The First Reading Is in the Books

Congratulations! If you have been reading along then you have finished your first reading of the Torah. This is a significant accomplishment. Now we must advance to the next step. In these next two days, there is no reading. Rather, you should be finalizing your outlines of the Torah. Some questions to ask yourself as you make your map: What words/themes give a good summary of a particular story? What words/themes connect two different stories together? In order to help you, I have posted a few pictures of mine as an example.

I use the key words on this map as a short-hand way of helping me remember things. For instance, I included "Sibling Rivalry" as a theme (in yellow) that connects each section of Genesis as well as Numbers 10:11-19:22. When I see this marker, I think of Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau, Rachel and Leah, Joseph and his brother, and finally Moses v. Aaron and Miriam. Each of these words is connected to a section, which reminds me of a story. By linking them together, I have created a deeper connection that I am more likely to remember.

 As you look at my project, there are three things I want you to remember:

1)      DO NOT over-complicate things! The sections are supposed to be broad.

2)      DO NOT connect too many themes/key words with each section. Try to get down 4 to 5 at most; you might even have just 1 for some sections.

3)     Finally, make your own. Here is the beauty: your graphic representation of the Torah does not have to make sense to anyone else. The idea is to make a broad map that will help you put things into perspective.

I hope you have some fun trying to create this tool. This is the groundwork. Next month, this map will become more detailed. We will be giving further nuance to the larger sections and making more detailed thematic and content links between the different sections.

The true, hidden beauty of hands-on creative projects like this one is that it forces us to work with the material in a way that creates memories that are attached to the action. So, if you feel like you have nothing, just sit down and throw some ideas around; you will begin making memories of these stories based on your experience in creating the project. Trust me, I still have a detailed memory of the place and time in which I charted out Genesis 14…those were the days [stares off dreamily, eyes lose focus]. But I digress.

Here is what I would like you to do: After you finish, post a picture of your project in the comments section. I would love to see what you are creating.

Reminder: The reading resumes Monday, but we do not begin with Genesis! Exodus will launch us into the next cycle. More on that later, until then, happy map making!