A Jewish interpretation of the book of Genesis

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Preface

A word of explanation is due the readers of this book, to whom it may seem at first glance that it is intended to reach two altogether different publics. The book speaks constantly of Jewish children and their instruction, yet it contains much that is far beyond the comprehension of children, and that may seem technical even to the religious school teacher and trained Bible student. No one realizes this better than I, and no one appreciates more the difficulty, and even the danger, of writing for more than one body of readers.

However, circumstances make this condition unavoidable. The preparation of this book was undertaken four years ago, at the request and under the supervision of the Board of Editors of the Department of Synagogue and School Extension of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The intention of the Board of Editors was that this work should not be published, but should serve only as the basis for a series of lessons on the stories of Genesis, to be prepared by a Jewish religious school teacher, able and thoroughly experienced in just this particular field of instruction. These lessons were not to be given into the children's hands, but were to constitute a text-book for teachers, and were to indicate the actual material to be presented in the class-room, and the best method of presentation. This book was to be accompanied by a children's text-book or Bible reader, containing the stories of Genesis in the language of the Bible itself, but simplified so far as possible by the omission of all matter unessential to the main narrative or unsuitable for children. This plan involved a reduction of ni iv Preface

the material of my manuscript to almost the minimum of what was absolutely essential and indispensable to the presentation to the children by the average, or even by the inexperienced teacher. All other material, instructive and valuable though it might be, was to be omitted as superfluous, and, not improbably, even disturbing for the lowcaliber teacher.

My first manuscript was prepared in accordance with this plan. It had only a teacher audience in view, and dealt immediately with the problems of class-room instruction. It endeavored to present the maximum of material which, it seemed to me, the teacher might find helpful and stimulating. It was understood that the collaborator would reduce this maximum to the inevitable minimum. The manuscript sought likewise to offer helpful suggestions in regard to the Jewish religious school, its real nature and aims, at least as I conceived them, and the content and method of its instruction.

After careful consideration the Board of Editors concluded that the manuscript contained material which, in accordance with the original plan, the collaborator would be compelled to omit from the teacher's text-book, but which might nevertheless prove valuable for the earnest and experienced teacher, who was eager to know more of the subject than the minimum to be imparted in the class-room. It was felt that the book might also be made useful for a larger, non-professional public, for adult Bible classes, sisterhood Bible study circles, and possibly even for advanced post-confirmation classes. It was, therefore, decided that, while the original plan of a teacher's text-book, to be prepared by a practical collaborator, and to contain the actual framework of lessons for class-room presentation, be carried out, I should also be asked to revise my original manuscript, and that it be published as a source-book on Genesis for the advanced student.

Preface v

In accordance with this larger plan, and helped by many valuable criticisms and suggestions of members of the Board of Editors, I carefully revised the original manuscript. The fact that the work was fiow designed for a larger and somewhat different public than was contemplated at first, necessitated a recasting of much of the original, and the inclusion of considerable matter which had been purposely omitted from the first manuscript. To a certain extent it compelled likewise a modification of the original standpoint and mode of treatment. Nevertheless, to a very considerable degree my first manuscript constitutes the basis of this work, and problems of Jewish religious instruction are still touched upon in this book. So far as possible, however, those portions of the book which deal si>ecifically with these problems, and are therefore intended primarily for a professional teacher public, are printed in small type, in order that they may be readily passed over by readers not interested in their consideration.

The two publics which this book now seeks to reach are those of the professional Jewish religious school teacher, whose main concern is to learn as much of the subject as possible, in order to be able in turn to impart instruction with greater efficiency and authority, and the non-professional Jewish Bible student, whose thirst for knowledge and whose Jewish loyalty and interest impel him to seek greater knowledge of Judaism for himself. I trust that this explanation of how this book came to serve these two publics may obviate what might otherwise perplex and confuse, and that it may incline both publics to forbearance in their judgment of the book and patience in its use.

