Kabbalah

1,414 texts · Page 2 of 30

The hidden wisdom of Jewish mysticism: the Ein Sof, the sefirot, the breaking of the vessels, and the path to cosmic repair.

Egyptian Priests Called the Jews Men of God

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text that purports to describe the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, touches on this very question. Imagine the scene: Egyptian priests...

The Torah's Laws as a Hedge Against Corruption

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text that purports to describe the translation of the Torah into Greek, offers a glimpse into this very question. It suggests that these seemi...

Jewish Dietary Laws in the Second Temple Period

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It's more than just a list of dos and don'ts; it's a reflection of a deeper understanding of the world, a worldview even. And sometimes, ancient texts can shed surprising light on ...

Dietary Laws That Teach Virtue and Self-Control

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It's easy to dismiss them as arbitrary, ancient dietary restrictions. But what if there's something much deeper going on? Something about character, about virtue, about becoming th...

Ptolemy Philadelphus and the Sabbath

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating ancient text, grapples with this very idea. It explores what it means for the Jewish people to be distinct, and the responsibilities that come...

Split Hooves and Cud-Chewing as Symbols of Memory

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It's not just about taste, folks. It's a whole symbolic system, pointing to deeper truths about ourselves and our relationship with the Divine. The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient t...

The Mind's Invisible Movement Reveals God's Design

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text that purports to recount how the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) came to be, touches on this very idea. It doesn't ju...

Hidden Wisdom Behind the Laws of Kashrut

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It's easy to dismiss them as outdated or just plain weird. But what if there's a deeper wisdom hidden within? The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text, gives us a fascinating perspe...

Why Mice Are Unclean and What They Symbolize

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It’s not always about hygiene, you know. Sometimes, it’s about symbolism, about mirroring human behaviors we’re meant to avoid. Take the humble mouse, for example. It seems straigh...

Eleazar Receives the Torah

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Isn't it amazing how a single letter can sometimes open a window into a whole world? A world of ancient cultures, political intrigue, and deep-seated beliefs? That's precisely what...

Ptolemy Eagerly Awaits the Jewish Translators

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

That’s the backdrop for our story, which comes to us from the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document that purports to tell the story of how the Septuagint – that's the Greek tr...

Wisdom of Ptolemy

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Let’s journey back to ancient Egypt, to the court of Ptolemy II Philadelphus, a king with a thirst for knowledge and a library that was the envy of the ancient world. He was determ...

Kingdom of Septuagint of Ptolemy

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

This ancient text, purporting to be a letter from Aristeas, an official in Ptolemy's court, describes the remarkable story of how the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Hebr...

Nicanor Ensures the Scholars Feel Welcome at Court

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas gives us a fascinating glimpse into this very issue, specifically concerning the Jewish people in the ancient world. The story goes that King Ptolemy II Phil...

Septuagint Cries Out to God

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Our guide for this little journey is the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text that purports to describe how the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, came to be....

Story of Dorotheus

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The air is thick with anticipation. Prayers have just been offered, not just any prayers, but blessings invoking the Almighty to shower the king with prosperity, happiness, and end...

Legend of Septuagint

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

We find this scene in the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating document that purports to describe how the Septuagint – the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible – came to be. It's a r...

Secrets to Good Governance at an Ancient Banquet

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

These aren't just modern questions. They're the kinds of things that leaders have been wrestling with for millennia. And they're exactly the sort of questions posed in the Letter o...

The Nature of Dreams and the Illusion of Flight

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

You're soaring through the air, or sailing on a vast ocean, only to snap awake and realize it was all in your head. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text from the Hellenistic ...

Words of the Heart

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Ever wake up from a dream and think, "Wow, my brain is still stuck on that?" You're not alone. The ancients pondered this too. The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text purportedl...

Ptolemy and the Rabbis of Piety

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text purporting to be a firsthand account of the translation of the Torah into Greek, gives us some fascinating insights. It’s not just about pow...

Letter from Alexandria of Greek

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text purporting to be a letter written by a Greek official in the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-247 BCE), offers some surprisingly practical...

How to Always Maintain Right Judgment

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating Hellenistic Jewish text, gives us a glimpse into that very question, posing it directly to the court of a king. The scene is set: A king, hung...

What the Septuagint Sages Said About Marriage

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It might surprise you. In the Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text that purports to describe the creation of the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible), we find l...

Why the All-Powerful God Has No Need for Wrath

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text from the Hellenistic period, gives us a glimpse into just that, through a series of thought-provoking exchanges. Imagine this: a king, ea...

