[19]InThe Guide of the Perplexed(3:31), Rambam sharply criticizes people who believe that it would be best not to ascribe positive human characteristics to God. It is precisely the struggle of thinkers like Rambam and Rav Kook that can be most helpful in answering such questions. 28 And it was on the next day that Abram directed his mother concerning the savory meat, and his mother rose and fetched three fine kids from the flock, and she made of them some excellent savory meat, such as her son was fond of, and she gave it to her son Abram; and Terah his father did not know of it. She said to [Abraham]: Here, offer this before them. [Abraham] picked up a staff and broke [the idols] and placed the staff in the hands of the largest of them. Some critics of the Bible point to the story of Abraham, who laid his son Isaac on an altar and prepared to sacrifice him as directed by God (Genesis 22:1-14). Instead, the full power of the divine message comes once the message finds its place within a persons heart. In their understanding, the written text is not there to convey an event; it is the event itself. The Miraculous Quran - The Story Of Abraham And Idols In The Qur'an And NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. He was looking forward. Nevertheless, such an opportunity would be limited. Rambams approach here applies to our case as well. , was an idol-maker and merchant in Ur.1 Terah. Rijksmuseum 1 The Midrashic Abraham Rabbi Chiyya said: Terah was an idol worshiper. If this is a story, he said, it is a very human story. Scripture strongly advises against the following of idols other than God. His father came in and asked what he had been doing, what great sin this was that he had committed, why he was so sacrilegious in his feelings and so wicked as to seek to destroy these gods? 11Then Hezekiah commanded them to prepare (M)rooms in the house of the Lord, and they prepared them. [20] Moreover, even if the Torah had been written from one perspective only, in one clear and flowing style, that would not have proven that it came from God. Idolatry, in this sense, means abandoning the way of God for another aim. Many in Maimonides generation believed that the existence of God was coterminous with Gods physical existence. 50:2); 11 they entail the desolation of altars, the breaking of statues, the The worshipping of idols is forbidden under the word . It is, furthermore, impossible to deny another benefit of the ahistorical model of understanding the Torahs narratives. Abraham told him that the gods had had a quarrel among themselves, and, said he, here is the fellow, (pointing to the big one he had spared) that did it. Said the father: My son, why do you tell me such a thing. This Midrash can be interpreted as an example of persecution against those of monotheistic beliefs during a time when polytheism dominated.[8]. Exodus 23:13 And in all things that I have said unto you be circumspect: and make no mention of the name of other gods, neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. Therefore, it is the job of the historian to tell his or her story about history. went away on a journey, and he left Abraham in charge of the store. If he had possessed the spirit which his son had, he would have said there is no power with these gods; but he did not, and Abraham had to flee from his fathers house, confiding in the Lord, who gave many promises to him and concerning his posterity. returned from his journey, he found his merchan- Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities. Terah exclaimed that such a thing was impossible, since idols could not quarrel or fight. Abraham had three wives: Sarah, Hagar, and Keturah (by date when And you shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and you shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place. 2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years. The business deal or the event is the main matter of significance, describing the event in writing is simply a means of conveying knowledge of that deal or event to others. Wisely, Abram was not looking back to the home and comforts he had left behind in Ur. Genesis 11:26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the [b](P) 23Then Abraham approached him and said: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? To attempt an answer, I suggest that dry mechanical lists of rules, such as do not murder and do not steal, couldnt accomplish the transmission of lofty values to humankind. 1, 14:53, p. 163. Donate. What are they if not dry historical descriptions? 2 Chronicles 31:1 Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and brake the images in pieces, and cut down the groves, and threw down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had utterly destroyed them all. There is also a third option, of course, that the Abraham who lived in Ur continued to live in the hearts of Israel. In an ahistorical reading, we exchange Abraham the man, his biographic detailsonly some of which have any connection to Godwith Gods Abraham. If I were pushed to offer some sort of response to this question anyway, I would say that just as any great author can breathe life into his or her characters and describe them from many angles, so too can the Divine Author, the greatest of authors. 47 And how can you continue to do this and serve gods of wood and stone, who cannot hear, or speak, or deliver you from oppression, thereby bringing down the anger of the God of the universe upon you? My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help. 27 And Abram mocked them, and said, Surely the savory meat that I prepared has not pleased them, or perhaps it was too little for them, and for that reason they would not eat; therefore tomorrow I will prepare fresh savory meat, better and more plentiful than this, in order that I may see the result. 16 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. Among the many events described in the book of Genesis, there are a handful that carry with them a mitzvahrequirementthe circumcision of Abraham (Gen. 17) and the injuring of Jacobs sciatic nerve (Gen. 32:25-33), for instance. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem. "You shall not delay the offering from your harvest and your vintage. Shouldnt we expect from God a more coherent story, one that is free of the subtle and even blatant contradictions that can be found within it? Another participant argued that he still couldnt see, despite my explanation, why the Torah chose to speak to us in historical language. And Terah answered his son Abram and said, Behold those who created us are all with us in the house. These events occurred at some point in the past, and the Holy Author (God) describes them from the unique perspective of the divine. 10Azariah, the chief priest (K)of the house of Zadok, said to [f]him, (L)Since the contributions started coming into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat with plenty left over, for the Lord has blessed His people, and this great quantity is left over.. Idols Are Destroyed 31 Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, broke the memorial stones in pieces, cut down the [ a]Asherim and pulled down the high places and the altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, until [ b]they had destroyed them all. [27]See Rambam,Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentence, 3:7.

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