The Second Read-Through

Believe it or not, the first read-through will be completed this Friday, August 3. With that in mind, here are the instructions:

1.      As you read through the second time, begin dividing your major sections into subsections. The idea is to further nuance the major sections. Do not make the subsections too specific. These subsections should help you to be more exact in your descriptions of major sections. There are no right answers/titles. The goal is to help you memorize the movement of the story and to re-articulate it briefly.

a.       For example, Genesis 1-11, dubbed Primeval History, could be divided as follows:

                                                                          i.      Genesis 1-3: Creation

                                                                        ii.      Genesis 4-5: Adam’s Genealogy

                                                                      iii.      Genesis 6-8 Noah’s story

                                                                      iv.      Genesis 9-11: Noah’s Genealogy

2.      Take the list of key words in each major section and determine if they belong more particularly to the subsections that you have identified. Once again, this should help you narrow the thematic continuity and attach it more concretely to a smaller section.

a.       For example: if covenant is an important theme in Genesis 1-11, would it be more precise to say that it is significant for Genesis 6-8 as opposed to 1-11?

3.      Highlight the thematically related subsections with the same color.

4.      Redraw your graphic. Treat each of the major sections separately. Create something that will help you to solidify the position of each subsection within its major section by both outline and theme.

As you can see, this second read through very much builds from the work you have done in the first one. The idea is to add some detail to the general map that you constructed. If you feel like you are not quite sure how to "complete" your first read through, fear not. I will be completing my project and displaying it early Saturday morning so that you have an idea of what it might look like. I hope the Torah is treating you well.

The Grand Poobah of Story Arches

I am sure that many of you are all familiar with the Flintstones. If you are, you might also be familiar with the fact that Barney and Fred were members of the Loyal Order of the Water Buffaloes, Lodge Number 26. The leader of this fraternity was dubbed the Grand Poobah. As I mentioned in a previous post on the Tabernacle, it is a characteristic of Hebrew narrative to work in an arch. This method of storytelling accentuates the middle of the arch and allows the readers to see what has changed in the characters when they experience similar situations after the middle event. The Tabernacle arch, which accentuates the golden calf incident, is a miniature arch within the overall story of Torah. The principle arch in the Torah stretches from Exodus 15-Number 20. The central event of this Grand Poobah of all Torah arches is the Sinai Revelation in Exodus 19-Numbers 10:10.

If this is the arch I think it is, then we should look at the parallels to see what effect this revelation at Sinai had on the Israelites. Note the diagram:

Each of the stories leading up to the Sinai revelation in Exodus are paralleled (in no specific order) on the other side. What becomes evident in a comparison is that the response of the Israelites is either the same, or worse after the revelation. This leaves the reader with a sense of foreboding. What is this covenant people really capable of? Will they be obedient? If direct revelation from God does not immediately change their behavior then how will they be coaxed into obedience? These are the questions that crop up throughout the Hebrew Scripture; they find their focal point in this narrative arch.

But, that is a theological matter. For now we are focused on making content connections. As such, I think this diagram is a very helpful way to organize the major movement of a lengthy portion of the Torah. I have found it a helpful way to remember some of the more obscure stories in this section as well as give them some sort of possible trajectory and purpose. (If I have an idea of what the story is trying to say and where it is headed, I find that I am more likely to remember it.)

In conclusion, I would like to make a quick point, which is a side note to this presentation. Until recently, it was quite popular to criticize the Torah when certain stories would be repeated. The claim among scholars is that there are multiple sources and an editor simply arranged the stories and kept the repeats for posterity (obviously the argument is much more involved than this, but it is the gist). This approach to reading the Torah is oblivious to the nature of Hebrew storytelling. These stories are not repeated with altered nuances, they are meant to contrast the activity of the characters after a key moment in the story. [Steps down from soap box and walks away].

I hope this has been a helpful read. On Monday, I will be posting some clarifying instructions for your final reflection days and display my graphic representation of the Torah. The post will also include instructions for your second reading, which will begin on Monday, August 6th.

Numbers 7

A quick, time-saving note: once you have read the first set of dedication offerings in 7:12-17, you can just read the name for each subsequent offering because they are identical in every other way.

