Adne Sadeh
@adnesadeh.bsky.social
Apprentice Jewish monster hunter, podcaster, storyteller, teacher (occasionally), blogger (and AI researcher by day). He/him. https://linktr.ee/adnesadeh
Sitting in a coffee shop (for the first time in weeks) reading Devir Kahan's discussion of Hashgacha Partis "Divine Intervention" in prep for my necromancy class. Nothing like a Rambam vs Ramban argument to get the day going :)
dafaleph.com/home/2015/11...
dafaleph.com/home/2015/11...
Hashgacha Pratis (Part 1): Even A Leaf From A Tree? — Daf Aleph
Here begins what I hope will become something of a mini-series on the topic of Hashgacha Pratis. Literally translated, it means “Detailed Supervision”, but it is otherwise known as “Divine Interventio...
dafaleph.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Sitting in a coffee shop (for the first time in weeks) reading Devir Kahan's discussion of Hashgacha Partis "Divine Intervention" in prep for my necromancy class. Nothing like a Rambam vs Ramban argument to get the day going :)
dafaleph.com/home/2015/11...
dafaleph.com/home/2015/11...
When I teach Jewish werewolves tomorrow I want to get everyone out of monster movie territory, so we're starting by reading from H. Leyvik's magnificent Yiddish poem The Wolf. Here's Dara Horn's thoughts about it
www.tabletmag.com/sections/art...
h/t to @bluma.bsky.social who introduced me to Leyvik
www.tabletmag.com/sections/art...
h/t to @bluma.bsky.social who introduced me to Leyvik
Message from a Yiddish Werewolf
There is no such thing as reading for its own sake. When we read stories and poetry, whether we intend it or not, we are searching for ourselves in those works, for answers to our own most pressing qu...
www.tabletmag.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:18 PM
When I teach Jewish werewolves tomorrow I want to get everyone out of monster movie territory, so we're starting by reading from H. Leyvik's magnificent Yiddish poem The Wolf. Here's Dara Horn's thoughts about it
www.tabletmag.com/sections/art...
h/t to @bluma.bsky.social who introduced me to Leyvik
www.tabletmag.com/sections/art...
h/t to @bluma.bsky.social who introduced me to Leyvik
Prepping for tomorrow's Werewolves in Jewish Lore class and ran across the Sefer Ha-Yashar story of Jacob and the wolf. At Jacob's instance, his sons have brought him the beast they claimed killed Joseph. God has opened the wolfs mouth and he claims innocence and that he too has lost a son.
February 7, 2026 at 11:05 PM
Prepping for tomorrow's Werewolves in Jewish Lore class and ran across the Sefer Ha-Yashar story of Jacob and the wolf. At Jacob's instance, his sons have brought him the beast they claimed killed Joseph. God has opened the wolfs mouth and he claims innocence and that he too has lost a son.
Shabbat shalom everyone. Dunno about you but I need Shabbat extra this week.
February 6, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Shabbat shalom everyone. Dunno about you but I need Shabbat extra this week.
The giants, from the Nephalim in Genesis through the rabbinic stories of Og to Joshua, Caleb, and David's battles with the Anakites, play such an outsized and complex role in the Tanakh that it's sometimes amazes that, unlike, shedim, their story just ends.
I wonder if God misses them?
I wonder if God misses them?
January 26, 2026 at 1:25 PM
The giants, from the Nephalim in Genesis through the rabbinic stories of Og to Joshua, Caleb, and David's battles with the Anakites, play such an outsized and complex role in the Tanakh that it's sometimes amazes that, unlike, shedim, their story just ends.
I wonder if God misses them?
I wonder if God misses them?
There seems to be a moment when, according to Jewish lore, there were no more giants. I know of two candidates for the last giants: Achimen, Sheshal, and Talmi who were allowed to live until the 2nd temple (Sotah 35b, Meam Loez) & the Anakite giant tribes in Gaza, Gat, Ashdod (Joshua). Any others?
January 26, 2026 at 1:18 PM
There seems to be a moment when, according to Jewish lore, there were no more giants. I know of two candidates for the last giants: Achimen, Sheshal, and Talmi who were allowed to live until the 2nd temple (Sotah 35b, Meam Loez) & the Anakite giant tribes in Gaza, Gat, Ashdod (Joshua). Any others?
Reposted by Adne Sadeh
Initial-word panel at the beginning of Torah portion Beshalach (בְּשַׁלַּח) inhabited by two tiny creatures.
#ParashahPictures
BL Or 2696; Torah with Rash's commentary; 14th century; Germany; f.131r
#ParashahPictures
BL Or 2696; Torah with Rash's commentary; 14th century; Germany; f.131r
January 26, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Initial-word panel at the beginning of Torah portion Beshalach (בְּשַׁלַּח) inhabited by two tiny creatures.
#ParashahPictures
BL Or 2696; Torah with Rash's commentary; 14th century; Germany; f.131r
#ParashahPictures
BL Or 2696; Torah with Rash's commentary; 14th century; Germany; f.131r
prepping for tomorrow's Jewish Monster and Magic class at Temple Beth Emeth, we're talking about giants, and hoping that the snow doesn't keep folks away (though it probably will). Oh well. That's what Zoom is for.
