Category Archives: Five Books of Moses; Pentateuch; Torah
transitions
The more time I spend with Robert Alter’s The Five Books of Moses, the more I fall in love with the clarity of his translation and the poetry of his commentary. It’s a big book, meant for your ‘reference library’ … Continue reading
foreskin’s lament and a recipe for bread
Some responses, from my new best friend, Robert Alter: Bradley, Of Exodus 4:24-26, Robert Alter says this: “This elliptic story is the most enigmatic episode in all of Exodus. It seems unlikely that we will ever resolve the enigmas it … Continue reading
Family Dynamics and Violence in Genesis
In just nine days (if you began your journey on January 15th), we have covered an enormous amount of material. The Creation of the world, told twice (In chapter 1, and then again with chapters 2-3); the murder of Abel … Continue reading
begin at the beginning
As you begin to make your way through the familiar and unfamiliar stories of Genesis, I want to offer some background relating to the ‘genesis’, if you will, of the Bible, specifically, the first five books of the Bible, called … Continue reading
gather the folks. tell the stories. 