I started an Introduction to Judaism course on Sunday. (Brian's taking it with me but really only because I begged him to.) We're the only couple there that isn't half-Jewish. I went into this wanting to find out more about Judaism with the option at the end to decide whether or not to convert, and it seems like this class is exactly that. The Rabbi is funny and passionate and vegan, which I find particularly interesting because I wouldn't necessarily expect that from a Reform rabbi - going vegan seems to be more of an Orthodox approach.
Anyway, there are a lot of books to read for this course, and the one that is used the most is Jewish Literacy. I've read the assigned reading for this week and next week, and quite frankly, I find it so interesting that I've just started at the beginning and begun reading it straight through. Last night I was reading about Moses, and this particular segment struck me:
"The three word name God gives Himself is not easy to translate. The most precise rendering is 'I shall be what I shall be,' although it is sometimes translated as 'I am that I am.' The 1962 JPS translation of the Torah despaired of coming up with an accurate rendition, and just left the words in their Hebrew original. Although generations of Bible scholars have tried to decipher the name's precise meaning, it really did not seem to matter that much to Moses. Rabbi Gunther Plaut has pointed out that though God gave Moses a new name to take to the Israelites, Moses never again refers to it. Plaut deduces that 'the revelation was never meant for the people at all, nor did Moses really inquire for the sake of the people. Moses had asked for himself, and the answer he receives is also meant for him.' In some way, God's answer is satisfactory to Moses, if not to us, implying perhaps that when one has a true experience of God, it is very private. In other words, God shall be what God shall be to that person. He cannot adequately be described to others."For some reason, this really struck me, and I think it's really at the heart of how I feel about God and religion in general. I've never been able to justify the image of a man in a white robe looking down at all of us disapprovingly, and it reassures me that there are others who believe that each individual's perception of what God is is acceptable. In fact, the individual interpretation of what God is seems to be a running theme with Judaism and this class - the next book that's been assigned is about that very topic: Finding God.
Anyway, long story short, I really really like this class, and I really really like what I'm learning so far. We'll see where this goes, but I suspect I already know the answer.