January 24, 2026 at 9:48 PM
prepping for tomorrow's Jewish Monster and Magic class at Temple Beth Emeth, we're talking about giants, and hoping that the snow doesn't keep folks away (though it probably will). Oh well. That's what Zoom is for.
"Kvittel is a Yiddish word that means a note or a ticket…the piece of paper on which some people write their name and their request or need…Sometimes notes like these were left on the graves of saintly figures who were expected to pray for the people whose names were inscribed on these notes" 1/4
January 21, 2026 at 1:09 PM
"Kvittel is a Yiddish word that means a note or a ticket…the piece of paper on which some people write their name and their request or need…Sometimes notes like these were left on the graves of saintly figures who were expected to pray for the people whose names were inscribed on these notes" 1/4
New books! Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein’s The Laws and customs of Mourning and “Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book” a yizkor book. Very excited.
January 21, 2026 at 1:38 AM
New books! Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein’s The Laws and customs of Mourning and “Mlynov-Muravica Memorial Book” a yizkor book. Very excited.
Mizrach is Hebrew for East, the direction of prayer for Jews in the Diaspora west of Jerusalem. A mizrach is a plaque hung to point out the direction. I own an Alphonse Levy postcard mizrach that I bought, without realizing what it was, as a source for my Joe the Demon trading card. Now to hang it!
January 4, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Mizrach is Hebrew for East, the direction of prayer for Jews in the Diaspora west of Jerusalem. A mizrach is a plaque hung to point out the direction. I own an Alphonse Levy postcard mizrach that I bought, without realizing what it was, as a source for my Joe the Demon trading card. Now to hang it!
Reposted by Adne Sadeh
January 2, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Ok, here's a first cut on my Centaurs trading card. I was posting a ton about centaurs so thought I'd follow through with the card.
(For info on my first two published decks of Jewish Monster and Magic trading cards, check out ko-fi.com/adnesadeh/shop. This card will be in the third deck)
(For info on my first two published decks of Jewish Monster and Magic trading cards, check out ko-fi.com/adnesadeh/shop. This card will be in the third deck)
December 28, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Ok, here's a first cut on my Centaurs trading card. I was posting a ton about centaurs so thought I'd follow through with the card.
(For info on my first two published decks of Jewish Monster and Magic trading cards, check out ko-fi.com/adnesadeh/shop. This card will be in the third deck)
(For info on my first two published decks of Jewish Monster and Magic trading cards, check out ko-fi.com/adnesadeh/shop. This card will be in the third deck)
Ok...time for a poll. Are you on team House Spirits? Or Team Spirits of the field?
Yikes. Sorry house spirits, I'm here for the spirits of the fields.
![There is one opinion that says that house spirits are better [for the resident of the house], because they grow up with him. And there is an opinion that says that they are worse, because they are intimately familiar with his sinful thoughts. There is an opinion that says that spirits of the field are worse for a person because they did not grow up with him. And there is an opinion that they are better, because are not intimately familiar with his sinful thoughts.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:d2dog7qrhd4e6ddscgleicun/bafkreibjktefldhuqgpjnsgm6vnfdh744erbxb7555rliigymmntrwn2sq@jpeg)
December 26, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Ok...time for a poll. Are you on team House Spirits? Or Team Spirits of the field?
Yikes. Sorry house spirits, I'm here for the spirits of the fields.
December 26, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Yikes. Sorry house spirits, I'm here for the spirits of the fields.
Geller's article "A Horse is a Horse" describes the use of centaurs by Jewish writers Primo Levi, Bernard Malamud, & Moacyr Scliar. Levi, Geller notes, describes man as being a "centaur, a tangle of flesh & mind, of divine breath & dust” & "The Hebrew people…lived this conflict long & painfully” 1/6
December 26, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Geller's article "A Horse is a Horse" describes the use of centaurs by Jewish writers Primo Levi, Bernard Malamud, & Moacyr Scliar. Levi, Geller notes, describes man as being a "centaur, a tangle of flesh & mind, of divine breath & dust” & "The Hebrew people…lived this conflict long & painfully” 1/6
Found Jewish centaurs! Genesis Rabbah 23.6 did have it but it was mis-translated. What should have been "there the generations were corrupted and Kinturin (centaurs, from Greek) were created" was translated as "were created in a deformed state" h/t to @deepcuts.blog & Jay Geller's "Horse" article
Jewish centaurs? Schwartz' "Mythology of Judaism" has a legend of humans becoming bestial but the source texts in Sefaria don't substantiate it. Sklar, in an essay about the word הימם in Torah (Anah is he who found הימם in the desert. Gen 36:24) picks up trail. seforimblog.com/2025/12/of-c...
December 25, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Found Jewish centaurs! Genesis Rabbah 23.6 did have it but it was mis-translated. What should have been "there the generations were corrupted and Kinturin (centaurs, from Greek) were created" was translated as "were created in a deformed state" h/t to @deepcuts.blog & Jay Geller's "Horse" article
new YIVO class."FOLKSONG, DEMONS, AND THE EVIL EYE:
FOLKLORE OF ASHKENAZ"
Take a journey into the richness of Jewish folk life with Itzik Gottesman and explore the music, folktales, rituals, and superstitions of Jewish Eastern Europe. yivo.org/Folklore-of-...
