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led by David Lloyd and Steve Marcus
The stories in Genesis ask questions that still resonate today: why do we feel a divine spark within ourselves, why do we feel estranged from God, why do we murder our brothers and sisters, how does God work through us for larger purposes? (To name a few) We invite you to engage with these and other questions raised by the familiar stories of creation, the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, Jacob and Esau, and Joseph.
We did not approach these stories as a Biblical history course (e.g., Abraham lived at approximately 2000 B.C.), nor as events that happened once. Rather, we see parallels and inverted parallels in the later stories to events in the earlier stories, and issues in the stories that arose again during the Exodus, the kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon, the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and post-Babylonian exile. Indeed, we see the stories as having a current truth because they create questions for us, sometimes-uncomfortable questions, about our own lives and our struggles in faith along our spiritual journeys. The process of studying the text, asking questions for understanding, and trying to find relevant answers is the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash. Finally, we did not use the stories as Christian stories and as much as possible participants tried to avoid seeing them through the lens of Christianity. We engaged these stories on their own terms as Hebrew scripture of Judaism, a living faith.
We used a translation by Everett Fox, The Five Books of Moses (Schocken Press), as our text. This translation does not translate the Hebrew into idiomatic 20th century English. Instead, it captures the rhythm, word play and immediacy of the original Hebrew in a form suitable for oral reading or chanting. We read the text aloud as a group, read it aloud daily at home. We encourage you to try chanting it, much as the Hebrew is chanted in Sabbath services. Steve reminded us that every word in the Hebrew text is sacred and is there for a purpose. Steve recounted a rabbinical saying, "The text is there in black print. Our task is to fill the white spaces between words, between lines, and in the margins with our understanding of the text."
Each week Dave convened the class by inviting participants to share their insights from the "homework" questions (for about half an hour). Such insights were brought as art, movement and poetry as well as in narrative. We then subdivided into groups of three or four to share our personal experiences with new questions (again for about a half hour). We reunited for the final half hour and read the text for the forthcoming week aloud together. Steve enriched our exploration of the text by adding translations and rabbinical interpretations and other Midrash of the Hebrew text. The class asked questions for clarification and sometimes shared immediate insights and observations. (Steve also brought us the gift of music, including Hebrew melodies he played on the flute and recorded chants based on the text and the Psalms that we joined along in.) We also took glimpses at these through the eyes of participants in the Bill Moyer's PBS series, Conversations with Genesis. Dave shared cartoons syndicated in newspapers and the New Yorker magazine that explicitly addressed the scriptural text.
We hope that you will find useful insights for your spiritual journey from these timeless stories!
Genesis 1: 1 - 2: 4
When is the first (or an early) time you sensed yourself as part of creation?
How do you see creation - as good, not so good, or neutral? Why?
What does it mean to you to be created in the image of God?
In-class exercise: Make a symbol of your vision of creation (art, sculpture, dance, movement,
music, poetry)
Genesis 1: 26 -- 2: 25
How do you account for these two alternative descriptions?
Which of the two accounts do you prefer? Why?
What do you think is the divine plan for male/female relationships?
Genesis 2: 15-17, 3: 1-24
What does this story tell you that being a human involves?
Have you ever had an experience that made this story ring true for you?
Does this story affect your view of God?
Genesis 4: 1-26
What do you make of God in this story?
Describe a time when you had feelings like Cain's
How does this story make you feel?
Genesis 6: 5 -- 9: 29
What do you make of God in this story?
What does "being righteous in one's generation" mean to you?
What would you want to tell Noah after the Flood?
Genesis: 11: 26 -- 15: 21
Choose one:
Describe a time when you felt called by God; how did you respond?
Describe a time when you had not felt called, but were in relationship with someone who
was.
If you have not felt called, what do you think God's call might involve for you?
Genesis 16: 1 -- 18: 15, 21: 1-21
Choose one:
Describe a time when you felt you had to manipulate events for your call to become actualized
Describe a time when you did what you thought was prompted by the Spirit, only to have
it lead to brokenness or estrangement.
Describe a time when you have felt abandoned by God or when your spiritual survival
was in question.
Genesis 22: 1-24
What do you make of God in this story?
Describe a time when the totality of your faith has been tested by God.
How has God provided a ram in the thicket for you?
Genesis 25: 19-34, 27: 1 -- 28: 22
What do you make of God in this story?
How do you feel about Jacob as a spiritual ancestor?
Describe an experience when you felt you were in the presence of God.
Genesis 29: 1 -- 33: 17, 35: 1-13
Describe an experience when you felt you were in the presence of God.
Describe a time when you were faithful, only to be disappointed in God
Describe some of the ups and downs of your spiritual journey
How have you wrestled with your spirituality?
Genesis 37: 1-36; 39: 1 - 41: 57
Can you describe a time when you used a spiritual gift before you were ready for it?
Describe an experience when being good seemed to make things worse.
Describe a dream in which God spoke to you.
Genesis 42: 1 -- 46: 7; 49: 28 - 50: 26
Can you describe a time when you were tempted to pay back evil or evil to loved ones?
Describe a time in your life when God brought good out of evil.
In-class shared reflections: What are repeated themes that struck you during the 12 weeks?
Did any new insights come during the 12 weeks?
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