The book aims to be precisely what its title indicates, a Jewish interpretation of Genesis. We have had countless books on Genesis by Jewish authors. But, with rare excep-' tions, they have sought only to recount the stories of Genesis literally, without penetrating to the fundamental vi Preface

Jewish spiritual truth beneath, and without consideration of the many significant discoveries and teachings of modern science with regard to Genesis. They have confounded Biblical myths, legends and traditions with what they have mistakenly called Biblical History. Thereby they have, on the one hand, only too frequently worked mischievous confusion and misunderstanding in the minds of those they sought to instruct, and on the other hand, they have missed almost entirely the golden opportunity to impart the really basic truths of Judaism to the most receptive minds.

We have also had numerous scientific interpretations of Genesis, all, with even fewer exceptions, by non-Jewish scholars. Their work has been almost entirely analytic in character. They have picked Genesis, and the entire Bible in fact, to pieces. They have resolved it into its component sources, and have determined with quite reliable accuracy when and under what conditions these were written. They have also determined when, how, and by whom these originally independent sources were gradually combined, until at last our present Bible came into being.

But singularly enough, they have failed almost completely to determine the ends for which these sources were combined, and the thoughts and aims which animated the editors. They have, apparently, tacitly assumed that this was an inevitable and largely purposeless process. Therefore they have failed to realize, except in the most superficial manner, that the Bible, and particularly the Torah, is entirely a Jewish work, written by Jewish authors, and edited by Jewish thinkers, the product of Jewish religious genius, and a unit of Jewish religious thought and doctrine, and that it must be animated throughout by some deep Jewish purpose, ^ and can, in the final analysis, be correctly understood only when interpreted from a f)Ositive Jewish standix)int. Consequently, while science has taught us much about the Bible, new, unsuspected, significant and valuable truths, it has failed

Preface vii

almost entirely to catch its real Jewish purpose, spirit and flavor. For this reason the usual scientific, analytic interpretation of the Bible is inadequate, and lacks final authority.

The present work aims to be a scientific interpretation of Genesis, but an interpretation which is not merely analytic, and therefore largely negative and destructive, but which is also, and more pronouncedly, synthetic, constructive and Jewish. It accepts the established and irrefutable teachings of science with regard to Genesis, and seeks to determine constantly what is the fundamental Jewish thought and teaching of the various stories and groups of stories, for the sake of which their Jewish authors and editors cast them into their present form. It operates on the principle that the Bible is a Jewish work throughout, and that it can be understood correctly and authoritatively only when interpreted from the standpoint of its Jewish teachings. It proceeds with deep love and reverence for Judaism and its doctrines and practices, and for Jewish tradition and history. But it is animated by equal love and reverence for the future of Judaism, and for the evolution and expansion which its beliefs and teachings must inevitably undergo in the inexorable progress of hiiman thought and knowledge, and in the irresistible compulsion to adapt and apply these teachings and principles to the needs and standards of modem existence, in order that Judaism may continue to be, what it has always been, a true religion of life, by which men may not only die resignedly, but, even more, may live nobly, bravely and usefully.

In conclusion I would express my sincere thanks to those members of the Board of Editors whose wise criticisms and suggestions have helped me greatly in this work ; and among them in particular to my dear friend and colleague, Rev. Dr. Samuel Schulman 'of New York City, who first conceived of the possibilities of a work such as this, and whose generous encouragement has aided me constantly, even as viii Preface

his suggestive and stimulating counsel has immeasurably enhanced whatever value the book may possess.

It is my sincere wish and earnest prayer that this book may not only instruct, but may even inspire somewhat those who read it with deep and reverent love and loyalty for the religion of our fathers, which has descended to us through many centuries as our most precious heritage, and which we, in turn, would cherish and safeguard and hand down enlarged and enriched unto our children and our children's children.

JUUAN MORGENSTERN.

Cincinnati, Nov. 29, 1918.

