Louis Ginzberg was a Russian-born American rabbi and Talmudic scholar of Lithuanian-Jewish descent, contributing editor to numerous articles of The Jewish Encyclopedia (1906), and leading figure in the Conservative movement of Judaism during the early 20th century.
Elisha ben Abuyah was a rabbi and Jewish religious authority born in Jerusalem sometime before 70 CE. After he adopted a worldview considered heretical by his fellow Tannaim, the rabbis of the Talmud refrained from relating teachings in his name and referred to him as the "Other One". In the writings of the Geonim this name appears as "Achor" ("backwards"), because Elisha was considered to have "turned backwards" by embracing heresy.
Aggadah is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporates folklore, historical anecdotes, moral exhortations, and practical advice in various spheres, from business to medicine.
The Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index is a catalogue of folktale types used in folklore studies. The ATU index is the product of a series of revisions and expansions by an international group of scholars: Originally published in German by Finnish folklorist Antti Aarne (1910), the index was translated into English, revised, and expanded by American folklorist Stith Thompson, and later further revised and expanded by German folklorist Hans-Jörg Uther (2004). The ATU index is an essential tool for folklorists, used along with the Thompson (1932)Motif-Index of Folk-Literature.
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael is midrash halakha to the Book of Exodus. The Aramaic title Mekhilta corresponds to the Mishnaic Hebrew term מדה middā "measure," "rule", and is used to denote a compilation of exegesis. Other important mekhiltas were those of Shimon bar Yochai and on Book of Deuteronomy. The latter work was also associated with Rabbi Ishmael's teachings.
Jacob ben Solomon ibn Habib was a rabbi and talmudist, best known as the author of Ein Yaakov, a compilation of all the Aggadic material in the Talmud together with commentaries.
Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah is an aggadic midrash on Song of Songs, quoted by Rashi under the title "Midrash Shir ha-Shirim". It is also called Aggadat Hazita, from its initial word "Hazita", or Midrash Hazita.
Rabbi Shila of Kefar Tamarta was a Jewish Talmudist from the Land of Israel, who lived in the 3rd century.
Midrash Tehillim, also known as Midrash Psalms or Midrash Shocher Tov, is an aggadic midrash to the Psalms.
Tanhuma bar Abba was a Jewish amora of the 5th generation, one of the foremost aggadists of his time.
Ruth Rabbah is an haggadic and homiletic interpretation of the Book of Ruth. Like the midrash on the four other "megillot", it is included in the Midrash Rabbot.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Judaism:
Hiyya, or Hiyya the Great, was a Jewish sage in the Land of Israel during the transitional generation between the Tannaic and Amoraic eras. Active in Tiberias, Hiyya was the primary compiler of the Tosefta. His full name is Hiyya bar Abba, also the name of the 3rd generation Amora of the Land of Israel, Hiyya bar Abba. He was a student of Judah haNasi, and uncle and teacher of Rav.
Kabbalah, the central system in Jewish mysticism, uses anthropomorphic mythic symbols to metaphorically describe manifestations of God in Judaism. Based on the verses "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" and "from my flesh shall I see God", Kabbalah uses the form of the human body to describe the structure of the human soul, and the nature of supernal Divine emanations. A particular concern of Kabbalah is sexual unity between male and female potencies in Divinity on high, depicted as interaction of the two sides in the sephiroth, Adam Kadmon the divine Anthropos, between archetypal partzufim or divine personas, and the redemption of the exiled Shekhinah, feminine divine presence, from captivity among the impure forces called qlippoth "husks" below.
Jonah Frankel, also spelled Yonah Frankel, (1928–2012) was an author, Hebrew literature professor and Israel Prize laureate.
Sefer HaAggadah is a compilation of Aggadot that was compiled and edited by Hayim Nahman Bialik and Yehoshua Hana Rawnitzki starting from 1903. Most of the sources included in Sefer HaAggadah come from the period of the Tannaim and the Amoraim. Bialik and Ravnitzky include aggadot from the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud, Jerusalem Talmud, Avot of Rabbi Natan, Mekhilta, Sifra, Sifre, Tosefta, Midrash Rabba, Midrash Tanhuma, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer, Sefer Yetzirah, Yalkut Shimoni, Alphabet of Sirach and others. Nahum Norbert Glatzer, Jewish literary scholar, theologian, and editor writes that Bialik's goal in compiling the Sefer HaAggadah was "…part of his attempt to popularize Hebrew classics." This mission is very much evident in Bialik's essay, Halakah and Aggadah where he expands on the roles of Halakah and Aggadah in reinventing or renewing a society's culture.
The Legends of the Jews is a chronological compilation of aggadah from hundreds of biblical legends in Mishnah, Talmud and Midrash. The compilation consists of seven volumes synthesized by Louis Ginzberg in a manuscript written in the German language. In 1913, it was translated by Henrietta Szold. It was published in Philadelphia by the Jewish Publication Society of America from 1909 to 1938.
The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature is a six volume catalogue of motifs, granular elements of folklore, composed by American folklorist Stith Thompson. Often referred to as Thompson's motif-index, the catalogue has been extensively used in folklore studies, where folklorists commonly use it in tandem with the Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index (ATU), an index used for folktale type analysis.
"The Forgotten Bride" or "The Forgotten Fiancée" is a motif of folktales recognized in several folktale motif indices.
Dov Noy was an Israeli folklorist. He is considered one of the most important researchers in the field of Jewish folk tales.
