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.
Prayer Salutation in Letter
The Jews in Jerusalem and those in the land of Judea,
To their Jewish kindred in Egypt,
Greetings and true peace.
May God do good to you, and may he remember his covenant with Abraham and Isaac…
Levi’s Prayer on Occasion of Drought
Levi ordained a fast, but no rain fell, so he exclaimed:
Master of the Universe!
You have ascended and taken Your seat on high, and You will not show mercy to Your children?!
The rain fell, but he…
A Lament for Yom Kippur
We have no high priest
to atone for us;
how shall we be expiated
on account of our misdeeds?
We have no Urim and Thummim
to inquire;
how can we have light
while our desire lies in darkness?
…
The Sayings of “The Four Who Entered the Garden ()”
3:13. R. Akiva said: Merriment and frivolity accustom one to sexual licentiousness. Tradition is a fence to the Torah. Tithes [are] a fence to wealth. Vows [are] a fence to abstinence. A fence to…
The Martyrdom of R. Simeon ben Gamaliel and R. Ishmael ben Elisha
When they captured Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel and Rabbi Ishmael to be killed [ . . . ] Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel sat and was deep in thought. [ . . . ] He said: Woe unto us that we are being killed…
Examples of Agricultural Practices
2. They may manure and hoe cucumbers and gourds until Rosh Hashanah. So too with regard to irrigated fields. They may remove flaws from trees, strip off leaves, cover roots with earth, and fumigate…
Jewish Seafarers
Hear my story then, that you may have no further leisure for your mocking wit, and I will tell you first of all how our crew was made up. Our skipper was willing to die on account of his bankrupt…
Passover Observance
Now, the appointed time had drawn near for the festival during which the Jews have as their ancestral law to serve unleavened bread, whose feast is called Passover and is a memorial of their…
Repentance
Good and upright is the Lord because He instructs sinners in the way (Psalm 25:8). When Wisdom is asked, “The sinner—what is to be his punishment?” Wisdom answers: Evil pursues sinners (Proverbs 13:21…
Hadrian’s Prohibition of Circumcision
R. Nathan says: Of them that love Me and keep My commandments (Exodus 20:6) refers to those who dwell in the land of Israel and risk their lives for the sake of the commandments. “Why are you being…
Discontinuation of the Ordeal
When murderers multiplied, the [ceremony of] breaking a heifer’s neck ceased. That was from the time of Eliezer ben Dinai, who was also called Teḥinah ben Perishah and was later renamed “son of the…
Michael, the Great Prince
At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that…