FOLKLORE OF ASHKENAZ"
Take a journey into the richness of Jewish folk life with Itzik Gottesman and explore the music, folktales, rituals, and superstitions of Jewish Eastern Europe. yivo.org/Folklore-of-...
Folksong, Demons, and the Evil Eye: Folklore of Ashkenaz | YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
Explore the music, folktales, rituals, and superstitions of Jewish Eastern Europe with Prof. Itzik Gottesman and special guests.
yivo.org
December 25, 2025 at 7:26 PM
new YIVO class."FOLKSONG, DEMONS, AND THE EVIL EYE:
FOLKLORE OF ASHKENAZ"
Take a journey into the richness of Jewish folk life with Itzik Gottesman and explore the music, folktales, rituals, and superstitions of Jewish Eastern Europe. yivo.org/Folklore-of-...
FOLKLORE OF ASHKENAZ"
Take a journey into the richness of Jewish folk life with Itzik Gottesman and explore the music, folktales, rituals, and superstitions of Jewish Eastern Europe. yivo.org/Folklore-of-...
Jewish centaurs? Schwartz' "Mythology of Judaism" has a legend of humans becoming bestial but the source texts in Sefaria don't substantiate it. Sklar, in an essay about the word הימם in Torah (Anah is he who found הימם in the desert. Gen 36:24) picks up trail. seforimblog.com/2025/12/of-c...
December 24, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Jewish centaurs? Schwartz' "Mythology of Judaism" has a legend of humans becoming bestial but the source texts in Sefaria don't substantiate it. Sklar, in an essay about the word הימם in Torah (Anah is he who found הימם in the desert. Gen 36:24) picks up trail. seforimblog.com/2025/12/of-c...
Woot! @Columbia came through. They scanned Beatrice Weinreich's 1957 Masters Thesis "The Prophet Elijah in Modern Yiddish Folktales" for me. It's really cool. Hit me up if you want a copy or if you have Adobe Acrobat and can help me get the annoying watermark out of it.
December 23, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Woot! @Columbia came through. They scanned Beatrice Weinreich's 1957 Masters Thesis "The Prophet Elijah in Modern Yiddish Folktales" for me. It's really cool. Hit me up if you want a copy or if you have Adobe Acrobat and can help me get the annoying watermark out of it.
Reposted by Adne Sadeh
Would like to see these two swap roles.
Cherdolaomer! I choose you!
Cherdolaomer! I choose you!
December 22, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Would like to see these two swap roles.
Cherdolaomer! I choose you!
Cherdolaomer! I choose you!
note to self:
Cherdolaomer is the king in Genesis who fought a war with giant tribes that dragged in Abraham and Lot.
Charmander is a cute, but moody, bi-pedal lizard Pokemon whose tail is on fire.
Cherdolaomer is the king in Genesis who fought a war with giant tribes that dragged in Abraham and Lot.
Charmander is a cute, but moody, bi-pedal lizard Pokemon whose tail is on fire.
December 22, 2025 at 1:08 PM
note to self:
Cherdolaomer is the king in Genesis who fought a war with giant tribes that dragged in Abraham and Lot.
Charmander is a cute, but moody, bi-pedal lizard Pokemon whose tail is on fire.
Cherdolaomer is the king in Genesis who fought a war with giant tribes that dragged in Abraham and Lot.
Charmander is a cute, but moody, bi-pedal lizard Pokemon whose tail is on fire.
Fun! My blog post on banim shovavim, half-demons, got quoted recently in Intelexual Media's YouTube video "A Brief History of Sex & Horror." The video is well done and I'm dying over the MS Paint style shout out. Check it out! (h/t to @danispaghetti.bsky.social)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG_W...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG_W...
December 21, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Fun! My blog post on banim shovavim, half-demons, got quoted recently in Intelexual Media's YouTube video "A Brief History of Sex & Horror." The video is well done and I'm dying over the MS Paint style shout out. Check it out! (h/t to @danispaghetti.bsky.social)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG_W...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG_W...
Just noticed my copy of Levy and Zumwalt’s “Ritual Medical Lore of Sephardic Women” has a typo in the book cover title. That should be “Spirits” not “Spirtis” oops :)
December 18, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Just noticed my copy of Levy and Zumwalt’s “Ritual Medical Lore of Sephardic Women” has a typo in the book cover title. That should be “Spirits” not “Spirtis” oops :)
Niddah 25b is one of my fave bits in the Talmud. I love the image. It references a huge Og the Giant, riffing off how tall he'd need to stand in the waters of the flood to have his head be at the level of the ark. (there are small versions too, such as the story of his 9 cubit bed (15 feet or so).
December 17, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Niddah 25b is one of my fave bits in the Talmud. I love the image. It references a huge Og the Giant, riffing off how tall he'd need to stand in the waters of the flood to have his head be at the level of the ark. (there are small versions too, such as the story of his 9 cubit bed (15 feet or so).