UPDATED: Covenant and Conversation series — a new look at the Pentateuch

Updated to include Numbers: The Wilderness Years.

Each week, synagogues around the world read a section from the Torah (the five books of Moses). The cycle begins with Genesis and ends with the last verses of Deuteronomy 12 months later. The Covenant & Conversation series has essays commenting on each of the weekly readings.

These essays are by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks who was the Chief Rabbi of the U.K. for some 20 years. I'd read his editorials occasionally in the Wall Street Journal and always found them insightful, inspirational, and down to earth. When I discovered he'd done this series I began at the beginning with Genesis. What I found was a work of genius.

These essays have the same easy style I remembered while giving in-depth, brilliant, compassionate commentary that often surprised me and sometimes changed my whole perspective on a Biblical person or their actions. Sacks is good at comparing ancient and modern world views. This not only clarifies Biblical context but often shows just how different our current ideas are. These are stories about people and Sacks never forgets that. He looks at what Torah is showing us that is the same not only in those ancient times, but in our own lives. After all, the word of God is eternal, applying to all time and all people.

There is much here that resonates with the Catholic soul, simply because the Jews are our elder brothers in the faith. However, a Christian reading these essays will be sharply reminded that there is a Jewish way of thinking about the first five books of the Bible, and, indeed, about God and worship, which is particular to the Jewish people. That is a real cultural wake up call and one that I found sometimes jerking me to the realization that this is different. The thinking, the response to God and His call, the way of dealing with other people — it can be very different, while still being anchored in our common knowledge of the one, personal God. 

A quick example is that I was surprised by the Jewish custom of reading Torah every year. Just like us! No, I realized. We're just like them. The first Christians were Jewish and I am well used to finding parts of Catholic liturgy that reflect they were patterned after those Christians' original faith. That was an easy mental adjustment, one that left me happy at another proof of our family ties.

Here are the books I've read so far. I'll add to this as I go along continue, which I will, with the last two books in the series.

Genesis: The Book of Beginnings by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

I learned new ways of looking deeper at familiar stories such as when Isaac is tricked into giving his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. I found deeper sympathy and new insights into lesser characters. Who knew she was not only crafty but also tactful? Or that Judah's encounter with Tamar led to a life-changing realization that helped him pass Joseph's test when the brothers all go to Egypt seeking grain? I already loved Tamar but now I have more sympathy and admiration for Judah's growth.

Here are a few of the themes emphasized as being core parts of Judaism, which surprised me.

•  Love of words and language, both as forms of worship and of what make us human.
• Treasuring children. "Ours is a supremely child-centered faith" says Sacks.
• God making space so that people can exercise free will and make mistakes.
• The importance of the land God gave them, of Israel.
• The Torah is meant to be heard, not read silently. "Judaism is supremely a religion of the ear, unlike all other ancient civilizations..." says Sacks.
• The necessity of the struggle to do God's will and of going one step more than we are asked.
  

These might seem like no brainers, reading this list. It's not that Catholicism doesn't have these elements but they don't define us the way that Sacks made clear they define the Jewish people. I found myself understanding a little better their pride at their indestructibility, the ancientness of their faith, and their role as God's chosen people.

There is a fair amount of midrash considered throughout. Midrash is textual study and interpretation of scripture that uses questions, examines what is left unsaid, and fills in with their own stories to form a running commentary. I'm not crazy about midrash as it can range far afield sometimes. I'm not Jewish so perhaps that is understandable. Sacks sometimes includes midrash in order to keep following the logical train of thought and sometimes so that he can introduce a different interpretation.

Quibbles about midrash aside, this is a work of genius. Highly recommended.

Note: A few excerpts are shared here.

Exodus: The Book of Redemption

This second in the series, focusing on the book of Exodus, is simply wonderful and just as good as his first in the series about Genesis. This book in particular shows Sacks' skill at not only examining the stories of the Bible but in giving us context for the rituals that are so lovingly detailed. Regardless of how dense and uninteresting they appear to the modern reader, Sacks' context gives us a way to see how they still apply to us and our relationship to God in modern times.

As before, a certain amount of midrash is considered, but it is often used to take the reader forward to consider how Exodus affects us today.

 

 

Leviticus: The Book of Holiness 

 

This is the third in Sacks' series, focusing on Leviticus, and I approached it with a bit of trepidation. As he notes, there are only two stories in the whole book and those are quite brief. Therefore, he spends a lot of time setting up the book itself. The introduction is 50 pages long but it is pure gold. First, we are told that:

Leviticus is the central book of the Pentateuch, the Torah. This makes it the most important of the five. Biblical literature often works on the principle of mirror-image symmetry (chiasmus), structured in the form of ABCBA. In any work so patterned, the climax is not at the beginning or the end but in the middle. At the centre of the five Mosaic books. Leviticus is the axis on which they turn.

