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.
Jacob and Esau as Christians and Jews
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed…
Imma Shalom on Modesty in Sex
Imma Shalom was asked, “For what [reason] are your children so beautiful?” She said to them, “[My husband] does not converse with me [while engaging in sexual intercourse], neither at the beginning of…
The Bread, Oil, and Wine of Non-Jews
R. Aḥa bar Adda said in the name of R. Isaac: They [the sages] prohibited their [idolaters’] bread because of their [idolaters’] oil, and their oil due to their wine.
“Their…
The Separateness of Israel
The Lord spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: I the Lord am your God (Leviticus 18:1–2). [ . . . ]
They welcomed my edicts: You shall not do…
An Arab Guide
And Rabbah bar Bar Ḥanah said: Once we were traveling in the desert and we were accompanied by a certain Arab who would take dust and smell it and say, “This is the road to such and such a place, and…
Mishnayot on Sources of the Law
Ben Bag Bag said: Turn it over, and turn it over again, for all is contained in it. And look into it, and become gray and old in it. And do not move away from it…
Heliodoros Stela
This inscription is known from two ancient copies, both fragmentary. The first copy, pictured here, comprises five fragments, two of which were acquired on the antiquities market and three of which…
Greek Letter from the Cave of Letters
This Greek letter, written on papyrus, was found in a collection of letters by Simeon Bar Kosibah, the leader of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and his associates. The letter is written by a man named…
Large Cistern, Qumran
The settlement at Qumran contained a number of cisterns, mikvaot, and pools and channels for water, suggesting a concern with purity (also reflected in sectarian texts found at the site), which…
Relief from Synagogue, Ostia, Italy
This tablet would have decorated the synagogue’s Torah shrine. It depicts a menorah, a shofar, and the four plant species used on Sukkot.
Winepress Installation
This is one of several winepresses found at Shivta, in the Negev, indicating that grapes were one of the main crops in the area.