Another Plaut quote

"Mutations in the realm of the spiritual seem to have occurred frequently in human experience, and the biblical record should be read in part as the record of such mutations."

Jews...are mutants? Hm.

So much to post about...

...so little time. I want to write about the High Holy Days and more, but for now, I'd like to mention that I've determined to at least read the weekly parasha. I do go to Torah study just about every week, but I haven't really read the whole thing myself on any regular basis. Our congregation reads the Torah on a yearly cycle, so having just finished Simchat Torah, it seemed like a logical time to start. I intend to read the entire Tanakh, but I'm not sure that's going to be this year.

The new Plaut commentary works well for me because it places the Haftarah portion immediately after the Torah portion. It also is bound to be read right to left, which I like, only the copies we use in Torah study are the older edition, which are intended to be read left to right, so now that I'm doing some studying at home, I keep turning to the back of the old edition to find Genesis, which isn't working so well.

Anyway, I'm already two weeks behind because I insist upon reading the introductory material, so I haven't actually gotten to the Torah part of the Torah commentary yet. So here are a couple of quotes I liked:

"History neither confirms or denies religious commitment. Acknowledging that Martin Luther was a historical figure does not make us Lutherans; denying the historicity of Moses does not preclude our fervor as Jews." Plaut, "The Torah and the Jewish People", The Torah: A Modern Commentary, p. li.

"Though the Torah contains chapters that are, at most, of historical interest only, it also contains much that is relevant and vital today. If it sometimes expresses moral judgments we have discarded as unsatisfactory, it also challenges us with ideals we are far from having attained. Moreover, for us as for our ancestors, the line between written and oral Torah cannot be drawn over-sharply. We too read the text in the light of the experiences and associations that have become attached to it. Every great classic suggests or reveals new insights to each succeeding generation. And the Torah is the classic of classics." ibid.

(Although I can't read the last line without getting "Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles..." stuck in my head.)