13 texts
Life wasn't easy, but they were getting by. Hannah, a resourceful woman, earned their keep by doing piecework – weaving curtains for other women. It was honest work, and it brought...
Dan, seventh son of Jacob, born of Bilhah, called his family together in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. He had proved something in his heart through his entire exis...
Gad, ninth son of Jacob, born of Zilpah, spoke to his sons in the hundred and twenty-fifth year of his life. He had been valiant in keeping the flocks, guarding them at night. When...
Imagine, no matter what you were in the mood for, one bite would satisfy that desire perfectly. Well, according to tradition, the Israelites experienced just that with the manna (מ...
The Book of Esther, and the rich tapestry of legends surrounding it, offers some pretty intriguing answers. Think about Ahasuerus, the king in the story. He elevates Haman to a pos...
Rabbi Shimon HaTemani declared that God split the Red Sea in the merit of a single commandment: circumcision. The covenant of Abraham, inscribed in the flesh of every Jewish male, ...
It is not written "those who rise up against us," but "those who rise up against You," whereby we are apprised that all who rise up against Israel are rising up, as it were, agains...
After Joshua's defeat of Amalek at Rephidim, the Mekhilta records an interpretation that turns the battle into a fulfillment of one of the most chilling prophecies in Scripture. Th...
It’s not just stories and commandments; it’s also a practical guide to justice. to a tiny but fascinating corner of it: the laws of exile. Remember, in ancient times, accidental ma...
The text starts with a seemingly simple question: when the Torah speaks of "two wives," does that only mean two? What if there are more? The answer, surprisingly, is right there in...
A Roman official named Hadrakitilios wrote a letter to the Emperor Hadrian about the Jews. "Your Majesty evidently hates the Jews," Hadrakitilios wrote, "because they refuse to con...
“The king removed his ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, son of Hamedata the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews” (Esther 3:10).“The king removed his ring from his hand and gave i...
Another comment upon the verse And the Lord said to Aaron: “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses” (Exod. 4:27). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: O that thou wer...
