7 myths
Envy and rivalry in Jewish tradition, from Cain and Abel to Joseph's brothers and the jealousy of the angels.
7 myths on JewishMythology.com retell how Jewish tradition imagines jealousy, drawn from the Hebrew Bible, Midrash, Talmud, Kabbalah, and later Jewish literature. Each story below synthesizes primary sources into a single narrative; follow any myth to read it, and from there into the source passages behind it.
Before Joseph reached Dothan the brothers cycled through plans, including dogs. God heard every word and answered: we shall see whose word stands.
Sarah offered her own maidservant to Abraham, then watched Ishmael thrive until jealousy broke what desperation had built.
On his deathbed at one hundred and twenty, Simeon told his sons the truth about Joseph and described what envy feels like when it takes hold of a man.
Joseph praised his brothers with one breath and ranked himself above them with the next. He was seventeen and did not understand what he was doing to himself.
Bamidbar Rabbah maps jealousy through seven doors of damage, from the eyes to the tongue to a community that can no longer face itself.
The bitter water law applies to idolatry forever, God said. Six cities of refuge let an unintentional killer wait until the High Priest dies and walk free.
When gifts and patience failed, Ahasuerus threatened to gather virgins again. Mordecai, waiting outside the gate, understood immediately what was happening.
