2,199 texts · Page 7 of 46
The scene, as described in Legends of the Jews, is charged with tension. Abraham's father, a maker and seller of idols, is steeped in tradition. But Abraham, well, Abraham is havin...
Terah, Abraham's father, was an idol merchant. Imagine that! When young Abraham questioned him about the true God, the one who created everything, Terah led him into a hall filled ...
We often think of him as this revered figure, almost from birth. But what about his younger days? Did he always believe? to a fascinating, and somewhat irreverent, story about his ...
The ancient texts tell us that after the dust settled from the battles described earlier in Legends of the Jews, Abraham was deeply troubled. He couldn't shake the thought of the i...
We read about him cutting them in half in Genesis 15, but the Torah is often frustratingly brief. It leaves us hanging, doesn't it? Well, the Legends of the Jews (Ginzberg) picks u...
Abraham knew that feeling well. Before he was Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham, before the brit bein ha-betarim—the covenant of the pieces—he was just a man with a promise and a p...
We know the story of Isaac, the son born in Abraham's old age, the one through whom the Jewish people would descend. But what about Ishmael, Abraham's firstborn? Was he forgotten? ...
Abraham found himself in a quandary. "How," he wondered aloud, "am I going to separate my son Isaac from his mother, Sarah?" It's a universal question, isn't it? How do we let go, ...
The journey to Mount Moriah was filled with unspoken tension and simmering rivalry. Abraham, his heart heavy, walked alongside Isaac, while Sarah and the servants retreated back to...
It’s a theme that runs deep through the story of Abraham and Isaac on their journey to Mount Moriah. As Abraham and Isaac made their way, the Satan – the accuser, the adversary – a...
We know the story, of course. God's ultimate test, the binding of Isaac, the Akeidah. But what were their hearts truly saying? The Torah gives us a glimpse, but the Legends of the ...
We all know the story of Abraham and Isaac, the binding, the near sacrifice. But the details, as the legends tell it, are astonishing. Imagine the scene: Abraham, hand raised, knif...
We all know the story of the binding of Isaac, the Akeidah, a narrative that echoes through millennia. But what happened after the angel stayed Abraham's hand? What was said in the...
We often focus on the drama of the moment, Abraham's faith, Isaac's obedience, and God's ultimate intervention. But what about the aftermath? According to tradition, it wasn’t a si...
Jewish tradition explores that very edge of human emotion in the story of Sarah, Abraham’s wife, after the near-sacrifice of Isaac. It’s a tale found in Ginzberg's Legends of the J...
It wasn’t just about being chosen; it was about who he was. The text tells us, in Legends of the Jews, that all the blessings showered upon him weren't undeserved. He was “clean of...
Remember, Eliezer had journeyed to Haran to find a suitable wife for Isaac. Now, his return was nothing short of miraculous. The Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) tells us...
Isaac knew that feeling. For three long years after his mother Sarah's passing, Isaac was inconsolable. He sought solace in the academy of Shem and Eber, immersing himself in study...
Let’s talk about Abraham, a figure revered as a pillar of kindness and righteousness. The legends paint him as nearly unparalleled in his virtue. Now, the time was approaching for ...
It’s a story filled with angelic visits, tearful goodbyes, and a final, audacious request. According to Legends of the Jews, after Michael the archangel’s arrival, a joyous meal wa...
The Jewish mystical tradition is rich with stories and visions of the afterlife, and one particularly fascinating account involves Abraham, led by the angel Michael himself. Imagin...
Abraham, our ancestor Abraham, did just that. Think back to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. A harrowing tale. We read in the Torah about Abraham pleading with God to spare the cit...
The patriarch Abraham did. And the encounter, as you might imagine, was… intense. The story goes that Abraham was sitting under the oak of Mamre, a place of significance in Genesis...
Legend tells us Isaac wasn't just Abraham's son; he was his counterpart. The Legends of the Jews tells us he resembled his father "in beauty, wisdom, strength, wealth, and noble de...
