The Book of Exodus
Fall 2003 Bible Study

Exodus: A Rabbi's Perspective

"St. Joan of Arc Bible Study is an open and growing group that meets for fellowship and to discuss the Bible and other faith-centered literature. Our informal study group draws from biblical scholarship, historical perspectives, current events and personal reflections. We welcome honor and respect the personal ideas and spiritual journeys of all who join us."

Hello and welcome

Was this not one of the most engaging evenings we've had in some time down in the "Hall" at the old country church? Thank you Rita M. for taking the initiative to facilitate this meeting with our Jewish neighbor. We also offer our sincere gratitude to Rabbi Jeffery Wildstein, Assistant Rabbi for the Temple of Israel, Minneapolis, for accepting the invitation to address our curious group.

Jeffery had agreed to come spend an hour with us from 7 - 8 pm. The first half-hour would be used to give an overall view of the book of Exodus from a Jewish perspective, quite a task indeed. The last half-hour would be taken for Q&A. We planned to break at 8 and after he left we would gather back in our circle for discussion.

However, as our guest seemed to be having as much fun as we were, and with our urging, he kept asking if we should prolong the discussion. The first time he looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was almost 8 o'clock he said, "Well, since we started a few minutes late, can we go a few minutes past eight?" This was greeted with an enthusiastic "Yes!" as we kept telling him, "we have all night!" The next time he looked at his watch he said, "ok, we can go for another fifteen minutes and I'll depart at 8:30." Finally 8:30 arrived and he said something to the effect, "what the heck, were on a roll let's go till 9" to which we all heartily agreed.

By then it was well past our normal treat time but we dared not break the thread of our discussion and we didn't want to miss anything, so some among us actually brought the treats and liquid refreshments to those gathered in the sacred circle. And what a banquet we had!

What transpired before us was a whole-lot-of homemade, made-at-home in-the-country-kitchen-style baked in a wood-burning oven type treat. Are you ready for this... Colonial Style Pumpkin Bars! Bars? I don't think so. This was of the grandest order of cakes you will find today. It is hard to fathom the integration of the subtle autumnal flavorings...mmmm...like baked pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and glorious chopped walnuts merging seamlessly with the creamy tangy richness of whipped cream-cheese frosting. Are you kidding me! Now, some may think that the pumpkin cake is simply a delivery mechanism for the cream-cheese frosting, but this was not the case here! To top it off we had one more treat bearer who stopped at Anodyne on the way in and bought up the rest of their fantastic homemade cookies of a raisin and chocolate chip variety. For the perfect accompaniments, we sipped authentic Mexican decaff coffee and freshly squeezed apple cider. It simply doesn't get any better than that! Grazie!

While it will be impossible to duplicate the intensity and level of interest this discussion aroused, I will touch on a few things of interest and importance to me and that seemed important to Rabbi Wildstein. I'm sure there are many other issues that struck others as well and I hope we create a time to share our thoughts in community. I really can't wait to hear what you all have to say.

We opened with a fitting meditation and were then introduced to the Rabbi. He quickly told us a few things about himself, including his leadership experience with the Jewish Reform group at Yale University, and then began to speak of Exodus. We also concluded quite early that he had a quick and wonderful sense of humor!

In many ways the book of Exodus is the most important book in the Tanach for Jews. Exodus is their "seminal experience". Not only does God deliver them from bondage and lead them out of Egypt but also gives them revelation at Sinai. God gives us freedom and shows us how to live. What greater gift could one imagine? The Covenant means, In agreement with God. A binding of or with, God. This is also the origin of the familiar term, Mitzvah.

We learned many things. One common misconception about Judaism...It does not stop at the end of the Tanach / the Jewish bible. They have the oral traditions (that are actually written down now), Midrashim, Mishnah and the Talmud and I may be missing something here. These are oral arguments about specific passages in Scripture, Codes of Jewish Law and Commentaries on Codes. It was revealed as a fascinating process engaged in to derive meaning from scripture and law. It appears very supple and imaginative and we were witness to a few examples.

We were also given a handout with examples of Mishnah from the Baba Kamma, one specifically addressing the saying, "An eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth." We understand now that this is not taken literally at all but that meanings are derived from an intricate process of logical arguments, questioning and legal commentaries. In this way, Jewish law and interpretation of scripture is ongoing, flexible, and alive.

Hell, as we think of it, along with the Christian concept of Satan has no meaning in Judaism even though these ideas grew out of that tradition. Ha satan is not at war with God or goodness in Hebrew Scripture, but actually works with God and intercedes with humans, mostly for our own good though not always. They don't have hell or anything like eternal damnation, nor do they have heaven as we think of it. They have the present and that is where they attempt to focus.

Sin is also viewed differently. It is not seen as a cosmic struggle for eternal damnation or admittance to Heaven. We have natural but differing impulses that are part of all human beings and we are to do the best we can and make every effort to learn from our mistakes. For these shortcomings the Jews have the Day of Atonement, or, at-one-ment, where they fast and pray and get focused on God again.

We also asked many fascinating questions and received many fascinating and interesting answers. I will touch on a couple here and attempt to portray them to the best of my recollection.

Q. What does the term Messiah mean to Jews and has that meaning evolved or changed from what it meant 2 -3 thousand years ago. And in what ways, if any, does it differ from of the current Christian definition as he understands it?

A. Messiah comes from the Hebrew word, Meshiach, which means, anointed one. This is a term related to royalty and the political arena. A King of ancient Israel was not crowned but rather anointed with oil. The term has nothing to do with a spiritual savior, but more of a political leader who will become king, oust the foreign powers and restore Israel. An interesting point is that the Greek translation of Meshiach is Christos.