A recently discovered manuscript documents the first 130 years of the Portuguese Inquisition’s tribunals, mainly in Lisbon. Recorded on the pages are trials conducted by inquisitors and others against newly converted Christians accused of continuing to practice Judaism in secret…
Did the Ben Ish Hai, Great Sage of Baghdad, Have an Alter Ego?
On a few occasions, the illustrious Rabbi Yosef Hayim of Baghdad cited a mysterious source whose name and work had never appeared anywhere else…
Out of the Vault: Incredible Torah Scrolls Revealed
Check out these clips featuring four of the most stunning and interesting Torah scrolls from the National Library of Israel collection
‘Bitter’ Women at the Seder Table and the Men Who Pointed at Them
This long-forgotten Passover custom was dealt a bitter blow by a sharp wife in a 15th century Haggadah…
This Iranian Trailblazer Revolutionized Global Medicine and Thought
The works of Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, served as core medical texts for some 500 years in Europe. His groundbreaking philosophical teachings also transcended borders…
The Pope and Haman in Renaissance Italy
The only known manuscript of The Chronicle of Pope Paul IV is at the National Library in Jerusalem…
Poems and Stories by the Jewish Children of Kharkiv, Ukraine
A booklet labeled “The Lives of Children”, preserved at the National Library of Israel, contains Hebrew stories and poems written a century ago by Jewish high school students in Ukraine
Isaac Newton’s Map of the Apocalypse
Isaac Newton, who possessed one of the greatest scientific minds in human history, had some fascinating views on the End of Days. His vision even linked the apocalypse to the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland.
Revealed: The Renowned Kabbalist’s ‘Hidden’ Letter
Message sent to ‘The Holy Ari’ reflects his influence at the time, outside the mystical realm
The Manuscripts of St. Catherine’s Monastery: Now on the National Library of Israel Website
One of the world’s greatest collections of manuscripts is now available to view in the online catalog of the National Library of Israel
