How do you describe the Hebrew Bible in one word?
Shemini’s Second Torah Reading- instructions concerning the Passover celebration- offers a bread crumb to the answer. The Children of Israel are told: “On the tenth of this month, let them each take a lamb for the fathers’ houses, a lamb per house. And if the household will be too few for a lamb, then he and his neighbor who is close to his house will take it according to the count of persons; you shall count each person according to what he eats for the lamb.” Exodus 12: 3-4.
This passage offers captures the essense of the one word which describes the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible can be summed up with one word: Relationships. The Hebrew Bible is a historical progression of relationships. Starting from the world’s creation to the destruction of Israelite nations, the Hebrew Bible addresses the nature, extent and expectations within a variety of relationships.
With creation and the Book of Genesis, there is the God-Creation relationship and the God-Humanity relationship. From there, the next major relationship is of God-Abraham. This relationship grows to become the God-Children of Israel relationship. From the Children of Israel’s election to be subject to a monarchy, the Bible then addresses the God-Monarch relationship. From there, with the break up of the unified monarchy to the nations of Judah and Israel, the Bible addresses the multiple God-Monarch relationships. Finally, with regional conflict, we move to God-Nations of the World relationship. The Bible show that the God of Israel has a role in foreign nations. Thus, the Bible progressively establishes relationships ranging from individuals to nations.
Shemini’s passage addresses one of the special relationships within the Hebrew Bible; the relationship between neighbors. Beyond family, we live among strangers. These non-blood related individuals often become extended family members. Their needs, such as celebrating Passover, may be dependent upon mutual cooperation with neighbors. Further, this interaction is one in which there is the expectation of fair dealing.
In sum, the Hebrew Bible’s essense, is relationships. The book’s challenge to Humanity is is to create and maintain positive relationships. Shemini’s instructions are of relationship building; two neighbors cooperating are able to accomplish something that they could not do on their own.
Be well!!
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