315. Loose Ends - May 6, 2023

The palace intrigue of the heroes of our religion can be disturbing to readers. David is shown to be a flawed hero. Like his father, the stories we will read about Solomon can sometimes be disturbing.  But the writers tell us that God selected these flawed men. We should remember that when we read the passages that say, “God said…” they are written by human hands. Rabbi Jaech would not say that she knows God’s mind today. Likewise, the ancient writers did not actually know what God thought. What is written is the point of view that the writer wanted to get across.

May 27 Ask the Rabbis session: Do you have questions about Judaism, or about religion in general, that you have always wanted to ask? This is your opportunity! Although you are welcome to attend our session via Zoom, you do not need to attend to send in your question. Please email your questions to me, Tara Keiter, at [email protected] and we will present them to Rabbis Jaech, Pein and Sperling. Their responses will be recorded in that week’s podcast.

The text of this podcast is available on our blog.
If you like this podcast, you might enjoy the book Biblical Origins: The Political Intent of the Bible's Writers, by renowned Bible scholar Dr. S. David Sperling.