In this case, it wasn't just a matter of personal preference; it was tied to a much larger destiny. Our sages tell us that Rebekah possessed a remarkable clarity of vision. She saw...
Abraham actually died five years early. That's right. He was supposed to live to be a ripe old 180, the same age his son Isaac eventually reached. But something… someone… cut his l...
That, my friends, is Esau in a nutshell. We all know the story. Esau, the elder twin, sells his birthright to his younger brother Jacob for a bowl of lentil stew. But what was real...
Our story takes us back to Isaac, the son of Abraham, and a rather awkward encounter with Abimelech, king of the Philistines. Abimelech, was feeling a little… guilty? Anxious? Perh...
The Torah tells us that Rebekah, knowing what was right and divinely inspired, took matters into her own hands to make sure that Jacob, not Esau, received Isaac’s blessing. But tha...
Isaac, son of Abraham, certainly did. The text tells us that as Isaac neared the age his mother Sarah had reached when she passed – 123 years old – he began to contemplate his own ...
Even as Esau spoke respectfully to his father, a darkness lurked within him, a hidden desire for Isaac's end. It’s a chilling thought, isn't it? To harbor such feelings while outwa...
It might have something to do with a blessing – or the lack thereof. to a story from Legends of the Jews, specifically about Isaac, Esau, and a fateful Passover eve. It's a moment ...
Rebekah, wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau, certainly did. Imagine this: Isaac, old and blind, is about to bestow a blessing – a powerful, almost magical blessing – on his...
It’s a question that takes us right to the heart of Jewish mystical tradition. Take the story of Jacob and Isaac. It's a pivotal moment in Genesis. Jacob, disguised as his brother ...
The Jewish tradition is rich with imagery of divine guardianship, and one of the most beautiful examples comes to us through the story of Jacob. Imagine young Jacob, about to embar...
Let's back up a moment. Picture this: a lone rider dismounts by a river, perhaps seeking respite from the desert heat. He leaves his horse and clothes on the bank, maybe thinking a...
He finds a group of shepherds just standing there, killing time. "Why aren't you watering your sheep?" he asks, a little puzzled. "Are you day laborers? It's early to stop working....
He was just waiting for Joseph to be born so he could finally head home. Why? Because Jacob had a sense – a ruach (spirit) hakodesh, a holy spirit – that Joseph's line would eventu...
That’s kind of what happened to Laban after Jacob left Haran. The story goes that Jacob, after his... let's call it a complicated stay with Laban, finally packed up and headed towa...
Laban certainly did. The Torah tells us that Laban, father of Leah and Rachel, sent Jacob away with blessings after their fraught twenty years together. He kissed his grandchildren...
How he tricked Esau out of his birthright and blessing. But imagine the weight of that, the fear, the uncertainty… Well, the story doesn’t end there. The Legends of the Jews, that ...
One story tells us that among the idols Jacob destroyed, there was one shaped like a dove. And wouldn’t you know it, the Samaritans later dug it up and started worshiping it again!...
The story of Rachel's burial offers a powerful glimpse into this very idea. The Torah tells us simply that Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin and was buried on the road to Ephrat...
The enemy still holds the ground, their grip seemingly unbreakable. What do you do when you've given it everything and it's still not enough? For Judah, the answer was to dig deepe...
It’s a fascinating exercise, and sometimes, you stumble upon something truly surprising. Like this: who was the most righteous of Esau's sons? You might be surprised to learn it wa...
We all know the story of the coat, but sometimes we forget about the dreams that really kicked things off. The second dream is the real kicker. Joseph dreams that the sun, the moon...
We're talking about the dream where he saw a ladder stretching to heaven, angels ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12). According to Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg, Jacob...
The tale begins simply enough. Jacob's sons, Joseph's brothers – remember, the ones who definitely weren't Joseph's biggest fans – were pasturing their father's flocks near Shechem...