How Ptolemy Sought to Build Monuments That Last

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

King Ptolemy, a powerful ruler in his time, certainly did. He wasn't just interested in building grand things, but in building things that endured. He wasn't thinking small. In the...

The Tenth Question Reveals the Essence of Beauty

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas offers a fascinating glimpse into that world, particularly the Hellenistic Jewish world of ancient Alexandria. This text, presented as a letter, recounts the...

Wisdom of Septuagint of Letter

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

According to a fascinating ancient text called the Letter of Aristeas, it's something far more profound. The Letter of Aristeas, for those unfamiliar, is a Hellenistic Jewish work ...

Ptolemy's Final Question to the Jewish Sages

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating historical and legendary text, gives us a glimpse into the mind of a king grappling with these very questions. It's framed as a letter recount...

A Kingdom's Safety Rests on Its Leaders' Integrity

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

He poses a deceptively simple question: "What is it that keeps a kingdom safe?" The answer? It's not about brute force, but something far more nuanced. It's about "Care and foretho...

How a King Avoids Being Deceived by Advisors

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating ancient text, gives us a glimpse into a king grappling with this very problem. Imagine a grand gathering, ambassadors from across the land, al...

Letter — Wisdom of Septuagint

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text, gives us some clues. It tells the story of how the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, came to be. But tucked away in it...

What Qualities Make a Ruler Serve His People Well

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text from the Hellenistic period, gives us some food for thought on just that. It recounts the story of how the Septuagint, the Greek translat...

Counselors Reveal the Secrets of Effective Rule

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating ancient text, offers a different perspective. It's a window into the world of Hellenistic Judaism, supposedly written by a Greek official name...

Ptolemy and the Rabbis of Greek

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas gives us a fascinating glimpse into this very question, framed within a story of ancient wisdom and royal patronage. This letter, purportedly written by a Gr...

Written and Oral Law of Philocrates

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

I’m talking about the kind of gathering described in the Letter of Aristeas, a text that purports to tell the story of how the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, creating the ...

Creation Rests

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

I'm talking about everything from the moment the king started his day until he finally retired for the night. Can you imagine that kind of scrutiny? What an amazing and useful syst...

Wisdom of Demetrius

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas gives us a fascinating glimpse into this world. Our story picks up with Demetrius, the chief librarian of Alexandria. Imagine him, a man surrounded by scroll...

How the Septuagint Translators Spent Their Days

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

That's the picture the Letter of Aristeas paints for us, a glimpse into the lives of the 70 (or 72, depending on the tradition) Jewish scholars tasked with translating the Torah in...

Why the Jewish Sages Washed Their Hands in Prayer

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Take hand-washing, for example. We do it all the time, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really means? The Letter of Aristeas gives us a glimpse into just that. This...

Demetrius Studies Torah

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

And at its heart lies a fascinating question: what happens when a sacred text meets a new culture? Our window into this world is the Letter of Aristeas, a text itself shrouded in a...

Kingdom of Ptolemy of Letter

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

More than just inspiration, more than just beautiful writing. Sometimes, it takes a good old-fashioned curse. I’m talking about the story of the Septuagint, the Greek translation o...

Theopompus Studies Torah

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas gives us a glimpse into that world, a world where messing with holy scripture wasn't just frowned upon, it could have… consequences. The Letter of Aristeas, ...

King Ptolemy in Jewish Tradition

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

But that’s exactly the kind of tale that swirls around the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek, a story preserved for us in the Letter of Aristeas. The Letter of Aristeas, i...

Ptolemy Sends the Translators Home With Honors

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

The Letter of Aristeas tells us all about it. Our story involves Ptolemy Philadelphus, the King of Egypt in the 3rd century BCE, and his grand plan to include Jewish law in his fam...

Account of Eleazar

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

It’s about bridging worlds. And sometimes, it takes a king's ransom to make it happen. The Letter of Aristeas, an ancient text, gives us a peek behind the curtain of one of the mos...

Aristeas Reflects on the Septuagint and Friendship

Apocrypha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

You get glimpses of a world so different, yet so familiar. And the stories! Oh, the stories… Today, I want to share a little snippet from the end of the Letter of Aristeas. It's no...

The Strange Creature Tethered by an Umbilical Cord

Ginzberg Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg)

Yes, you read that right. His life hangs, quite literally, by this umbilical cord. Snip that cord, and it’s game over. Imagine this: rooted to a single spot, the Adam sustains hims...