Wednesday 29 January 2014
First post
Today in Jewish History we discussed the truth behind the Tanakh. Most of us agreed that it should not be taken literally, but everyone had differing opinions on how much of it was true. I personally think that none of it can be taken literally, and that probably none of it actually happened exactly as it says in the Tanakh. After all, so many of the stories appear to be so carefully constructed, and their structures follow the structure of a good fictional story, one that's purpose is to deliver a moral. How many of real world stories come with a convenient beginning, middle, end, plot arc, and moral? Certainly not enough to fill the entire Tanakh. Therefore, I believe that the Tanakh was written by leaders of the Jewish people who hoped to be able to send a message to their people and teach them through intelligently crafted stories based upon their own history.
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This is hard to read, white on bright green. Can you change that for future posts please?
ReplyDeleteHowever, now that I have managed it, I appreciate the points you raise. I never thought of it from that perspective. I suppose one might be able to include divine inspiration in that theory as well. Without it, does that make the Tanakh less holy? How is it different from other morality tales?
ReplyDeleteAnyone having problems with the green on this post can just highlight it with their mouse, and it will appear blue on white, though I also vote for not burning out the over-40 crowd's retinas. It detracts from what you have to say, which is bound to be worth reading, so don't put barriers in for your readers. Find the darkest green or purple you can find, and post in that!
ReplyDeleteOn to comments about content:
Remember that these aren't stories told once in a vacuum. They are stories told and retold, each time a little differently, over the ages, and began as an oral story, not a written one. They are stories that have been polished like river rocks over time and according to whatever the social conventions and values were of the time. Finally, someone wrote them down, and maybe (or maybe not) the version that was in fashion stayed as the "truth" or the final version. Even still, though, writings can and are be re-written.
There is a story, myth, fable, whatever of the story of my family's name. My mother's name is Ames, but until my family emigrated to Canada from Czarist Russia they carried the Hebrew name Emes/t, meaning truth. Why would a Jewish family be so crazy to keep carrying a Hebrew family name through antisemitic Russia when so many Jews changed to a more Russian name? It is because the story goes that King Solomon (I think) wanted the true version of the Torah so he instructed the Rabbis to each come up with their version of the Torah. Many Rabbis revised and studies and came up with their version, but the king chose my ancestor's version as the truth and gave him an aristocrat last name (Emet/Emes) as a reward for arriving at the truth.
Is the story true? Who knows! It is good cocktail party fodder. What matters in the story is the truth behind the story: These stories are told again and again, polished by time, written down and then are still open to revision and interpretation. Their meaning has been altered, polished, revised to suit the times, and even still, the intentions of the original stories in any form might not resonate with us the way the story tellers meant them too. Our morality changed. Our perspective changed, and thank goodness at that!
Just as the way I view the story of my ancestors as a myth with a hidden, deeper meaning, look at the stories you read and study with an eye for the hidden, deeper meaning, all the time knowing that the meaning you derive may be different than the original, intended message. That is okay too. Just don't think of literature, any literature, least of all Tanakh as static, never changing. It is alive breathing and changing because we are alive and breathing and changing and it changes with us.
You've brought me back to my Writing and Literature major roots. Suddenly you've made me feel like my degree wasn't for naught. I look forward to more on this subject!
I enjoyed reading this perspective. Keep writing more! We are all curious about your adventures in Israel. xoxo Miriam G. Solomon
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