Dr Kohn, in a passionate posting, asks, What approach to the study of Tanach teaching and learning best enables students to encounter the word of God and internalize His messages in a way that is meaningful for them? As long as Dr. Kohn is citing Heschel, I think we can do better and cite the title of one of his best books: How can we help God in His search for man? (In passing: This is not Heschels phrase he borrowed it from 2 Chronicles 16:9 you dont expect such religious biblical puns from a non-orthodox Rabbi!).
I already, on Lookjed, suggested an answer to Dr. Kohns question (but no one responded, so let me try it again). You make the bible relevant by acknowledging the weaknesses (and sins!) of the great biblical figures. Such acknowledgement gives us the opportunity for identification, the true key to relevance. Let me quickly give some examples.
1) JEWISH LAW (Rambam, Nachaloth 6:14) A person who shows favoritism to one child over others is inviting jealousy and family feuds Here Rambam (implicitly) sees the Patriarch Jacob as making a mistake in raising children since he favored Joseph. By acknowledging this we can identify with a biblical figure and avoid repetition of the mistake.
2) RUTH CHAPTER 3: (Published article, Jewish Bible Quarterly 36(4), pp 254-260- [
www.Rashiyomi.com]) If the author of the book of Ruth had only published chapters 1,2,4 the book would still be speaking about the greatness of Chesed and loyalty and showing us the Davidic lineage. What is chapter 3 doing in the book? The chapter describes how an older woman gives advice to a younger woman on how to take the initiative in a social relationship with intent of marriage! But what was the authors reason for giving so much detail in a biblical book? I argue that if we are to see the bible as relevant then questions of social relationships and initiatives must be dealt with at a biblical level. I must be able to identify with biblical figures and find out how to from the bible itself.
3) JOSEPH: (To appear, the Jewish Bible Quarterly 2011). What does a principal/teacher do with an immature teenager you know, the type that tattle tails, hangs out with the wrong crowd, and worries about his looks. Unless you see the 17-year-old Joseph this way (ala Gen 37:2) you will never be able to reach out to immature teenagers. You are giving them no one to identify with. Furthermore, I strongly argue that Josephs dream (which is never called a prophecy) is simply a teenage dream fantasy with typical male symbols (erect sheaves). My article has a happy ending; I think Joseph achieved (deserved) greatness but it is important that he started out immature. Unless we can tell immature teenagers There is someone like you in the Bible we are not reaching out to them.
4) JUDAH: What does a Rabbi do when he has an adult man treating his wife like an object. Unless you give him a biblical figure to identify with he will find no relevance in the bible (Why should he?). I have argued twice (on Lookjed) that Judah was a typical bully who treated all people like objects (until he met a woman who stood up to him, dragged him down (forgive my language), and brazenly told him that he would have to chose between control (executing her) and continuity (the child in her womb)). And
for the first time in his life, Judah realized that people arent objects; they talk back and sometimes tell you things you dont want to hear She is more righteous than me!!!
To recap: Acknowledgement of the humanness of biblical figures leads to potential identification with them and this identification is the fertile soil on which true relevance can flower.
Russell Jay Hendel; Ph.D, ASA
Dep t of Mathematics
Towson University
Towson Md, 21252
[
www.Rashiyomi.com]