Table Of Contents

Preface

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations

Introduction

I. The Jewish Religion 1

II. The Book of Genesis 14

III. Practical Suggestions for the Teacher ZZ

IV. Bibliography 35

Lesson I. The Story of Creation ^7

Lesson 11. The Garden of Eden 47

Lesson III. Cain and Abel 63

Lesson IV. The Flood 76

Lesson V. The Tower of Babel 89

Lesson VI. The Call of Abraham 100

Lesson VII. Abraham and Lot Ill'

Lesson VIII. Abraham's Hospitality 122

Lesson IX. Sodom and Gomorrah 131

Lesson X. Hagar and Ishmael 144

Lesson XI. The Sacrifice of Isaac 155

Lesson XII. The Death of Sarah 165

Lesson XIII. The Wooing of Rebekah 174

Lesson XIV. The Well of the Covenant 189

Lesson XV. The Birthright 2Z1

Lesson XVI. A Father's Blessing 232

Lesson XVII. God is With Us 240

Lesson XVIII. Jacob and Laban 249

Lesson XIX. Jacob and Esau 264

Lesson XX. Joseph the Dreamer 282

Lesson XXI. Joseph in Egypt 296

Lesson XXII. Joseph and His Brothers 307

Lesson XXIII. Joseph and Jacob 316

Lesson XXIV. Jacob's Blessing 324

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

The Babylonian Flood Story 78

Mt. Ararat in Armenia 86

Temple Mound at Babylon 98

Ur of the Chaldees as it is Today 109

A Nomad Chieftain 113

Abraham's Oak at Mamre ^ 123

A Modern Nomad Tent 128

Oriental Bowing. 129

The Dead Sea from the North 139

The Gate of an Oriental City 141

The Pillar of Salt 142

Weighing Money 173

At the Well 184

An Oriental Water Jar 185

A Veiled Woman in the Orient ! 188

A Semitic Family Seeking Entrance into Egypt 197

The Great Well at Beersheba 198

Abraham's Well at Beersheba 199

The Mandrake 260

Teraphim 261

Jacob's Well as Seen Today 27^

Rachel's Tomb 280

The Well at Dothan 293

A Caravan of Ishmaelites 294

Egyptian Barbers 305

Rings and Signets 305

The Princes of Egypt in Their Chariots 305

The Modern Site of Heliopolis 306

An Ancient Egyptian Granary 307

Ancient Egyptians at Dinner 314

An Egyptian Divining Bowl 315

Different Stages of Embalming 334

The Tomb of Joseph near Shechem 335

INTRODUCTION

I

Judaism is essentially a religion of this life and this world. Other religions may stress the thought that this world is merely the preparation for the world to come, that there lies the goal of all existence, and that we must live this life to the end and in such manner that we may attain to the life hereafter. But Judaism holds no such view. True, it affirms the doctrine of future life and of reward and punishment. But it has never magnified the other world at the expense of this. On the contrary, it teaches that this life is worth living for its own sake, that this world and all that it contains are good, that they were created by God for some purpose of good, and t^iat man was put here by God to help realize by his own living this ultimate purpose of good. Judaism has, therefore, concerned itself chiefly with the tasks, duties and ideals of this life, assured that if this life be but well lived, the future, however it may be, will care for itself. Not salvation in the future world was its chief aim and concern, but faithful, conscientious performance of the daily, and often burdensome duties of this world. It has always cherished faith highly; but it was ever a true faith, which expressed itself in the lifelong conviction of the existence of one God, to know whom and to walk in whose way, daily and hourly, is man's supreme duty. Faith, in Judaism, could, and can, live and grow only with an ever-growing knowledge of God, and only so long as it could, and can, in turn, constantly transform itself into right living.

The Sources of the Jew's Knowledge of God

The Jew's knowledge of God has ever sprung from a twofold source. As the individual grew to manhood and wisdom, and his mind broadened, his experience deepened, his vision expanded, he could not but think more and more intensely about God and the universe and life. In consequence of an innate, psychological predisposition, the Jew has ever been a thinker about God and about the origin and purpose of life. Even his oldest myths and folklore, to a far greater extent, it would seem, than those of any other people, dealt with questions about God and creation, the meaning of life, and the origin of its fundamental social institutions and religious symbols. Much thinking could not but in time produce much knowledge. And, once gained, this knowledge was not lost; it was preserved in some form or other, and was transmitted from generation to generation as an integral part of Judaism.