I have just effectively made the longest chapter in Torah one of the shorter ones. You are welcome.

Note Taking Part 2: General Outlining

In my first note taking instructional post, I showed you some snapshots of my notes. As you probably noticed, there was little in the way of a structure of the book of Genesis. If you looked at my notes and compared them with the instructions that I provided before we started, you may be asking yourself, "How does that accomplish what you want everyone to be doing?" The answer is: It does not. That is to say, it does not, until you combine it with another piece.

In this snapshot, I have provided a general outline of Genesis. It is by no means a perfect one, but it proves helpful in grouping the entire book into manageable portions. So, though titling 27:1-37:1 "Jacob" hardly clues me into the fact that chapter 34 contains the story of Dinah, this title is very basic to the section as a whole. For the time being I just want you all to be making a very rough, general outline of each book you have completed on the reflection day . (I refer to this step as General Outlining.)



You will remember in my first note taking post that I demonstrated the ways that I was recording repeating themes, words, and phrases in the book of Genesis. This is the step I call Thematic Outlining. My goal (and I hope it is yours as well by the end), is to combine this Thematic Outline with the General Outline to create a structural and thematic representation of Genesis and eventually Exodus through Deuteronomy as well. In this final representation, I will assign each theme, word, and phrase a color and write them inside each bubble on the General Outline. Then, when I put all of the outlines (Genesis - Deuteronomy) together, I will see the sections that have the most commonality by their common colors. This, in turn, will allow me to make connections that I may not have made before.

Let me give you an example. I have notice that the word "remember" occurs at several key points in Genesis: in the Noah story, God remembers Noah and the flood waters recede; in the story of Rebekah, God remembers Rebekah and she conceives; and, in the Joseph story, the cup-bearer remembers Joseph and he is released from prison. Likewise, in Exodus, it is not until God hears and remembers Israel that he begins the process of deliverance. So when I outline these two books and write the word "remember" in a particular color on my outline under each of the major sections, I will be able to connect them in a way that I may not have seen before. This will aid me as I continue to read, providing landmarks for orientation in the text.

I hope this has been a helpful tip for you as you continue to read. Please do not get too detailed and specific in your General Outlines . General is the operative term. The only specifics needed are those pertaining to the themes, words, and phrases that you are keeping track of.

P.S. for a further example, please see my General Outline and Thematic Outline for Exodus below.

P.S.S. Do not feel obligated to use the titles of have given to each section, they are helpful for me, but they may not work for you. By all means, if you want to title Exodus 1-12 "Peaches" because it helps you remember what it is about, then do so.

 

Warning! This Bus Is About to Come to a Complete Stop

Please keep your hands and feet inside the donkey, this desert wandering is arriving at its destination. Estimated departure time: Numbers 10. You heard me. Starting tomorrow with Exodus 19, we will be parked at Sinai all the way through Numbers 10. Time elapsed between Genesis 1 and Exodus 18: thousands of years; time elapsed between Exodus 19 and Numbers 10: about 4-5 months.

Excited? I am. But I also understand that this can be one of the most difficult sections of the Torah to get through. So I am here to give some strategies to employ as you encounter some of the monotony. In this first installment, I want to give you some suggestions on how to get through the Tabernacle sections. Yes, I said, "sections," in the plural. As in, there are two sections that give you all the minutiae of the Tabernacle design. You will find them in Exodus 25:1-31:8 and 35:1-40:38.

In order to offer some help, I have recorded a short message with instructions. After the video, I have gathered some images that I find helpful as I read. I did not find any great representations of the priestly garments. Feel free to do a Google search and see if you find anything. Happy Reading!

Here are some images. They are all from http://www.templebuildersministry.com/Index_tabernacle.php. I cannot vouch for everything on this website, but all the images were in one place, which was helpful.

The Ark: 25:10-22

The Table: 25:23-30

The Lampstand: 25:31-40

The Tabernacle: 26:1-37

 

The Altar of Burnt Offering: 27:1-9

The Altar of Incense: 30:1-10

Washing Basin: 30:17-21

Note Taking - Reprise

I posted an audio-visual file on Saturday regarding some note taking ideas. I hated it. So I deleted it and decided that I will stick with writing for now. If I try a video again I will find a way to record my face while I am talking. My hypothesis is that my face might distract you from the boring drone of my voice. But that is an experiment for another day. For now let us focus on the experiment of organizing Genesis. (Note: you can click on the images to make them larger.)

