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Today, we're diving into a fascinating slice of ancient history from the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text filled with captivating stories and alternative perspectives on...
While not part of the accepted biblical canon, Jasher (meaning "Upright" or "Correct Record") offers a fascinating, if sometimes embellished, account of biblical events. And Chapte...
After Sarah's death, Abraham took another wife named Keturah, said to be from the land of Canaan. And she bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuach. Tha...
Chapter 28 opens with a famine, a stark reminder of the challenges faced by our ancestors. Just as his father Abraham had done before him, Isaac considers going down to Egypt for r...
There are so many fascinating texts just lurking on the fringes, offering alternative perspectives and filling in the gaps in ways you wouldn't expect. Today, we're diving into one...
The chapter opens with Jacob finishing his seven years of service to Laban, all for the hand of Rachel. The wedding day arrives, a feast is prepared, and everyone gathers to celebr...
So, picture this: Jacob, after leaving his previous location, arrives in the land of Shalem, near the city of Shechem – a place in Canaan. He buys a piece of land for five shekels ...
We all know the story from Genesis 34 – how Shechem, son of Hamor, defiled Jacob's daughter, Dinah, and how Jacob's sons, particularly Simeon and Levi, exacted a brutal revenge. Bu...
We pick up with Jacob, now 99 years old, receiving a divine instruction. "Arise, go to Bethel," God tells him, "and remain there, and make there an altar to the Lord who appeareth ...
That’s where texts like the Book of Jasher come in, offering us a glimpse into those "untold" stories. Chapter 40 of Jasher picks up right after the sons of Jacob have plundered Ga...
The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers a fascinating account. .. The scene opens with Isaac, Abraham's...
To recap, the brothers have already journeyed to Egypt to buy food during a brutal famine, encountering the powerful and mysterious Egyptian viceroy– who is secretly their long-los...
Remember Joseph, the favored son sold into slavery in Egypt? He's now a powerful figure, and his brothers, unknowingly standing before him, are begging for the release of their you...
Book of Jasher, a fascinating, albeit non-canonical, work that expands upon biblical narratives. According to Jasher, Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years, reaching the ripe ol...
Out of nowhere, we get a completely separate war story! Buckle up, because we're diving in. First, let's set the stage. Levi, one of Jacob's sons, passes away at the ripe old age o...
Chapter 64 of the Book of Jasher throws us right into one of those cycles. We're back in a world of ancient grudges and shifting alliances. Balaam, son of Beor – yes, that Balaam, ...
We know him as the great leader, the lawgiver, the one who led the Israelites out of Egypt. But what about his birth, his infancy, those perilous first months? The Book of Jasher, ...
We all know the story of the Exodus, the burning bush, the parting of the Red Sea. But what about the years leading up to that moment? The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text of...
It's considered by many to be part of the Apocrypha, a collection of writings of uncertain origin, that elaborates on stories from the Bible and fills in gaps. Think of it as histo...
There are entire books dedicated to filling in those gaps, offering tantalizing glimpses into the lives of our ancestors. One such book is the Book of Jasher, a work referenced in ...
The Book of Jasher, an ancient Hebrew text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13 and (2 Samuel 1:1)8), fills in some of those gaps. It's like a behind-the-scenes look at the...
The story continues, of course! And today, we're diving into Chapter 88 of the Book of Jasher to see what happened as the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land under the lea...
The Book of Jasher, an ancient text referenced in the Bible itself (Joshua 10:13, (2 Samuel 1:1)8), offers some fascinating glimpses.. The chapter opens by setting the stage: It's ...
The letter Lamed marks a sharp turn. After several proverbs about daughters, Ben Sira pivots to marriage itself: "Do not sleep in your youth, and when you are old, do not marry an ...
Nebuchadnezzar noticed something odd about the human body and asked Ben Sira to explain it. Everywhere on the body, each hair follicle holds two hairs. But on the head, each follic...
Look closely at a mouse's face and you'll notice fine lines running along its cheeks, almost like tiny stitches. The Alphabet of Ben Sira, a medieval text composed between 700 and ...
The raven has a terrible reputation in Jewish tradition. Thief. Scoundrel. Untrustworthy. And according to the Alphabet of Ben Sira, a medieval text composed between 700 and 1000 C...
The Genesis Apocryphon (Apocryphal Genesis, אפוקריפון בראשית), one of the original seven scrolls discovered in 1947, is an Aramaic retelling of Genesis that adds breathtaking detai...
The Book of Giants is one of the most remarkable texts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls—and it tells a story the Bible only hints at. In (Genesis 6:4), a single verse mentions the ...
The Genesis Apocryphon's account of Noah's birth is one of the most vivid nativity scenes in all of ancient Jewish literature—and it is deeply unsettling. The baby does not look hu...
Terah made five new gods and handed them to his son. "Sell these in the street," he said. Abraham loaded the idols onto his father's donkey and set off toward the marketplace. On t...
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...
This isn't your typical biblical story. It’s a myth, a folk tale, preserved in the Israel Folktale Archives, about a wonder child who lived during the time of the Temple in Jerusal...
The Book of Ezekiel, one of the most powerful and enigmatic texts in the Hebrew Bible, opens with just such an experience. We find Ezekiel, a priest, in exile, far from Jerusalem, ...
It's a concept that's woven deep into Jewish lore, appearing in various forms throughout our sacred texts and stories. One particularly compelling tale features Rabbi Loew, the leg...
The followers of the Ba'al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidic Judaism, knew a thing or two about joy. Every year, they celebrated Simhat Torah – the culmination of Sukkot (the Festiv...
Some believe that certain figures, especially the patriarch Abraham, never truly died. The idea of Abraham continuing to wander the world, making his presence known, is surprisingl...
What became of Cain? The Bible tells us he wandered, marked and cursed, after the murder of his brother Abel. But the Torah is silent on the details of his death. So, naturally, th...
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...
on the second day, God brought forth four distinct creations: the firmament (rakia in Hebrew), hell, fire, and the angels. Now, the firmament isn't just the heavens we saw on day o...
The fifth day of creation was all about bringing forth life into the waters and the skies. The Legends of the Jews, as retold by Ginzberg, tells us that God took fire and water, se...
Just as fish were formed from water and birds from boggy earth, mammals were formed from solid earth. And among these, we find some truly remarkable beings. Take Behemot, for examp...
Jewish tradition offers a powerful, poetic answer: it was all for us, for humankind. But there’s a twist. According to Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg retells a fascinating idea: God...
The story of Adam's creation, as told in Jewish tradition, is so much richer and more complex than you might think. It's not just about clay and divine breath; it's about reluctanc...
Jewish tradition certainly has, and the figure of Adam, the first man, looms large in that contemplation. to some fascinating stories about him, drawn from the rich tapestry of Jew...
Jewish tradition offers some breathtakingly beautiful, and frankly, wild, ideas about the journey of the soul. One particularly vivid picture involves Adam, the first man, acting a...
We often think of it as just a snake, but according to the Legends of the Jews, as retold by Louis Ginzberg, this serpent was something truly extraordinary. It wasn't just any anim...
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...
