Sanity at Cross-Currents

A recent post by Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein at Cross Currents remarks that the Bible Codes are "probably without merit, and possibly dangerous."

Bravo!

Preview

As a preview to my next post, does anyone know what the difference is between a standard nazir (nazerite) and a nazir shimson (samson nazerite)?

No cheating!

Ancient Escape Tunnel Found

In a nod to the fundies, archaeologists recently discovered an underground drainage tunnel that was used as an escape route for Jerusalemites 2,000 years ago when they were attacked by the Romans. I like this extrabiblical stuff.

Check out the AP news story here.

What can we believe about Yetziat Mitzraim?

Putting aside the creation story, the most historically difficult event in Tanach is The Exodus. The historicity of The Exodus has been debated into the ground, and I don't intend to go into anything but a cursory explanation of my beliefs (and only if necessary), but yesterday I became curious as to what - from a traditional point of view - we are permitted to believe about Yetziat Mitzraim.

So I did what any reasonable person would do, which is ask Daniel, an intelligent and frum student in my existential philosophy class. (Daniel also happens to teach in a yeshiva).

Simply put, the biggest problem with the Exodus - ignoring the miracles - is the number of people involved. Whether directly or indirectly, the claim of 2+ million Jews leaving Egypt en masse, hanging out in the desert for 40 years, and then settling Canaan is not historically possible.

Many Bible scholars have commented on the word eleph, commonly translated as "thousand," arguing that the word really means something like "troop," "family unit," or "clan." Other scholars have pointed to a historical trend toward (very) systematic number inflation.

So my question to David yesterday was whether a traditional perspective allows for the belief that yetziat mitzraim occurred, but the word eleph has been consistently misinterpreted and only ~20,000 Jews left Egypt.

I'm not sure if Daniel really thought through what reinterpreting eleph would do to countless maamarei chazal (or whether he was just giving me a kiruvy response), but he said that as long as the "motivation" behind the reinterpretation is good, there is no problem. In a followup question Daniel confirmed that reconciling the Biblical narrative with "scientific" history was a fine motivation.

What kefira! Or is it?

Thoughts?

Where Does the Kefirah Go?

I have a very large book collection, recently got married and moved, and am in the process of organizing a couple of bookshelves in my living room and some others in my bedroom. Like most Jews, I plan on keeping a good amount of seforim in my living room, but now I have to figure out what to do with my books on biblical criticism, non-Orthodox Jewish movements, atheism (recall that for the record I am not an atheist), "radical" Jewish thought etc.

Do I put the kefirah-lite books out front and keep the rest in the back? (i.e. Marc Shapiro and Abraham Joshua Heschel go out front and Davies, Lemche, Finkelstein, etc. go in the back.) Should I keep all of the heresy in the back? All out front?

On the one hand I want intelligent guests to have a hint as to where I stand (arrogantly assuming that unintelligent guests won't care about my bookshelf), while on the other hand I want to remain a part of the community and not have people question my hashkafic (and food!) kashrut.

So that's today's big question: Where does the kefirah go?

("In the garbage!" is not an answer.)

Pluralism in Israel

Ha'aretz reports: "In contradiction to recommendations adopted by the Education Ministry in 1994, nearly all the organizations teaching classes on Judaism and Jewish identity at secular schools are doing so in an Orthodox spirit and not a pluralist one."

I find it fascinating that CJ & RJ have had such a tough time making inroads in Israel. Possible reasons why:

1. Israelis think that OJ is awesome (riiiight....)
2. Israelis care about tradition
3. Israelis don't come from a Western tradition of separation and classification

I (obviously) lean toward 2 & 3. Any other suggestions?

Dvar Torah: Moshe's Ego Trip

Can anyone tell me what Moshe was thinking when he called himself God in this week's parshah?

(Ok, fine. I have to be misinterpreting this, but I'm not sure how. It seems to be the poshut pshat that Moshe is speaking in the first person, referring to himself as "Hashem Elokeichem".)

וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם: אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם, אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה לְעֵינֵיכֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל-עֲבָדָיו, וּלְכָל-אַרְצוֹ. הַמַּסּוֹת, הַגְּדֹלֹת, אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ, עֵינֶיךָ--הָאֹתֹת וְהַמֹּפְתִים הַגְּדֹלִים, הָהֵם. וְלֹא-נָתַן יְהוָה לָכֶם לֵב לָדַעַת, וְעֵינַיִם לִרְאוֹת וְאָזְנַיִם לִשְׁמֹעַ, עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה. וָאוֹלֵךְ אֶתְכֶם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, בַּמִּדְבָּר; לֹא-בָלוּ שַׂלְמֹתֵיכֶם מֵעֲלֵיכֶם, וְנַעַלְךָ לֹא-בָלְתָה מֵעַל רַגְלֶךָ. לֶחֶם לֹא אֲכַלְתֶּם, וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר לֹא שְׁתִיתֶם--לְמַעַן, תֵּדְעוּ, כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה, אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

(1) And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; (2) the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs and those great wonders; (3) but the LORD hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. (4) And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. (5) Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye might know that I am the LORD your God.