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.
Seder ha-dorot (Order of the Generations)
Behold I request of all standing at the gate to knock,
And he who wishes to enter deep within this composition of mine,
Let him understand and be wise and contemplate the introduction I have composed…
Appointment of Jacob Abendana
In the Name of the Blessed God.In consideration of the fact that it is needful for the prosperity of this Kaal Kados [congregation—Ed.], which God bless, to have the service of a Haham who should…
Ketubah of Isaac de Pinto and Rahel Rovigo
In 1654, Rahel bat Hannah Rovigo married Isaac ben Abraham de Pinto, a member of a prosperous Jewish family of merchant bankers in Amsterdam. The ketubah (marriage contract), which outlines the…
Reflexoens politicos tocante a constituaçāo da Naçāo Judaica (Political Reflections Concerning the Constitution of the Jewish Nation)
No matter what the body of the Nation, be it in the form of a kingdom or a republic, it comprises various classes of people; as for the nobles, who make the state blossom through commerce, increased…
Hymn for the First Meal
Prepare the feast
of perfect faith,
the delight of the Holy King.
Prepare the feast of the King.
This is the feast
of the Field of Holy Apples;
the Lesser Presence and Ancient Eminence
asse…
Jüden Schul (Jewish Synagogue)
When the engagement of two parties occurs, many Jews are invited, young and old, and they gather in a big room and each of the young Jews has a new…
For Opening the Heart
For opening the heart; tested and tried. Take a new glass and write on it:
I adjure you, Patḥiel, to open my heart to all the Torah to learn all that I desire. That my heart should be as an…
Sefer ha-gilgulim (The Book of Reincarnations)
And now we will explain the root of Moses our Rabbi, may peace be upon him. Know that Israel was distilled in Egypt, as it was an iron furnace (Deuteronomy 4:20). And it is known that Moses…
Letter about the Travels of Abraham Rovigo
Abraham Rovigo (1650–1713) was born in Modena and studied kabbalah under Moses Zacuto in Venice. Rovigo’s wealth enabled him to devote himself to study and to support pious endeavors. Swept up by…
Regulations
Bylaws of the Holy Society for Torah Study of the holy community of Kraków, instituted by our rabbis, the Rema [Moses Isserles], ha-Baḥ [Joel Sirkes], known by the title of his book, Bayit ḥadash [Ne…
Tsene rene (Go Forth and Look)
King Solomon (may he rest in peace) said: The righteous man walketh in his integrity [Proverbs 20:7]. Now this means that a man should follow God’s…