Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/309

Rh 291

Joseph the Dreamer

Cod has So it is, these authors would tell us, in all life. be-' choose to power the with freewill, endowed man with is not do men which evil the But tween good and evil. Somehow, in ways which we can not comprehend, eternal. and history, but the evidences of which we can see in all life •

and particularly in Israel's history, God changes beautiful which men and nations do into good. Even as the accordin dung, and dirt rose blossoms forth from out the the

evil

with God's ance with God's law, so, likewise in accordance must blessing and law, out of men's evil deeds greater good

Men may mean time spring forth for later generations. God has not merely for good. it for evil, but God means it sits back created the world and set it going, and since then

in

in passive idleness



God

is

still

in the world,

guiding the des-

nations aright in accordance with His wise manand beneficent laws, changing evil to good, and bringing progress, kind steadily forward upon the path of truth and

tinies of

men and

which leads

to

the goal of

human

existence which

He

has

appointed.

This

is

the teaching of Judaism, and this

the message

is

theme which animates it of the Joseph of which it is the conand purpose, and and gives it unity the answer to the gives It illustration. crete and convincing chapters of Genopening the of analysis question which the story,

esis

must have raised

the

in

central

thinking minds.

If

God

has cre-

man with ated everything for good, and if He has endowed chooses, he as evil or good work freewill, whereby man can does how and do, may man what becomes of the evil which story The Joseph good? accord with God's purpose of it but gives the answer; men may do evil if they choose; brings time own His somehow, out of this very evil God in rounds greater good for all mankind. Thus the Joseph story and Genesis, of out, as it were, the thought of the Book most fitting conclusion for book of the Pentateuch and of the Bible.

constitutes

a

this

introductory \n