Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
The Shulḥan ‘Aruk: Enduring Code of Jewish Law
Shulḥan ‘Aruk, a term taken over from early rabbinic exegesis in the Midrash and applied to one of the most influential, truly epochal literary creations of Jewish history, has a double or even triple…
Ben-Oni (Son of Sorrow)
I do not lift my supplicating hands,
O King, O Lord, O Father, yon on high,
To You whose throne dwells in the starry lands,
I neither plead nor yet Your might defy.
I do not ask of You to end my…
Nogah ha-tsedek (Radiance of Justice)
Better still than this is that they should recite the “Verses of Praise,” Yigdal and Adon Olam, and the other exalted prayers on Sabbaths and festivals to the accompaniment of the harp and the sound…
Sefer musar haskel (Book of Moral Lessons)
We translated Musar haskel for the following five reasons:
The first is that our hearts have become so hardened that instruction does not easily penetrate them. This is why we wrote this educational…
The Earliest Extant Minute Books of the Spanish and Portuguese Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, 1728–1786
At a meeting of the Elders and Parnassim this day Mr Heyman Levy paid the fine for refusing serving Parnass Last year, it was at the same time voted by…
The Cry of the Poor Jews of Izmir
We, the poor of Israel, inhabitants of the city of Izmir, may God protect it, slaves of our lord and king, Sultan Abdülmecid, may his name be praised and long live his reign, [are] oppressed and…
Sacrifice of Isaac
Segal’s sculptural representation of the Akedah, the biblical story of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac, raised eyebrows when it was first exhibited. His irreverent depiction of Abraham as a…
Sacrifice of Isaac
Sheep and rams frequently appear in the sculptures of Kadishman, a legacy of time spent as a shepherd in his youth. Sacrifice of Isaac is a reimagining of the biblical story of the Akedah, in which…
The Great Vehicle
The Great Vehicle is one of dozens of wheeled sculptures Rantzer created for “The Zionists,” his 2001 solo exhibition at the Gordon Gallery in Tel Aviv. The overall themes of the show were migration…
Seder mitsvot ha-nashim (The Order of Women’s Commandments): On the Sabbath Eve
Every woman is obligated to kindle lights on the eve of each Sabbath and Festival and this is a great mitzvah. And she makes the blessing, “Blessed are You God, our Lord, King of the universe. Who has…
I was sleeping, but my heart was awake
Hark! My beloved! Here he comes,
Thousands, myriads at his side,
And over me, his banner of love!
I was sleeping, but my heart
was awake within me.
I could hear but…
Protector of Women
Please listen to my words,
Wise, honest, and beautiful women
For my riddle is complete:
Against your faithful crew [of women]
Old men
Raise your shame to the stars
While I protect you,
Defend you…