So, boring it may be but it is also key to the Pentateuch, the heart of the Old Testament, and we should pay attention. 

He also points out that this book is the purest expression of the priestly voice. The rest of the introduction explores that voice and what the priest means to Judaism, especially in contrast to those of king and prophet. This sounds dry but is actually fascinating, which is the case with the essays which make up the body of the book.

If you ever wanted to see what's the deal with Leviticus, this is the spot to start. 

Numbers: The Wilderness Years 

This fourth in the series, focusing on the book of Numbers, is equally as wonderful as the previous three books. I should have remembered that if Sacks could make Leviticus riveting and relatable then he should be able to do the same for the Book of Numbers. After all, Numbers does have a lot of stories that continue the Book of Exodus in finally getting the people to the promised land. 

However, as Sacks' duly points out, it is also a bit of a mishmash. All mixed together we find census lists, laws, camp set up details, itineraries which just list one location after another — it's challenging to a modern reader. Sacks shows us how the entire book comes together as a narrative of the hard work to achieve freedom which is the ongoing task not only of the nation of Israel but of each one of us. 

It makes compelling reading.

The fundamental sacrifice is that of the will.

The fundamental sacrifice in Judaism is that of the will. Since freedom of the will is the highest gift of God to man, the way that we acknowledge that it is a gift is periodically to give some of it back. …

What matters in sacrifice is the act of renunciation. We give up something of ourselves offering it to God in recognition of the gifts He has given us. It is remarkable how readily the sages found substitutes for [animal] sacrifices, most notably in the form of prayer, … charity, and hospitality.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Leviticus

Of course, this applies to Christianity as well.

Human freedom exists because of divine self-limitation.

Human freedom exists because of divine self-limitation. So Adam and Eve found they were able to sin, and Cain even to commit murder, without God stepping in to intervene. Through voluntary self-restraint God makes space for man. …

Just as God had to practice self-restraint to make space for the finite, so human beings have to practice self-restraint for the infinite. The holy, in short, is where human beings renounce their independence and self-sufficiency, the very things that are the mark of their humanity, and for a moment acknowledge their utter dependence on He who spoke and brought the universe into being.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Leviticus

When people forget to worship God

When people forget to worship God they begin to worship human beings, and from there it is but a short distance to tyranny.

Jonathan Sacks, Exodus: The Book of Redemption

Digging into the roots of our faith

I just figured out that I'm partway into a pilgrimage in seeing just how far back the roots of our faith reach into Jewish tradition, history, and overall context. (Hint: it goes all the way back to the beginning and all the way to the top).

Its so exciting! And you know what that means. I've got to share the good stuff with you.

As we know I've lately been digging into the Psalms (and beginning tomorrow, some of canticles too!) with the help of the Church Fathers and other commentaries. 

That and the strong recommendation from The Burrowshire Podcast led me to dabbling in the Liturgy of the Hours which, in turn, led me to Saint John Paul II's and Pope Benedict's excellent homilies on the psalms and canticles. 

Topping off my deep immersion in Jewish and Old Testament context was Rabbi Sacks' essays Genesis: The Book of Beginnings. I'm now about halfway through his essays on Exodus which are similarly eye opening in connecting Catholicism to Jewish context.

Suffice it to say, I recently realized that God had positioned me for a deep, deep dive into connecting the Old Testament with Jesus. It is so fascinating to see how far back (like all the way to the beginning) that Jesus' priesthood stretches, how much deeper the liturgical readings are linked than the obvious connections we can see, and to feel it all come together.

Recently it all came together in a perfect storm of resources from author John Bergsma.

First, my daughter Rose alerted me to a Pints with Aquinas podcast episode where John Bergsma talks about the Biblical basis for the priesthood of Jesus. This had some stunning connections which make so much sense once someone has pointed them out. Bergsma recently wrote Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood which went straight onto my wish list after seeing the sample and hearing that podcast episode.

I am not surprised at considering that Bergsma's collaboration with Brant Pitre (another excellent author who shows "Jewish roots" connections) on A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament is a simply wonderful scholarly overview of contemporary understanding of the language, literature, history, and culture of the ancient Hebrews. This was a big investment for me but well worth the money. I love it.

But Bergsma's been busier than I realized. Looking around on Amazon for the priesthood book I also came across two other treasures.

I approached the first discovery warily. I've got devotionals the follow the daily and Sunday Mass readings. This would have to offer something different and I felt as if most devotionals tended to fall into the same few general categories. 

However, The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year B delighted me by focusing on the readings from a deep connection to scripture that wasn't held down to the excerpts that the liturgy uses. Bergsma's background as a Biblical scholar comes to the fore in identifying unifying motifs and intriguing connections that you don't see a lot of the time. I splurged on it as my book to buy this month and it is truly wonderful for anyone who loves Bible study and the Sunday Mass liturgy.

