "earths" with their own unique inhabitants and characteristics? to a lesser-known cor...
We know the story of Cain and Abel, of course. But what about the years after Abel's death? It's a fascinating period, shrouded in mystery... and some pretty wild tales. According ...
After the tragedy with Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve experienced a period of deep sorrow. According to Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, Adam separated himself from Eve for 130 years!...
It's a story of desire, rebellion, and the consequences of crossing boundaries, a story that resonates even today. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, th...
The story of Enoch offers us a glimpse into just such an extraordinary experience. Now, Enoch wasn't just any man. The Torah tells us simply that he "walked with God, and he was no...
Turns out, that feeling isn’t new. According to some fascinating threads in Jewish tradition, it was the very reason one righteous man, Enoch, was taken directly to heaven. Why Eno...
969 years? Today we're diving into the story of one of the most famous of these long-lived figures: Methuselah. Now, the Torah itself tells us relatively little about Methuselah. B...
We often hear about the wickedness of humankind, but some fascinating stories lurk beneath the surface, involving fallen angels, giants, and divine justice. According to Legends of...
It all started with two distinct family lines: the descendants of Cain, known for their sinfulness, and the descendants of Seth, initially known for their piety. Picture this: the ...
It wasn’t just carpentry; it was cosmic-level engineering! Turns out, according to some fascinating legends, he had a little help… in the form of a very special book. This wasn’t j...
The story of Noah and the vine is a wild ride through temptation, disrespect, and divine retribution. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, Noah's troubles began...
The sages tell us that there were ten generations between Noah and Abraham. Ten generations! And the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) emphasizes that this long span shows...
The stories are… well, let's just say they’re anything but ordinary. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, Abraham's birth was shrouded in secrecy, hidden ...
The story goes that Nimrod, a powerful and wicked king, grew furious with Abraham (who was, of course, not called Abraham yet at this point in the narrative—but we'll call him that...
Let’s talk about Abraham. Scarcely had Abraham settled in Canaan when a devastating famine struck. Now, famines aren’t exactly rare in the grand scheme of things. In fact, the lege...
It turns out, Abraham, the patriarch of monotheism, was no exception. His story isn't just about grand pronouncements from God; it's also about family drama, petty squabbles, and e...
It’s a tale of divine visitation, incredible hospitality, and a lesson in faith, all rolled into one. Our story picks up three days after Abraham’s circumcision. Now, anyone who kn...
Abraham, known for his boundless hospitality, once held a grand feast celebrating the birth of his son, Isaac. According to Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, everyone who...
One of the most powerful, and frankly, unsettling, of these stories is the Akeidah, the Binding of Isaac. It all starts with a test. God, in perhaps the ultimate trial of faith, as...
The story, as we find it elaborated upon in Legends of the Jews by Ginzberg, takes us far beyond the spare verses of Genesis. It paints a vivid picture, filled with dialogue and em...
We often focus on their triumphs, their faith, their covenant with God. But what about their grief? What about the human moments of sorrow and mourning? The story begins, surprisin...
It turns out, the story continues in some fascinating, and sometimes surprising, ways. According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, Rebekah first saw Isaac returning f...
Trust me, this is a tale you won't soon forget. According to the Legends of the Jews, Isaac, son of Abraham, was a chip off the old block. He mirrored his father in every way—beaut...
The story of Isaac blessing Jacob instead of Esau is definitely one of those moments. It’s a story filled with deception, family drama, and a bit of divine intervention, and it's f...
It’s a theme that runs deep in Jewish tradition, especially when it comes to our most righteous figures. According to Legends of the Jews, even Jacob, after years of hardship, thou...
The Torah focuses on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on Joseph and his brothers. But the world didn't stop spinning just because the Israelites were having family drama. According to Gi...
The story, as told in Legends of the Jews, paints a vivid picture of divine encounters and a sacred calling. According to Ginzberg's retelling, when Levi knew his time was near, he...
The Legends of the Jews, Louis Ginzberg's masterful compilation of rabbinic lore, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the deathbed confession of Dan, one of Jacob’s sons. It's a ra...
that incredible compilation of rabbinic lore by Louis Ginzberg, in his one hundred and twenty-fifth year, while still healthy, Asher gathered his children. He wasn't frail or fadin...
What's the worst thing that could happen to you? Most of us probably wouldn't pick poverty. We might think of illness, or losing a loved one. But in the ancient world, and perhaps ...
