There is no dispute that Jews love to argue about our ancient texts. We crave the rigor of scholarship, which is why for millennia now, we have sustained our intellectual contributions by examining even what seem to be the most picayune aspects of our holy texts. Yet, for all the spiritual succor that studying Biblical and Talmudic passages can provide, texts written in different eras and geographical areas naturally can feel foreign to us; their assumptions, context, and values are often different. Whether written in 3rd century Babylonia, 11th century France, 19th century Germany, or 20th century Manhattan, the texts need to be translated into the 21st century and this is no easy task.
There is no doubt in my mind that these texts are enormously valuable and rewarding. But to gain access to the latent sagacity that supports the texts, we must do the hard work so that their potential for personal meaning-making is manifold.
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