From this developed the second source of the Jew's knowledge of God, far greater and more potent than the thinking and experiences of the individual. It was the combined and unified thinking of the many individuals who, through all the centuries, have made up the sum total of Israel's religious leaders and teachers. They pondered over not merely the questions and perplexities of individual experience, but also, and to a far greater degree, the problems and conditions of the whole people and of all mankind. They saw in Israel God's chosen people, first of all nations to know and worship Him, and whom He had therefore chosen as His messengers, witnesses of His truth unto mankind. Thus Israel believed itself to stand directly under God's dispensation. All fortunes and misfortunes it regarded as coming directly from God Himself to reveal His divine nature and His will and purpose with it and with the whole human race. In all the events of its history, as intei*- preted by its spiritual leaders, Israel ever saw God's hand working, and through the interpretation of its history aright it learned to know God and His true worship and life of service for all men. Israel's history has ever been the chief source of its knowledge of God.

Revelation

But in a certain sense there is still a third source, expressed in the one word. Revelation. This term implies that the Jew's knowledge of God is the result not only of his own expanding individual and communal religious consciousness and thought, but also, and perhaps even more, of God's actual and purposed revelation of Himself to Israel through divinely chosen and inspired men, whom we call prophets. Certainly the prophets so conceived of themselves, their message, and their work. They spoke and labored, not as mere human beings, but as impersonal agents through whom God Himself was irresistibly working. Volumes have been written to explain prophetic inspiration and revelation by natural law, and from a rationalistic and somewhat mechanical standpoint, and much light has been shed upon this very difficult problem. Yet we are constantly made to realize that only the human side of the prophet's nature and work can be thus analyzed and explained; the divine element, the manner of God's willing and working, remains ever above and beyond human analysis and comprehension. During a long period the prophets were the leaders in this wonderful unfolding of Israel's knowledge of God; through them eternal truths were revealed, which were indispensable for human knowledge and spiritual growth. We can scarcely believe that these prophets discovered these truths entirely through purely human processes. Surely God has willed that man should know more and ever more of Him and His way; the knowledge which these prophets, as sons of Israel, proclaimed, God must have allowed, and even caused, them to discover, as He allowed and caused no men and no people before them. Aye, this knowledge surely could not have been only discovered by these prophets ; equally it must have been revealed to them by God. This is Revelation.

Actually, however. Revelation is hardly a third source of the Jew's knowledge of God, but merely the same two sources viewed from the reverse side, in their divine, rather than in their human, aspect. It says not only that the Jew's knowledge of God came through the religious experiences and discoveries of individuals, particularly certain peculiarly fitted, individuals, and through the religious experiences and discoveries of the entire people in all the stages and through all the fortunes of its history, but also that God has willed that this knowledge come in this manner. Revelation, therefore, really affirms only that the two sources of the Jew's knowledge of God have a divine, as well as a human, origin and cause.

But in this sense Revelation means far more than as it is usually interpreted. True Revelation in Israel was through more than the prophets alone; or rather, they were merely the agents or mouthpieces of Revelation, and Revelation itself was greater and grander far than just these prophets themselves and their inspired words. The prophets were primarily the children of their own times, spurred to activity not only by the conviction that God had literally called them, but also by the realization of the moral and spiritual evils and needs of their own days. They, above all others, saw God's hand constantly present in Israel's history, and read His divine purpose and guidance in all the events thereof. They realized that God was revealing His will, not only through them to Israel, but also, and to a far greater degree, through Israel's history to Israel itself and to all mankind. Therefore their messages consisted in the main in interpreting to Israel of their own days the divine significance of its history. Israel's history was to them the chief source of God's revelation of Himself to His people; and whoever might interpret this history aright from the standpoint of God and of God's guidance of Israel and of all mankind, was a prophet, proclaiming, in accordance with God's will, the true knowledge of Him and His way unto all the world.

