Unscrolled : 54 Writers and Artists Wrestle With the Torah (9780761178743)
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Unscrolled
54 Writers and Artists Wrestle with the Torah
Edited by Roger Bennett
Workman Publishing
New York
To Rachel Levin and Amichai Lau-Lavie, who built Reboot with the love and care Bezalel devoted to constructing the Tabernacle, although with fewer dolphin skins
Contents
Introduction
Part One: Genesis
Josh Radnor
Aimee Bender
Jill Soloway
Damon Lindelof
Rebecca Dana
Joshua Foer
Adam Mansbach
Michaela Watkins
David Auburn
Todd Rosenberg
Saki Knafo
Dennis Berman
Part Two: Exodus
Susan Dominus
Sloane Crosley
Steve Bodow
Joel Stein
Rebecca Odes & Sam Lipsyte
Ben Greenman
Marc Kushner
Mark Lamster
Rich Cohen
Ross Martin
Josh Kun
Part Three: Leviticus
Michelle Quint
Rachel Levin
David Sax
Jamie Glassman
Tim Samuels
Amichai Lau-Lavie
A. J. Jacobs
Dana Adam Shapiro
Mireille Silcoff
Christopher Noxon
Part Four: Numbers
Eli Horowitz
Justin Rocket Silverman
Eddy Portnoy
Caitlin Roper
Adam Levin
Rachel Axler
Shoshana Berger
Larry Smith
Gabe Delahaye
Rebecca Bortman
Part Five: Deuteronomy
Jesse Aaron Cohen
Ariel Kaminer
Charles London
Samantha Shapiro
David Katznelson
Davy Rothbart
Anonymous
Eli Attie
Gillian Laub
Rick Meyerowitz
Roger Bennett
Contributors
About Reboot
Introduction
Every book has a founding story. like the Bible itself, this volume originated on a mountaintop, though without the pomp, fire, and cloud of Mount Sinai. In slightly less theatrical surrounds, it was born amid the snow-tipped Wasatch Mountain range outside Park City, Utah.
The Reboot network has met there every year since 2002, bringing together an eclectic mix of characters to discuss how generational changes in technology, community, and meaning have transformed American Jewish identity. Over the years, the conversation has catalyzed the creation of more than a hundred varied projects and programs. This book is one such product—the outcome of a discussion that began in 2011, when Damon Lindelof invited the group to consider the Genesis tale of Abraham’s binding of Isaac.
In a room full of talkative writers, technologists, and social activists, the perplexing story of a father willing to sacrifice his son to prove the depth of his belief was like conversational catnip. An animated discussion encompassing godly commands, false prophecy, dodgy parenting, blind faith, and human justice ensued.
The conversation forced the group to confront a number of questions, most glaringly, how long it had been since they had last read a biblical text. The majority had stumbled through the Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Prophet, or Siddhartha in their college years, but if they retained any sense of the Bible, it was typically a vague memory, forged in youth, of crudely constructed, sanitized tales badly told—a stark contrast to the nuanced narrative they now grappled with together. A second session was scheduled to explore the story of the Tower of Babel. One on Moses and the burning bush quickly followed.
And so the idea for Unscrolled was born: an experiment to see what questions and ideas would emerge if fifty-four game individuals each wrestled with a single section of the Torah—the first five books of the Bible—from the rollicking, human stories of Genesis, to the nation building of Exodus; the blood, organs, and ritual sacrifices of Leviticus; the confusion of Numbers; and the dramatic climax of Deuteronomy.
The idea is far from original. The Torah is typically read in fifty-four sections in synagogues around the world over the course of a lunisolar year. Each public reading, chanted aloud, is traditionally accompanied by a Dvar Torah (literally a “word of Torah”) in which a member of the congregation steps up to deliver a personal interpretation of the story. This riff can focus on anything, from a single word or detail, to an overarching examination of character or the entire story line.
Consider this, then, as a book of unorthodox Divrei Torah, offered up in the spirit of the rabbinical assertion that there are infinite interpretations of the Torah and that everyone who stood at Mount Sinai saw a “different face” of the text.
A word on the book’s format: Each chapter contains a synopsis of the biblical section, including the particular verse that inspired the contributor’s interpretation that follows. The synopsis is faithful to the biblical text. If you find your blood boiling because the number of Israelite men leaving Egypt is recorded along with a reference to the children and cattle who accompanied them, yet women are not mentioned, that is the original text talking.
Know also that although we are eternally indebted to each contributor and the spirit of creative adventure he or she brought to the project, the reaction triggered by the text and interpretation—be it enjoyment, frustration, amusement, or anger—is the point. Our highest hope is that this volume will cause you to follow this biblical text along with us throughout the year and wrestle with the narrative to come to your own conclusions—a ritual that has been faithfully followed for more than three thousand years.
