| From a historical perspective, 'The DaVinci Code' is | | | | the world flood and its implications for |
| good fiction ...I do think the book has provided a | | | | humanity.The vital lesson of Noah's story is the |
| very real cultural benefit, though. By weaving | | | | human capacity for self-destruction and the ability |
| many tales of medieval Christian mysticism into | | | | of one person to save the world. |
| its story line, the book has stimulated a multitude | | | | In our time, we possess the capability to quickly |
| of readers to look beyond the veneer of printed | | | | destroy creation through our nuclear power or to |
| words in search of higher meanings. This is good, | | | | slowly and significantly damage our planet through |
| because both literature and history contain them | | | | waste and pollution. Like Noah's generation, we are |
| in abundance. The richness of the written word | | | | also able to corrupt the purpose of our existence |
| and the refining effects of time have produced | | | | through moral failure.When we come to think that |
| works essential to our lives' inner | | | | we or our creations are invincible, we soon find |
| guidance.Hopefully, more people will be inspired by | | | | ourselves in deep water, just like the people of |
| this work of fiction to more fully explore other | | | | Noah's generation. Even the most powerful of |
| tomes that have even deeper meanings.I'm | | | | human beings must face their limits or be brought |
| referring to the Bible, the Torah, and the | | | | low.The tale of Noah's ark is about confronting |
| Koran.Many of the world's tensions have their | | | | both our power and our limitations as individuals |
| roots in opinion leaders who espouse literal | | | | and as society. The story is true not because it |
| interpretations of those volumes. Even more | | | | ever happened, but because it keeps on |
| preposterous is that many of these issues are | | | | happening.The Noah story is true, because it |
| fomented by their own self-serving versions of | | | | describes a drama we all face, generation after |
| those interpretations. From the silly 'War on | | | | generation.When we go beyond the literal sense |
| Christmas' campaign being waged by some | | | | of the text, we find meaning and relevance. When |
| religious conservatives in the USA to the tragic | | | | we can see our own struggles in the text, we |
| turf wars over perceived sacred grounds in the | | | | can then take hold of the meaning of our sacred |
| Middle East, power bases masquerading as pulpits | | | | texts.Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, an authority |
| exploit literal definitions of holy words to seek | | | | on the interpretation of the Hebrew Bible and a |
| nothing more than an increase in their sphere of | | | | giant of 19th century Judaism, maintained that the |
| influence. It is not enough for them to sway | | | | entire Hebrew Bible "possesses the nature and |
| likeminded individuals, they cannot wield sufficient | | | | the central character of poetry." One must be |
| power until they can alter the lives of those who | | | | aware of poetic allusions, metaphors and |
| have chosen a different moral path, no matter | | | | figurative expressions to appreciate the meaning |
| how independently righteous that path may be.I | | | | of scripture.How could it be any other way? |
| believe an effective means of curbing this | | | | Hardly a verse in the Hebrew Bible can be |
| troubling tendency is to expose the shallowness | | | | understood verbatim. Take the statement, "And |
| of such literal espousings. And so, I would like to | | | | God said." Does God have a larynx? In what |
| share an article written in 2000 by Rabbi H David | | | | language did God speak?To read Torah with the |
| Rose, entitled:"The Literal Truth? Pondering the | | | | question, "Did it happen?" in our minds is to think |
| Variety of Interpretations in Scripture."It is one of | | | | of the wrong question. As Elie Wiesel has taught, |
| the best dissertations on the subject that I have | | | | "Not everything that happened is true, nor did |
| ever read.The balance of today's column consists | | | | everything that is true necessarily happen."We all |
| of Rabbi Rose's words:"Dear God," Donna wrote. | | | | have the capacity to recognize truth in art, in |
| "Last week it rained for five days straight. We | | | | movies and in plays, whether they accurately |
| thought it would be like Noah's ark, but it wasn't. | | | | portray something that really happened or |
| I'm glad because you could only take two of each | | | | not.Imagine that two books are lying before us. |
| animal into the ark, and I have three cats."A | | | | The first book was written by a Dr. Smith, an |
| professor of molecular biology wrote in a national | | | | eminent ophthalmologist. It describes a |
| magazine, "Given the dimensions of the ark and | | | | complicated surgery which restored the eyesight |
| its wooden construction, the first stiff breeze | | | | of a Ms. Jones.Ms. Jones is the author of the |
| would have broken it up. Its capacity was only a | | | | second book. In this book, Ms. Jones reports her |
| fraction of what was needed for the animals and | | | | fright, her anxiety and her pain. Then she tells of |
| their food supply, not to speak of their specialized | | | | her exultation after the bandages were removed |
| needs for housing."Are the narratives in the Bible | | | | and she could see again.Should we ask which book |
| fact or fiction? Were the prophets truth-tellers, or | | | | is the truth? Each book has a different intention |
| great storytellers? Did Methuselah live upon this | | | | and shares a different perspective. The doctor's |
| earth for 969 years, as we are taught in | | | | truth is not that of the patient. A single criterion |
| Genesis? Did Abraham send his first child, Ishmael, | | | | of truth creates needless contradictions. Both are |
| out into the wilderness and almost sacrifice his | | | | true. Similarly, there is no single true way to read |
| son, Isaac?And is any of this relevant to us and | | | | scripture.Our sacred texts are sources of truth |
| to our lives?Many who read the Bible do so in a | | | | and meaning, and we must learn to open our |
| literal way. For these people, be they Christian or | | | | eyes to them.A literal viewing of our traditional |
| Jew, the choice is simple: Either the Bible is the | | | | books may obscure the truths within them, or |
| exact written record of God's words, or it is | | | | worse, cause us to turn away and not look |
| not.If it is God's word, then it is to be followed | | | | again.Most of us learned scripture only as children. |
| exactly as written. If not, then why | | | | We were taught only literal explanations.When we |
| bother?Others, including myself, are convinced | | | | grew up, we outgrew such literal fairy tales and |
| that to read our sacred texts literally is to miss | | | | left them tucked away with the tooth fairy and |
| the point. To do so, in my opinion, is to corrupt | | | | other such nonsense.As adults, our task in reading |
| and stagnate the ever-growing relevance of our | | | | the treasures of our traditions and in living lives |
| holy texts.The Zohar (a book of Jewish | | | | based on scripture is to uncover the layers of |
| mysticism) teaches, "Were the Torah (Bible) a | | | | meaning. When we study, read and meditate on |
| mere book of tales and everyday matters, we | | | | our sacred words, we discover their spritual |
| could compose a text of even greater excellence. | | | | implications.May we hold on to our sacred texts, |
| The Torah has clothed itself in the outer | | | | and may they guide our lives and give meaning to |
| garments of the world, and woe to the person | | | | all that we do.J Square Humboldt is the featured |
| who looks at the garment as being Torah."In | | | | columnist at the Longer Life website, which is |
| other words, the essence of God's message is | | | | dedicated to providing information, strategies, |
| hidden from a person who takes a literal view. | | | | analysis and commentary designed to improve |
| The word is not the message; the message lies | | | | the quality of living. His page can be found at and |
| behind the words.Consider the story of Noah's | | | | his observations are published three times per |
| ark. A literal interpretation misses the relevance | | | | week. |
| and profound moral symbolism of the story, of | | | | |