Dear Bible Challengers,

 

Many of us have completed our second week of reading. Some are just now joining us, and some are wrapping up their initial reading. Some are on their first journey through the Bible, others their second, and others have lost track of how many years they've engaged this adventure.  We are now a group of 55, some in San Diego, others in Michigan, others in New Jersey. Most of us attend St. Peter's, or know someone who does. To all, Welcome!

 

I hope that soon we'll have a list-serve by which y'all can be in conversation with one another. At St. Peter's we're wrapping up 2012 and starting 2013, readying ourselves for the Annual Meeting on February 3. On Feb 4, I will hope to launch our list-serve--unless one of you would like to create it on our behalf sooner rather than later--if so, please be in touch!

 

Turning to scripture... in our second week we completed the Abraham saga, and adventured with Isaac and Jacob. Soon, we'll begin the "Joseph Novella." So many stories of men, not as many stories about women...and the stories that are, inevitably are about the woman as they relate to, well, the men.  Such is the case about dear Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. At least we know her name, but we know very little of her life except for the few verses that tell what happened when she caught Shechem's eye, and the tragedy that followed. 

 

There are many such gaps in the stories in the Bible, narratives that leave us asking, "But what happened next?" Through the ages the rabbis have engaged in a theological and spiritual interpretation of such scripture, called midrash aggadah. Midrash often takes the form of story telling, and fills in the gaps.  One of my favorite books of midrash is  Does God Have a Big Toe? Stories about Stories in the Bible, by Rabbi Marc Gellman, which is a collection written for his children. 

 

The Red Tent is midrash for adults, seeking to answer some of the lingering questions about the story of Dinah.  Written in 1997 by Brandeis professor Anita Diamant, The Red Tent has since been a perpetual favorite of book groups. If, after reading last week's portion of Genesis, you're left wondering, "What really happened to Dinah, and then what happened next?" you may enjoy wondering along with Anita Diamant. 

 

Meanwhile, our Psalms have been our companions along the way. It's helpful to remember that while much of scripture can be understood as God speaking to humanity, the Psalms are humanity's conversation with God, and so they contain just about every human emotion (even the not-so-pleasant) and every human experience (especially, it seems at times, the not-so-pleasant) along with ebullient and enthusiastic praises of God. When reading the Psalms, especially when encountering the not-so-pleasant emotions expressed, I find it helpful to think back to a time when I might have felt something similar. It's nice imagining that the Psalmist would have understood what I was feeling at the time, and also, that it's ok to share those feelings with God. In fact, there's a long tradition of doing so. God can take all of our emotions...Thanks be to God.

 

And in Matthew we're moving right along. Here we are in the 13th chapter, and already the scribes and pharisees are beginning their plots and schemes. As we read through each of the Gospels we'll notice the similarities and differences between the way they tell Jesus' story. I'll look forward to hearing your insights and wonderings!

 

Don't hesitate to be in touch with those insights and wonderings now. With your permission I will share them with the group. Perhaps someone else has the same question you do, and no doubt we'll all be enriched by the insights and a-ha's! you share!

 

Most of all, 

Thank you for being on this journey!

 

Paige+