What you are currently looking at is my attempt to make some sense of Genesis. As you will notice, I have divided my observations into three different categories to help make as many internal connections as possible. Each of these green squares opens up to reveal different categories. I will share two of the most fruitful ones with you.

"These are the generations"... proved to be a very interesting way to make connections in the book of Genesis. It divides the book into nice chunks and gives me easy landmarks to recognize and organize the book.

Looking at common words in Genesis is not so much a way to structure the book into large chunks as it is a way of making connections throughout the book. Looking for key words is an excellent way to connect one story with another as a way of committing the stories to memory. For example, in my notes, you will notice that the yellow bubbles record God's blessings to people, places, or things whereas the purple records people blessing other people (the red one is a curious use of the word for blessing that I will not go into here). One link that I had never made before is the blessing of God given to Laban's household and Potiphar's--the Egyptian's--household. What connects these two things is that, in both cases, God blesses the households because of his relationship with Jacob or Joseph respectively. Now, whenever I think of the Laban story I will think of Joseph in Potiphar's house and vice versa; it is an excellent way to commit things to memory!

These are just a few examples of how you might go about taking notes. However, do not feel pressure to make them so detailed. In this read through, you should just be making some rudimentary connections.

Here is the one thing that I want you to do: after you finish Genesis tomorrow, complete this sentence, "I think Genesis is about...". I want you to give a hypothesis of what you think Genesis is about and here is why. When you approach a book with an idea of what it is trying to communicate, it changes the way you read; it gives you a strategy. My hope is that, after we have completed one cycle, we can all take someone's hypothesis that we find intriguing and use it as a tool to read Genesis the next time through, noting weaknesses and strengths as we go. Having this kind thing to focus on will really help you when you start to get into the last half of Exodus and Leviticus, trust me.

So after tomorrow, respond to this post with your hypotheses and we will see what happens.

The Many Hagars and Some Rehashing

I have a few logistical things to get out of the way today and some fun items:

First, I have decided that I will hold back on my note-taking example until the first reflection day on the schedule. Trust me, it just makes more sense this way.

Second, it was also brought to my attention that I should direct everyone to the original instructions and schedule from earlier just in case someone new might be picking this up. So here are the schedule and the instructions for the first read through.

Third, another quick piece of advice: When and if you are taking notes as you read, just jot down important phrases, words, and themes, do not get too detailed or you will get bogged down. You are trying to catch the larger sweeps of the story. Also, think about the flow of the story as you go. Once you get to a reflection day, you should start thinking about how to organize the reading you have done to that point. If you try to organize the sections day by day, you will not end up with a large section, but several micro-sections. So do not be too eager to create an outline just yet. If you are struggling with what to do exactly, just keep reading and I will demonstrate how to take notes and synthesize them on the first reflection day.

Finally, as I was putting this blog together, I thought I would give Hagar her 15 minutes and post a picture of her. I was pleasantly surprised and reminded that there is more than one Hagar in our culture. (PS Hagar was not a Caucasian woman; nor was the angel a Caucasian person).

I hope you are enjoying the exploits of Abram/Abraham today. And once again, feel free to post any questions that pop up and I will do my best to answer them.

A Quick Note on Day One

IT HAS BEGUN!!!

This is just a quick note to let you all know that I have not forgotten the beginning of our reading cycle. I spent all day flying from California to Missouri and this is the first chance I have had to get to my computer.

This first day starts us off with a mild taste of narrative, poetry, and genealogy. If you have a moment, just try to get a sense of the progression of the story thus far as you reflect. Though more detailed and formal reflection will come on Day 7, it does not hurt to start thinking ahead.

I will post something more extensive tomorrow with some examples of notes that I have taken in regard to these first five chapters to give you a jump start if you need it. Otherwise, I am happy to address any questions that popped up while you read.

Believe it or not, if you stick with this reading schedule, you will have read through Genesis 34 by Friday, having worked through Noah, Abraham, Isaac,  and Jacob to Dinah, who, contrary to the song, will not be rowing any sort of boats ashore.