Sodom and Gomorrah – Bible stories
Lot's wife turns to a pillar of salt as God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah. Morgan Bible, France, 1250s AD (commissioned by Louis IX) One story from the Bible about how nomads were [...]
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08, 2017
Samson and Delilah story – Bible stories
Samson and Delilah story: Samson (or David?) wrestles the lion. Silk tapestry, probably from Syria, in the 600s AD Backstory of Samson and Delilah Just as the Jews were finally [...]
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08, 2017
Who was Rashi? Jewish history – Middle Ages
Troyes, France Shlomo Yitzhaki, or Shlomo son of Yitzak, was a Jewish man born in Troyes, France, in 1040 AD. This was when the Capetian kings ruled France. Shlomo was an only child, [...]
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08, 2017
What is a rabbi? Judaism – Religion
The rabbi Maimonides, in a later medieval painting What does "rabbi" mean? Rabbi means "great one" in Hebrew, or "respected one". It's a Hebrew word related to the Arabic word rabb, [...]
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08, 2017
Where did Purim come from? Jewish holidays
Mordecai is leading Esther (on the horse) to talk to the Persian king. A fresco from the world's oldest preserved synagogue at Dura-Europos in Syria (244 AD) How did Purim [...]
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08, 2017
Persia and the Jews – West Asian history
Persia and the Jews: The remains of the Second Temple in Jerusalem The Persians let the Jews go home In 536 BC, Cyrus the Great, the king of the Persians, conquered the Babylonian [...]
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08, 2017
Where did Passover come from? Jewish holidays
Handmade Matzoh The beginnings of Passover In its earliest beginnings, which could go back to the Stone Age, Passover was a Jewish spring festival. Like other spring festivals, it celebrated the [...]
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08, 2017
Jewish history – West Asian religion
Jewish history: The Pharaoh's daughter picks Moses up out of his basket (synagogue at Dura Europos, Syria, 200s AD) Bible stories There are really three sets of articles here about [...]
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08, 2017
Noah’s Ark – Bible stories – Judaism
The rain falling on the drowning people/ Noah lets go a dove to see if the waters have gone down/ He sends out the dove again/He lets the animals off the [...]
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08, 2017
Moses and Egypt – Bible stories
The Pharaoh's daughter picks Moses up out of his basket (synagogue at Dura Europos, Syria, 200s AD) The Book of Exodus According to the Book of Exodus in the Bible [...]