Roger Bennett
New York City
@unscrolled
unscrolled.org
Part One
Genesis
A dizzying race from the story of creation through the tales of the Patriarchs—Abraham! Isaac! Jacob!—Genesis is a crushed cluster of classic biblical stories served up at nosebleed pace.
The narrative charges through the primeval story, Adam and Eve, and Noah and the flood before lingering on the covenant-entwined life of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (with all-too-fleeting mention of matriarchs Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel).
In arguably the Torah’s most complete book, the characters are humanly portrayed and the stories well crafted. Ranging in emotion from the horror of Isaac’s binding, to the suffering of Lot, the romance of Rebekah, and the soap-operatic tale of Jacob’s rise to power, the tales never lose their narrative thread, leaving a reader eager to move from cliffhanger to cliff-hanger.
Josh Radnor
B’reishit (“In the beginning”) Genesis 1:1–6:8
Aimee Bender
Noah (“Noah”) Genesis 6:9–11:32
Jill Soloway
Lekh L’kha (“Go”) Genesis 12:1–17:27
Damon Lindelof
Vayeara (“And he appeared”) Genesis 18:1–22:24
Rebecca Dana
Hayyei Sarah (“The life of Sarah”) Genesis 23:1–25:18
Joshua Foer
Tol’dot (“Generations”) Genesis 25:19–28:9
/> Adam Mansbach
Va-yetzei (“And he left”) Genesis 28:10–32:3
Michaela Watkins
Va-yishlah (“And he sent”) Genesis 32:4–36:43
David Auburn
Va-yeishev (“And he dwelt”) Genesis 37:1–40:23
Todd Rosenberg
Mi-ketz (“At the end”) Genesis 41:1–44:17
Saki Knafo
Va-yiggash (“Then he drew near”) Genesis 44:18–47:27
Dennis Berman
Va-y’hi (“And he lived”) Genesis 47:28–50:26
“God knows as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad.” —Genesis 3:5
B’REISHIT (“In the beginning”)
Genesis 1:1–6:8
In the beginning: God creates heaven and earth, light and darkness, day and night, and then pro- ceeds to embellish the project on a daily basis. The land is separated from water to establish earth and sea. Then trees, fruit, and other plants are crafted. The stars are next to be added, along with the sun and moon.
The waters are packed with sea creatures, the land with wildlife, and the sky with birds, all of which will reproduce.
Then comes the big one. God creates humanity—both male and female are a reflection of the creator’s image—blessing them with the mandate to become fertile masters of the world, in control of every other living creature.
To cap this week of stunning productivity, God blesses the seventh day, declares it holy, downs the tools, and stops work.
the rise and fall of mankind
A more detailed retelling of the creation of the human race is now provided. The male prototype is crafted from the dust on the ground. God breathes life into his soul by blowing into his nostrils, causing man to snap to attention.
God selects the garden of Eden as man’s habitat—a paradise containing all the food anyone could eat. A tree of life sprouts in the center, alongside the tree of good and bad knowledge. God inserts man into this setting with simple instructions: “Help yourself to anything, but whatever you do, don’t eat from the tree of knowledge—it will kill you.”
While man goes about the time-consuming task of naming every animal, God realizes it is not a good idea for him to be alone. After putting man to sleep, God extracts a rib and fashions it into woman, a name man creates. Both are stark naked, but their nudity does not bother them in the slightest.
A canny serpent soon manages to persuade woman to consider eating from the tree of knowledge. The snake’s key point is that knowing everything will elevate humans to God’s level. With her interest piqued, woman proceeds to eat from the tree, feeding her husband, too. As soon as they have eaten, they look down, realize they are naked, and experience a sudden burst of shame. Fig leaves are quickly fashioned into loincloths, and they are nude no more.
When they hear God approaching, both man and woman attempt to hide. God calls out to man, who admits he is hiding because he is embarrassed by his naked state. God shrewdly inquires if this sudden self-consciousness is a sign that man and woman have eaten from the forbidden tree of knowledge. Man confesses that he ate, but only because woman urged him to do so. Woman passes the buck on to the serpent, claiming it seduced her.
God’s punishment is immediate. The serpent can now move only by crawling on its belly. Woman is condemned to suffer the intense pain of childbirth, and man will now have to work the land to grow whatever they require to eat. Humans will also be mortal from now on. To make sure of this, God kicks the pair out of Eden so they will not be tempted to eat from the tree of life and names them: Adam and Eve.
offspring and murder are invented almost simultaneously
Adam and Eve proceed to have two sons: Abel, a shepherd, and Cain, a farmer. The two make offerings to God. Cain uses his fruit. Abel gives up his best sheep. God favors the lamb offering, which upsets Cain so much that God is compelled to chide him. “Don’t be angry. You can do better,” God explains. “Good and bad are yours to choose, but sin is intoxicating, and it is up to you to resist it.”
