Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/28

 The Book of Genesis

10

gathered the essential study

learn

to

lines,

and get

at

Jewish

of

facts

carefully,

think

We

history.

deeply,

We

the hidden truths beneath.

must

between

read

the

must ask

ourselves constantly, wdio were the authors of these narra-

from wdiat sources did they draw their material, for what i)urposes did they write, what was their conception of Jewish history and of Judaism, and how can we best put ourselves into their frame of mind, so that we may interpret tives,

waitings,

their

and less

not,

fantastically,

as

is

so

frequently

reading into them

all

done,

haphazardly

manner

of ground-

conjectures and wild vagaries, but soberly, constructively,

and Jewishly, as they meant them to be interpreted. Above all, we must never forget that history, true history, is primarily the record of the thoughts, ambitions, and ideals of a people finding concrete expression in

its daily life. Thereunderstand the history of even the early Biblical period we need to do more than to merely acquaint our-

to

fore,

selves with

the contents of

The Prophets and

the so-called

Holy Writings,

the

Historical

which

Books.

mirror

so

or at least

and aspirations of the people, of their religious leaders, must be studied and

understood

in

faithfully the thoughts, beliefs,

With the and

difficult,

equal measure. later periods

this

task becomes

more complex

yet not one wdiit less imperative.

Israel's

tory after the close of the early Biblical period the chronicle of a nation's achievements than

his-

far less

the sad, yet

record of a people's sufferings, thoughts, aspira-

inspiring, tions,

is

and

beliefs, finding

literature.

It

heroes, hui

it

takes

has

expression in a vast and diversified

little

much

account of deeds of warriors and

tell of rabbis, teachers, and thinkand of the thoughts they conceived, and the interpretation they gave to Judaism as the result of much thinking and deep and broad experience. The true key then to

to

ers,

Israel's

Exile

is

history in

all

the periods

following the Babylonian

rather the appreciation of what

we might

call

the