Questions for Jewish people on the book of Genesis?

Question

Hi,
I am a former Roman Catholic turned general christian. I never believed that the earth was created in 7 days or that Adam and Eve really existed, but this is a serious offense to the R.C.'s. Then I heard Jewish comedian Lewis Black talk about how various Christian Denominations often do sermons on the Torah and that their interpritations are usually wrong. And he mentioned Adam and Eve and the world's creation as an example. He said that to Jewish people the story was created for inspiration and having a moral message but not to be taken literally. Is this true? Jewish people don't believe literally in the book of genesis?

Answer 1

The most conservative or Orthodox Jews are like the fundamental Christians as far as believing in the veracity of the Bible. Many Jews, just as many Christians, accept the stories with a bit of interpretation.

Answer 2

To quote Moses Maimonides "First, the account given in Scripture of the Creation is not, as is generally believed, intended to be in all its parts literal."

This was written 700 years before Darwin. Maimonides was one of the most influential Jewish philosophers (some say the most influential since the first Moses).

He had a positive view of the mind’s ability to discover truth. He held that there could be no conflict between the truths we discover in science and philosophy and the truths we believe to be revealed from God. He also did not believe that religious authorities could answer scientific questions. He felt we enhance our intellectual growth by studying nature and mathematics, and in fact we come to know God better precisely through these endeavors.

Answer 3

A large number do no accept that it was 7 literal days anymore than a number of other people of various faiths place total belief in whatever their religion's creation stories happen to relate as how the world was created.

Most fundamentalists of any religion appear to believe that whatever version of their holy book they choose to adopt is the one and only true version and it was created entirely at the beck and call of men directly serving their god(s).

If you search long enough, you will find people that believe all manner of nonsense of one sort or another.

Choose to believe whatever you choose to believe and let everyone choose to believe whatever they choose to believe.

Answer 4

If you're interested in one of the most liberal interpretations, buy the Plaut revised edition of "The Torah, a Modern Commentary" published by the URJ Press. It includes many essays about modern interpretation, as well as commentary throughout the text.
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Answer 5

well said Dave P