Wisdom

1,714 texts · Page 191 of 191

The pursuit of wisdom in Jewish tradition, from the Proverbs of Solomon to the teachings of the great sages.

Why the Raven Dances While It Walks

Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Watch a raven walk and you'll notice something peculiar. It doesn't strut smoothly like a pigeon or hop like a sparrow. It bobs and sways, almost like it's dancing. The Alphabet of...

Why the Raven Mates Through Its Mouth

Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

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...

How the Fox Outsmarted the Angel of Death

Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

This is one of the greatest trickster stories in all of Jewish literature. According to the Alphabet of Ben Sira, composed between 700 and 1000 CE, every land animal has a correspo...

Who Entered the Garden of Eden Alive

Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha Apocrypha & Pseudepigrapha

Jewish tradition holds that a handful of people never died. They walked into Gan Eden - the Garden of Eden - while still alive, bypassing death entirely. The Alphabet of Ben Sira, ...