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 Talmud on the Blessing for Mourners
What is the mourners’ blessing? The blessing [recited] in the square [next to the cemetery], as R. Isaac said that R. Yoḥanan said: The mourners’ blessing [is…
The Transformation of the Wicked and the Righteous
But further, I ask you, O Mighty One; and I shall ask grace from him who created all things. In which shape will the living live…
The Mishnah on Medical Treatment by Non-Jews
One may obtain treatment for payment from them [non-Jewish physicians] but not mental[-health] treatment. One may not obtain a haircut from them [non-Jewish barbers] at any location—the words of R…
Jacob and Esau Battle
On the day that Isaac, the father of Jacob and Esau, died, Esau’s sons heard that Isaac had given the birthright to his younger son…
Imma Shalom, Wife of R. Eliezer
It happened concerning a certain student who taught in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer. [Rabbi Eliezer] commented to his wife Imma Shalom: I wonder if [the student] will survive the week. And he did…
Permitted and Forbidden Interactions with Non-Jews
1:1. For three days prior to the festivals of gentiles it is prohibited: to do business with them, to lend objects to or borrow objects from them, to lend money to or borrow money from them, to repay…
Torah for the Nations?
They encamped in the wilderness (Exodus 19:2). The Torah was given in public, openly in a free place. For had the Torah been given in the land of Israel, the Israelites could have said to the nations…
An Arab Medical Expert
R. Joshua b. Levi said: We [are permitted to] lift up the unklai on the Sabbath. What is the unklai? R. Abba said: [The unklai is] the cartilage around the heart [i.e., the stomach, perhaps]. What is…
Rabbinic Halakhah in the Talmud
Rava said: [If someone saw] a mouse enter [a house with a] loaf [of bread] in its mouth, and he entered after [the mouse] and found crumbs, [the house] requires [additional] searching, due to [the…
Hefzibah Inscription
Photo and drawing of the Hefzibah inscription, second century BCE. The stela was dug up by a bulldozer in 1960 near the village of Hefzibah, about 4.5 miles (7 km)…
Bar Kokhba Letters in Parcel
The letters in this collection, found in a cave in the Judean desert, were composed by Simeon Bar Kosibah, the leader of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and his associates. The letters deal mainly with the…