3,491 texts · Page 10 of 73
It all started 130 years after the Israelites went down to Egypt. Pharaoh, in his dream, saw an old man standing before him. This old man held a balance scale. He watched as the ol...
That's the kind of dream we're talking about here. After receiving a powerful vision – we don't know the specifics, but it clearly carried immense weight – Amram, a prominent figur...
Remember Pharaoh's terrible decree? He ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed. But Jochebed, one of the midwives, defied him. She refused to participate in this horrific act,...
To his right sits Queen Alfar'anit, and to his left, his daughter Bithiah. But it's not just family; Balaam, yes that Balaam, son of Beor, the one known for his… unique prophetic a...
Not the talking donkey one, though that’s the same guy! We find him popping up in all sorts of unexpected places in Jewish tradition, always stirring the pot. Here, we find him off...
We find ourselves in Egypt, where the Israelites are suffering under harsh oppression. One particularly cruel Egyptian taskmaster has not only abused his power, but has committed a...
Here's Moses, destined to lead the Israelites out of slavery, to receive the Torah – the first five books of the Hebrew Bible – at Mount Sinai. Yet, according to tradition, he wasn...
He wasn't born a leader, that's for sure. For forty long years, he was a shepherd for his father-in-law, Jethro. And let me tell you, he was a good one! Jethro had no complaints. A...
The sun beats down, and the horizon shimmers with heat. But our journey isn't just a physical one; it's a journey into the heart of Jewish tradition. We're heading to a very specia...
There's a lot more to that thorny shrub than meets the eye. Our tradition teaches us that the choice was far from arbitrary. In fact, the humble thorn-bush, or seneh in Hebrew, was...
We often imagine this grand spectacle, a booming voice from the heavens. But the traditional texts offer a much more intimate, nuanced picture of that pivotal moment. Imagine the s...
Like the universe is asking you to do something impossibly huge, and all you can think is, "Who, me?" That's precisely where Moses found himself. Imagine the scene: Moses, tending ...
Would you still offer that help? That’s the dilemma, in a sense, that God faces in the lead-up to the Exodus. As we learn in Legends of the Jews, God, in speaking to Moses, lays ba...
Moses, fresh from his encounter with the burning bush, is now tasked with the monumental job of leading the Israelites out of Egypt. He’s got a bit of an edge, maybe a little too m...
Moses didn't exactly jump for joy when he got the divine call. In fact, he voiced some pretty significant doubts. Can you blame him? He argued, "O Lord of the world, I a prophet an...
That's the image we get when we delve into the tales surrounding MOSES and his encounters with the heavenly host. According to Legends of the Jews, when MOSES was released by the a...
It wasn't just the adults celebrating freedom. According to Legends of the Jews, even babies stopped nursing, compelled to add their voices to the chorus! And unbelievably, the emb...
The story goes that God, wanting to leave a lasting reminder of His power for generations to come, instructed Moses to place a jar of manna—that miraculous food that sustained the ...
It’s a question that’s haunted Jewish tradition for centuries, and the answers are woven into some truly amazing stories. Legend tells us that when King Josiah knew the Temple was ...
It’s a question that pops up again and again in Jewish tradition, and one story in particular, about Moses and his father-in-law Jethro, really brings it home. At first, Moses wasn...
He'd come to stay with Moses for over a year! But here's a little wrinkle in the story: for the first few months, Jethro didn't really see Moses in action as a judge. Why? Because,...
His father-in-law, JETHRO, saw it happening right before his eyes. The story goes that Moses, after the Exodus, was single-handedly acting as judge for the entire Israelite nation....
Jewish tradition is full of stories that suggest it does. And one of the most fascinating, and perhaps surprising, examples comes from the story of the Rechabites. These weren't Is...
You’ve traveled with your son-in-law and the Israelites through the desert, witnessed miracles, and then… Moses sends you packing. Back home. Just before the biggest moment in Jewi...
It wasn't just about God wanting to give the Torah, you see. According to the legends, it was about who was receiving it. : right after the Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites weren'...
You’re marching towards… well, you don't exactly know where, but it's away from Pharaoh! Wouldn't you expect the Divine to hand down the ultimate instruction manual right then and ...
It’s not just a coincidence. Jewish tradition loves patterns, and the number three seems to be deeply woven into the fabric of our story, connecting the Torah, the people of Israel...
Did you know it has six names? for a second. Six different names, each hinting at a different facet of that earth-shattering moment. It’s like trying to describe a diamond – you ca...
The story goes that when it came time for God to reveal the Torah, all the mountains in the world began to vie for the honor. Imagine them, these colossal peaks, practically jostli...
The entire world, and that's the spot chosen for the most monumental event in Jewish history? It's a question that's echoed through generations, and the answers… well, they're laye...
You're in good company. Even Moses, the great lawgiver, felt that way. : God Himself tells Moses, "Go, deliver Israel!" And what's Moses's response? "Who am I?" He essentially says...
We often picture Moses standing alone on the mountain, receiving the word of God. But what about the women? Did they play a role? And if so, what was it? According to Legends of th...
We all know the big picture – freedom from slavery, the Ten Commandments. But what about the finer details? What was the tone, the emphasis, the heart of his message? Well, accordi...
Take the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. : accepting Judaism isn't just a declaration; it's a process. A transformational journey. According to tradition, a convert must und...
It wasn't exactly a picnic. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) paints a picture of intense anticipation, mixed with a healthy dose of terror. From the moment the Israel...
Like you're being held accountable for... everything? Imagine that feeling, amplified to a planetary scale. That's what the Earth felt at the Revelation at Sinai. According to Lege...
We’re talking about ten times total. And we’re not just talking about a quiet whisper in the wind. These are monumental, earth-shattering events. The text you shared describes the ...
The very voice of the Divine, booming forth, caused heaven and earth to shake. Can you picture it? The sheer power of it was so overwhelming that the people could barely stand. It ...
We often picture it as a booming voice echoing across the desert, but the rabbinic tradition paints a far more intricate – and frankly, – picture. Imagine this: to truly drive home...
After hearing those earth-shattering pronouncements, the Israelites thought, "Yes! This is it! God's going to reveal the entire Torah [the first five books of the Hebrew Bible] to ...
Jewish tradition offers us glimpses into that possibility, especially when it comes to the patriarchs and prophets. And no one stands closer, in the lore, than MOSES. Imagine the c...
We often think of Moses receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai as a moment of instantaneous understanding. But some stories suggest a different picture, one where Moses struggled, real...
The Torah tells us that Moses ascended Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the sacred law, from God. Before he left, Moses told the people he would return in forty days with the divi...
Let's talk about the Golden Calf. We all know the story: Moses is up on Mount Sinai getting the Ten Commandments, and the Israelites, impatient and scared, build a golden idol to w...
That’s the tightrope Moses walked, and according to Legends of the Jews, his bold words weren't without repercussions. Remember the Golden Calf? The Israelites, fresh from their li...
The story goes that Moses actually fetched the tablets himself, from a diamond quarry that God pointed out to him. Imagine that! Not just receiving the word of God, but actively pa...
They weren't just pretty gems. Each one resonated with a specific tribe of Israel, embodying their essence and destiny. to the fascinating symbolism surrounding two of those tribes...
Forget Google; they had something far more intriguing: the Urim and Tummim. Now, the Urim (אוּרִים) and Tummim (תּוּמִים) – let’s unpack that. These weren't your average divination...