The warning does Cain no good. The next thing we know, he has killed his brother in the field. When God inquires about Abel’s whereabouts and Cain plays dumb, replying, “I don’t know; am I my brother’s keeper?” God busts him. Once more punishment is dispensed instantaneously. From that day on, Cain will struggle to farm and will be forced to wander the world restlessly. A panicked Cain is concerned that other men will enforce vigilante justice to avenge his crime. God thoughtfully places “the mark of Cain” on his head to warn others that they should not touch him.
things aren’t what they used to be
Cain takes a wife and proceeds to have a child, Enoch. He also builds a city and names it after his son. His descendants are listed, creating an impression of a world that is filling up with people over time. Adam and Eve also have another son, Seth. Several generations of his descendants are listed, along with their life spans, which are as long as 969 years. They culminate in Noah, who has three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, all born when he is at the ripe old age of 500.
Josh Radnor
I believe in God. I try to feel the room before I blurt that out in conversation, but . . . it’s a feature of my personality and a fact of my life. I’ve long wanted to do away with ideology and the punishing male trickster deity of my youth and get to the heart of the heart of the matter. Who is God? Who are we? What are we doing here? And how can we do it with a little more grace and guidance? Healing my broken perceptions of the divine, hitting the “install update” button and awakening to a new vision of God—that’s what this prayer is for me.
REVISION
1Lord, hear my prayer—
1My mind is filled with falsehoods about You.
2Today let me rewrite.
3Give me the courage to delete the rotten first second third and hundredth drafts
4That deny You,
5That blame You,
6That slander You.
7It is time.
1Guide me to write a different, better story.
2Teach me the true meaning of the garden, the snake, the apple, and the fall.
3Scrub from my mind the lazy oft-told tales of punishment, trickery, and abandonment.
4Let me retire the ego’s clichés and distortions, O Lord, and bid farewell to the misconceived central character:
5the psychopathic, jealous trickster,
6the crude caricature of paternal retribution,
7the off-planet deity watching over us impassively, folded-armed, while we rot and writhe, our cries falling on deaf God ears.
1I declare this vision of God to be false, and I ask that any remnants of this lie be erased from the crevices of my consciousness.
1Let me learn anew. Let not the guilting of grandparents lead me to fear and reject the guidance of the other:
2The Sikh,
3The Sufi,
4The Shaman,
5The Hindu,
6The Buddhist,
7The Christian,
8The Gnostic,
9The Kabbalist.
10If it is wise and true
11—If it bears Your cosmic fingerprints and the quiet perfection of Your voice—
12I will listen.
1Let me live with the compassion of Buddha and Quan Yin and Mother Mary,
2Let me write with the sacred clarity of Rumi and Hafiz, Wordsworth and Blake.
3Teach me to surrender like Mohammed and pray like David,
4To be fiery like Rama and fierce like Jesus.
1May I not fall into the deification of any man—for You alone are God—but may I let the example of their light guide my path.
1When I am weeping like Arjuna on the inner battlefield, may beautiful blue Krishna—the divine charioteer—lift
me up and remind me of the Truth:
1I am That.
2Thou are That. All this is That.
3That alone Is and there is nothing else but That.
1 Let me remember the divine dance of the Mother-Father, always, lest I fall into the dog-eat-dog foolishness upon which so much cruelty and injustice is based.
1(When the Father said, “Let there be light,” the Mother answered, “And there was light.”)
1Erase the imprint of atheism from my mind, Lord.
2And while You’re at it, please remove: guilt, shame, anxiety, depression, comparison, competition, vanity, arrogance, and sloth.
1Let the false prophets and holy bullies turn inward.
2May they recognize the battle is never outside themselves.
3For You do not exist in the world of opposites.
1The madness of this world is our own.
2We created it, we perpetuated it.
3You do not endorse it.
4You are innocent.
5We have created You in our image.
6Forgive us.
1How am I to know I am being heard?
2Because I am speaking to myself.
1You and I are not separate.
1Heal the wound in my psyche that stubbornly claims otherwise,
2For this is the ego’s well-constructed and persistent lie:
3You are alone you are alone you are alone.
1Like a train schedule blaring on a loudspeaker, it is repeated. Over and over.
2Daring us to relent and believe that which is false.
1The bite of that apple was terrible indeed.
2It convinced us we were not You.
1Let me bear the weight of the responsibility for these errors of thought, speech, action, and perception as I learn to walk the razor’s edge of virtue.
1May I always hear the steady vigilance and unending love of Your voice guiding me home.
1All else falls away.
2Only that which is unchanging is True.
1Thank You, Mother-Father God,