Therefore, for us today, whether we have new truths to proclaim, or only the old truths to reaffirm and teach, the essential requisite for an authoritative and inspiring knowledge of Judaism* is a correct and constructive knowledge of Jewish history and of Jewish life and thought, that we, too, may see therein all the countless evidences of God's goodness, wisdom and love, and may learn, in turn, how He wills that we ourselves live as true Jews and true men and women.

What is Jewish History?

But what is Jewish history? History is more than mere chronicling of events, no matter how correctly. History is life. The history of any people is the full record of the life it has lived, the experiences it has endured, the trials it has undergone, the defeats it "has suffered, the victories it has achieved, the thoughts it has conceived, the ideals it has striven for, the contributions to the welfare and progress of the human race which it has made. History is the correct and complete record of all causes and effects, of all forces at work, and of all results flowing therefrom, in the lives of individuals or nations. The history of any individual really begins long before birth, in the pre-natal conditions which must determine his physical, mental, and psychological makeup and much of his subsequent life. Nor does his history cease until his life has completely ended, and perhaps not even then ; for the man lives on and his history continues in the forces and influences he has set in operation, and which go on working themselves out in the life of the human race until the end of time.

Similarly the history of a nation, of a people, or of a religion begins long before it actually steps forth upon the stage of existence. It begins in all the conditions, forces, and influences which work together to make that nation, people, or religion what it is at the moment of real, concrete birth, and which largely determine its subsequent life and evolution. And its history does not end until it has utterly ceased to be, and the memory of it is completely lost, and the principles of national, social, or religious conduct, which it has evolved, are thoroughly uprooted, if that be possible, from the total life-experience and life-thought of mankind.

The history of Israel and of Judaism is, therefore, far more than the mere Biblical record of a few scattered events. It commenced far back in dim, pre-historic antiquity, when the first, primitive ancestor of the Jewish people began to move on earth. The Bible, unconsciously perhaps, voices a significant truth when it begins the history of Israel, not with Moses nor with Abraham, but with creation. And since Israel still exists today, unique among the peoples of the earth, and since Judaism still lives, and we proudly proclaim ourselves Jews, adherents of Judaism, endowed with a glorious mission unto mankind, it follows that Jewish history has not yet ended, and, so far as we can see and hope and pray, will never end. Jewish history is, therefore, the complete record of the life of the Jew, of his experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and practices, of his ever-growing knowledge of God and of life, as believed, proclaimed, and transformed into conduct, from the earliest, simplest, crudest, and most primitive beginnings down to our own present day ; aye, even down to tomorrow, if we can but raise the curtain of the future but a little, and behold the stage set for tomorrow's act.

However, we are unable to trace our history in all its details back to its actual origin. The most we can do is to begin with the earliest period of our Bible narrative and follow the history of our people and our religion through successive generations and centuries, noting the fortunes which befell them, and through all these, whether, good or ill, the ever-growing knowledge of God and of the meaning of life, and the constantly expanding consciousness of mission and message, down to our own day. We are, in a very real and positive sense, as important actors upon the stage of Jewish history as were the heroes and sages of old. We are the heirs of all our glorious past. To be true Jews we must know what Judaism is. And we can know what Judaism is only when we know its complete history, not merely in Bible times, but throughout all ages, and when, knowing Jewish history thus, we can reinterpret it in the light of present times, conditions, and needs, and can thereby make Judaism what it has always been in truth, not merely a religion of the past, but also a religion of the present and the future, a religion of God's true life on earth. It is a vast knowledge, and given only to the few to know with any degree of fulness. Yet upon every Jew rests the duty of learning all of Judaism that he can, that through it he may come to feel as a Jew, think as a Jew, and interpret life and duty as a Jew.

The Periods of Jewish History

It is a fallacy of a large public, sadly unfamiliar with Jewish tradition and literature, that the Bible is our only book, and that all our history is contained in the Biblical narrative. A moment's thought should show the incorrectness of this belief. Jewish history is more than the chronicle of a few events, all embraced in one short epoch, and all recorded in one book. It extends over several thousand years, during which its fortunes were most varied and complex.