Bergsma's connection with the Ave Catholic Notetaking Bible is simply in writing the introduction (as far as I can tell). But I'm grateful to have this Bible called to my attention. Rose got her own copy so I've been able to see it up close and it is on my wish list now.

Here's why.

I've used the same Catholic study Bible (1980) since I converted. It's got the accumulated notes of 20 years from Bible studies, commentaries, and anywhere else that I found something I was afraid I'd forget. I like having all these notes in one place, but I hate having nowhere to write. And as you can see, some of these pages are full!

The pictures and reviews of that notetaking Bible make me itch to begin transcribing everything into a place with enough room.

Genesis is a story without an ending

There is, however, one aspect of Tanakh, systematically evident in the narrative of Genesis, that is rare to the point of uniqueness. It is a story without an ending which looks forward to an open future rather than reaching closure. This defies narrative convention. Normally we expect a story to create a tension that is resolved in the final page. That is what gives art a sense of completion. We do not expect a sculpture to be incomplete, a poem to break off halfway, a novel to end in the middle. Schubert's Unfinished Symphony is the exception that proves the rule.

Yet that is what the Bible repeatedly does. Consider the Humash, the five Mosaic books. The Jewish story begins with a repeated promise to Abraham that he will inherit the land of Canaan. Yet even when we reach the end of Deuteronomy, the Israelites have still not crossed the Jordan. ...

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis

I will not let you go until you bless me

I will not let you go until you bless me: These words of Jacob to the angel lie at the very core of surviving crisis. Each of us knows from personal experience that events that seemed disappointing, painful, even humiliating at the time, can be the most important in our lives. through them we learned how to try harder next time; or they taught us a truth about ourselves; or they shifted our life into a new and more fruitful direction. We learn, not from our successes but from our failures. We mature and grow strong and become more understanding and forgiving through the mistakes we make. A protected life is a fragile and superficial life. Strength comes from knowing the worst and refusing to give in. Jacob/Israel has bequeathed us many gifts, but few more valuable than the obstinacy and resilience that can face hard times and say of them: "I will not let you go until you bless me." I will not give up or move on until I have extracted something positive from this pain and turned it into blessing.

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis

Why is Genesis a series of stories?

In Torah, form follows function. The fact that a piece of information is conveyed in a particular way is never accidental. The chosen genre, the literary medium, is there for a reason, and the reason is never merely aesthetic. Why then did the Torah adopt a story-telling mode for Genesis, its book of first principles?

Partly for the reason already stated: a story is universal. The Torah is a book written for all. One of the great themes of Tanakh is its consistent battle against elites, especially knowledge elites. ... Judaism is about the democratization of holiness, the creation of a society in which everyone will have access to religious knowledge. Hence the importance of stories which everyone can understand.

Yet not understand at the same level: that is another feature of Genesis. Each of its stories has layer upon layer of meaning and significance, which we only grasp after repeated readings. ... The truths of the human condition are simply too deep to be understood at once and on the surface. Only stories have this depth, this ambiguity, this principled multiplicity of meanings.

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis

A supremely child-centered faith

Throughout history, Jews were called on to treasure children. Our entire value system is built on it. Our citadels are schools, our passion, education, and our greatest heroes, teachers. The seder service on Passover opens with questions asked by a child. On the first day of the New Year, we read not about the creation of the universe but about the birth of a child — Isaac to Sarah, Samuel to Hannah. Ours is a supremely child-centered faith.

That is why, at the dawn of Jewish time, God put Abraham and Sarah through these trials — the long wait, the unmet hope, the binding itself — so that neither they nor their descendants would ever take children for granted. Every child is a miracle. Being a parent is the closest we get to God — bringing life into being through an act of love.

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis

Genesis is truth as story

Genesis is Judaism's foundational work, a philosophy of the human condition under the sovereignty of God.

This is a difficult point to understand, because there is no other book quite like it. It is not myth. It is not history in the conventional sense, a mere recording of events. Nor is it theology. Genesis is less about God than about human beings and their relationship with god. the theology is almost always implicit rather than explicit. What Genesis is, in fact, is philosophy written in a deliberately non-philosophical way. ... To put it at its simplest: philosophy is truth as system. Genesis is truth as story. It is a unique work, philosophy in the narrative mode ...

Judaism is about the democratization of holiness, the creation of a whole society in which everyone will have access to religious knowledge. Hence the importance of stories which everyone can understand.

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis

Why was man created last?

As the rabbis put it: "Why was man created last? In order to say, if he is worthy, all creation was made for you; but if he is unworthy, he is told, even a gnat preceded you."

Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: Genesis