Holy cow

There was a certain pious man who had a cow. The cow worked all week diligently but rested on Shabbat. The pious man had to sell the cow to a non-Jew. The cow continued to work as it always did, but would stop on Shabbat. When her new owner saw that, he went to the pious man. The pious man whispered to the cow's ear that now that she belonged to a non-Jew, she could work on Shabbat, and the cow went to work. The pious man explained to the new owner what happened.

The non-Jew was not satisfied. The cow knew about Shabbat, and he did not. He went to study and converted. His name was Rabbi Yochanan ben Torta (cow in Aramaic).

This cow was a reincarnation of Vashti, the first queen of the Purim story. She used to make Jewish women work on Shabbat. She corrected this in her next life as a cow. In fact, the pious man recognized the fact and sold her because of it. 

The non-Jew who bought the cow was the reincarnation of Ahasverosh, the king in the Purim story. That was his correction (tikkun).

Art: Cows Resting by Rosa Bonheur

Why Did Rebecca Tell Jacob to Deceive Isaac? (Toldot)

Rebecca was a reincarnation of Eve, and Jacob, her son, was a reincarnation of Adam. Now, the two, Adam and Eve, meet again. In this new situation, Rebecca tells Jacob not to worry about deceiving Isaac. If he curses you, the "curse is on me."

She says, before, when I was Eve, I was the reason for your curse. Now, I will help you remove the curse. Before, you were cursed because you "listened to your wife's voice." Now, just the opposite, you have to listen to me, but this time for the right reason.

Further, before, you made a mistake connected to food. Now, you are doing to correct that mistake, also with food. You will feed it to Isaac so that he blesses you. 

Original Adam's clothing fell into the hands of Nimrod and later into the hands of Esau. Esau stored it with Rebecca. Now, she gave them back to Jacob. That is why Isaac smelled Paradise in them when he said, "The smell of my son is like that of God's field."

Art: Isaac Blesses Jacob by Govert Flinck

Joseph and Zuleika - the sources

People have asked about sources, and here are a few. "Medrash Says" talks about the story of Zuleika and her friends all falling in love with Joseph. (Jami has it in more poetic details).

Jami can be read on google books - I am showing the first page, and not all pages can be accessed anyway.

Gilgulei Neshamot by Rabbi Meir of Fano is the source for Zuleika/Rahav/Yosef/Yehoshua connection, but I could not right away find that place - so I am showing something else I found about Rahav. I have the original of that book also, but I am posting the translation.

Joseph and Zuleika

Jami (1414-1492) described the story in his poem Yusuf and Zuleika. The Medrash story about all Zuleika's friends cutting their fingers is retold as follows:

The poem now pursues the Scriptural account of the life of Joseph, or Yussuf, whose supernatural beauty is, however, described as being the especial gift of God, and recorded to have been so great that no woman could look on him without love. Zuleika, therefore, only shared the fate of all her sex. Some writers say the ladies who clamored so much against her for her passion were, when he first entered the chamber where they were all assembled, in the act of cutting pomegranates, some say oranges, and in their admiration and amazement cut their fingers instead of the fruit! Yussuf is considered the emblem of divine perfection, and Zuleika's love is the image of the love of the creature toward the Creator: some go so far as to say that we ought to follow her example, and should permit the beauty of God to transport us out of ourselves. The rapid change from prison to high estate of Yussuf they consider a type of the impatience of the soul to burst its fetters and join its Creator. Yussuf was always surrounded with a celestial light, typical as well of the moral beauty and wisdom which adorned his mind. He is sold as a slave, and Zuleika becomes his purchaser, to the great rage and envy of all her rivals, amongst whom was included the Princess Nasigha, of the race of Aad. The beautiful Yussuf now enters her service, and, at his own desire, a flock of sheep are given to his special keeping, his admiring mistress wishing, by every indulgence, to attach him to her. The nurse of Zuleika is the confidante of the passion which she cannot control, and which, at length, in an imprudent moment, she discloses to its object himself. His father, Jacob, or the angel Gabriel in his likeness, appears, to warn him of his danger, and he flies, leaving his mistress in an agony of despair, rage, and grief. She thus exclaims: Is this a dream?—another dream,


Now continue with the poem,


Like that which stole my senses first,
Which sparkled o'er my life's dull stream,
By idle, erring fancy nursed?
Was it for this my life I spent
In murmurs deep, and discontent—
Slighted, for this, all homage due,
From gen'rous, faithful love withdrew?
For this, no joy, no pomp have prized;
For this, all honors have despised—
Left all my soul, to passion free,
To be thus hated—spurned-by thee?


The story of Yusuf and Zuleika ends when Zuleika, old and imprisoned, sees Yusuf in his kingly attire. She runs to him, and Yusuf, recognizing that she is the true love, marries her. Zuleika becomes young again through a miracle.


The Sefer Gilgulei Neshamot tells that the reincarnation of Joseph was Yehoshuah, and the reincation of Zuleika was Rahav, one of the four most beautiful women in history. Yehoshuah married Rahav, making the poet correct.