Was the serpent originally a form of ape? What fruit did the first sinners eat? And how does Lilith figure into the story? These intriguing questions have stirred the imaginations of illustrators of Hebrew manuscripts throughout history
Sukkah Scuffles: Surprising Testimony From the 12th Century
The only mentions of a sukkah in the Cairo Genizah refer to communal sukkot in synagogue courtyards. A fact that caused quite a bit of trouble.
The Jewish Book That Revealed the Secrets of the Heavens
In 1600, three scholars from completely different worlds met in the “New Venice” castle outside Prague. The meeting lasted three weeks and resulted in a Hebrew astronomy book, as well as in a lesson about the unifying power of love for the sciences and the quest for knowledge
The Temple Menorah in Kabbalistic Manuscripts
Kabbalistic literature looked for ancient symbols through which it could express its daring innovations. It found such a symbol in the Menorah…
Drawing Moses… From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
A glimpse into how artists across the ages have tried to depict the undepictable events at Mt. Sinai…
In Memory: Ezra P. Gorodesky, Peerless Friend for Six Decades
“If God gave me the power to build a collection with little money, who am I to sell it?”
Prayers, Amulets and Spells to Ward off Plague
The sages of Safed created amulets, the Jews of Italy wrote prayers and other Jews warned of less conventional plagues…
The Letter of Apostasy: Maimonides as a Refugee
A glimpse of the Letter of Apostasy (“Iggeret HaShmad”) sent by Maimonides as a message to Jews who were forced to convert to Islam and now wished to return to Judaism
The Strange Connection Between a Medieval Shopping List and a Divorce Contract
A shopping list found among the treasures of the Cairo Genizah was scrawled on the back of a rather important document.
Micrography: the Art of Drawing with Letters
Stories, symbols and the nature of God concealed among Hebrew letters
