The collection includes various ancient Jewish traditions, legends and philosophical parables recorded in the Talmud, as well as extant in the so — called Midrash-sections of the Torah that contain its interpretation. A book beautifully illustrated with the works of a famous artist of the XIX century?James Tissot's century, allows us to understand the worldview of the Jewish people in ancient times; the legends included in it are vivid examples of the highly moral life of patriarchs and teachers of the law, love for people regardless of their nationality and religion.Every nation carefully preserves the "traditions of the ancient deep". Folk legends, legends, and myths reflect the way of life, the peculiarities of the national character, and the attitude of ancient man to nature, to God. So, the Russian people are proud of their epics and fairy tales, without the myths of Ancient Greece it is impossible to imagine modern European culture, the Germans are still inspired by the songs and sagas of the ancient Germans. Ancient traditions are also among the Jewish people, they are carefully preserved in the texts of the Talmud and Midrash-sections of the Oral Torah, which are the interpretation and development of the main provisions of the Jewish teaching contained in the Written Torah. This collection of legends, parables, historical traditions and teachings of a religious and ethical nature is called the Haggadah. For the ancient Jews, the Haggadah was a kind of scene where amazing mysteries were played out, tragic prophecies and tender lullabies were heard, funny travel stories and philosophical reflections about the immortality of the soul, reward and punishment, that heaven and earth are one, that the Divine power permeates every living being, that history is not only a story about the past, but also threads woven into the fabric of today's human existence. The legends and parables of the Haggadah collected in this book are only a small part of the Talmud, but they nevertheless give an idea of the worldview and ancient history of the Jews, as well as contain vivid examples of the highly moral life of the teachers of the law, their selfless devotion to God, great love for people, without distinction of nationality and religion. This book will be of interest to a wide range of readers, including those who are not familiar with ancient Jewish literature.The illustrations to the legends, parables, and tales presented in this edition are the work of the remarkable artist James Tissot (1836-1902). He was born in France, studied painting at the National High School of Fine Arts, was a student of the famous Ingres. Suspected of sympathizing with the Paris Commune, the artist was forced to leave France. Tissot crossed the English Channel — in England, which for a long time became his second home, the native Jacques-Joseph began to be called James. Perhaps Tissot would have remained an excellent salon painter to the end of his days, if not for his trip to Palestine. This pilgrimage literally turned the artist's work upside down. He became passionately interested in illustrating the Bible — so hundreds of drawings appeared, mostly on Old Testament subjects. In these works, J. Tissot remained true to the main artistic principle for himself — close attention to detail. With the accuracy of an ethnographer, he reproduced the ornaments of the clothes of the ancient Jews, with the accuracy of an archaeologist, he depicted their life, homes, and surroundings. This "authenticity" in his drawings also captivates the viewer and the reader of"legends of the ancient deep".