* Jewish history may be divided into seven periods, (I) the early Biblical period, to the Babylonian Exile (586 B. C), (II) the late Biblical period, to the destruction of the Temple by the Romans (70 C. E.), (HI) the Palestinian period, to the decadence of the Jewish schools in Palestine (about 375 C. E.), (IV) the Eastern period, when the center of Jewish life was in Babylon (until about 1000 C. E.), (V) the early European period, when the center of Jewish life had shifted, across Egypt and northern Africa, to southern and western Europe (until the expulsion from Spain, 1492 C. E.), (VI) the late European or Ghetto period, when the center of Jewish life had once more shifted, this time to central Europe, a period characterized largely by enforced Ghetto existence with its peculiar and far-reaching influences (approximately to the first quarter of the 19th century), and (VII) the modern period. In each of these vast periods Judaism was developing, expanding, adapting itself to new life and thought, contributing its share, and more than its share, to the spiritual progress of mankind.

To know Judaism aright we must know something of its history in each of these periods.

Yet we can not teach all this in the religious school. This merely proves that Judaism is more than a religion for children alone, that it is for adults, too, and must be studied by them as well as by children. Our present Jewish religious school, reaching children alone, can not complete the task of teaching Judaism. The time must come when our men and women will seek knowledge of Judaism, not only for their little ones, but for themselves as well.

Heretofore our schools have dealt with but little more than the early Biblical period. But, as has been said, it is impossible to understand Judaism completely from a knowledge of this period alone. However, with children of the customary religious school age it is almost a sufficient achievement to have taught the Biblical period in a constructive, even though elementary manner. It is not only the period of Israel's beginning and 'first growth, but also the foundation period of our knowledge of Judaism. Yet we should never forget that it is only the foundation; and unless the superstructure of the later history be erected upon this foundation, there will be no complete nor perfect edifice of Judaism. We must never lose sight of the fact that in the religious school we merely begin that study of Judaism, which should go on steadily throughout the J-ew's entire life. If we realize this clearly and insist thereon strongly, we will undoubtedly come in time to hold our Jewish men and women until long after the usual period of religious school attendance. Then at last we will be able to look forward confidently and proudly to a full and authoritative knowledge of Jewish history and of Judaism on the part of our Jewish men and women.

Meanwhile, if now in our religious schools we can accomplish a little more than mere instruction in the history of the early Biblical period, if we can, at least, throw out a few hints about the life, thought, and teachings of the rabbis in the Palestinian period, and thereby acquaint the children somewhat with the spirit of Judaism which obtained in that momentous period, we will have taken an important step forward.

The Sources of Jewish History

Naturally the chief source for the history of the Bibhcal periods is the Bible itself. But the Bible is a large work, comprising, according to Jewish tradition, twenty-four books, the product of Jewish literary activity extending over approximately a thousand years. Actually the Bible is not so much a mere book, as it is a national literature, or at least the remains thereof. It can readily be seen that the various parts and books of the Bible, written at different times, under different conditions, and by different authors, are naturally of unequal value for the study of Jewish history. We can never, therefore, take the Bible in hand, read it off word for word, and feel confident that we have thus gathered the essential facts of Jewish history. We must learn to study carefully, think deeply, read between the lines, and get at the hidden truths beneath. We must ask ourselves constantly, who were thie authors of these narratives, from what sources did they draw their material, for what purposes did they write, what was their conception of Jewish history and of Judaism, and how can we best put ourselves into their frame of mind, so that we may interpret their writings, not, as is so frequently done, haphazardly and fantastically, reading into them all manner of groundless conjectures and wild vagaries, but soberly, constructively, and Jewishly, as they meant them to be interpreted. Above all, we must never forget that history, true history, is primarily the record of the thoughts, ambitions, and ideals of a people finding concrete expression in its daily life. Therefore, to understand the history of even the early Biblical period we need to do more than to merely acquaint ourselves with the contents of the so-called Historical Books. The Prophets and the Holy Writings, which mirror so faithfully the thoughts, beliefs, and aspirations of the people, or at least of their religious leaders, must be studied and understood in equal measure.