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.
History of the Israelite Nation, from Abraham to the Present Time
On this occasion a singular event occurred, which gave a new impulse to the piety and energy of Joshiah. The original copy of the laws, supposed to be written by Moses himself was found in the temple…
Shever poshe‘im: The Court of R. Hayim Haykl of Amdur
The communal treasurer stands on guard at the entrance to the rabbi’s home to make inquiry concerning every invalid or cripple, and by what name he is called. One can hear the noise of the people as…
Mekits redumim (He Who Awakens the Sleepers)
Thus said Hananiah Eliyakim, son of our honorable teacher, R. Asael Refael (may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing) Rieti, from the city of Siena:
Will not God seek this out (Psalms 44:22…
Title Page: Moses Margolioth’s Ḥasde ha-shem (Mercies of the Lord)
What is sweeter than honey? (Judges 14:18) a honeycomb of delights.
And what is more to be desired than gold, and a multitude of rubies (Proverbs 20:15)?:
This precious treatise of great worth.
Inclu…
Enough of girls! I’d rather live alone
Enough of girls! I’d rather live alone
Than touch those reptiles, though they may be fair.
I’m sick and tired of wasting on the air
My strength and every penny that I own.
For once they’re mine…
Time with his pointed shafts
Time with his pointed shafts has hit my heart
and split my gut, laid open my entrails,
landed me a blow that will not heal,
knocked me down, left me in lasting pain.
Time wounded me…
Your light is sweet
Your light is sweet and pleasing for my heart’s joy and gladness,
O my soul’s beloved, my full desire is that I never depart from your presence.
My plan, each day and night, is to find favor in the…
Uncle Isidore
When I observe a toothless ex-violinist,
with more hair than face, sprawled like Karl Marx
on a park seat or slumped, dead or asleep,
in the central heat of a public library
I think of Uncle Isidore…
A Prayer
Blessed art Thou, Lord, our God,
King of the Universe,
Who has kept us and protected us,
and supported us until this day
it would be better we had never seen.
You deprived us of nothing,
neither…
Scarab-shaped Seal
Scarab-shaped seal, Achziv, Iron Age IIC (732/701–586 BCE). Seals were used as stamps to impress images and/or words onto clay objects. They were often perforated so they could be suspended from cords…
Judahite Pillar Figurine with Mold-made Head
Terra-cotta pillar figurines are found throughout the biblical territory of Judah and date to the eighth to seventh centuries BCE. Most were decorated with a white background layer and one or more…
Seal of Uriyahu Son of Azaryahu
This seal, found in En Gedi, is made of brown mottled dolerite and decorated with lines and dots that surround and separate the names.