The Exodus You Almost Passed Over by Rabbi David Fohrman

After listening to the BEMA podcast on the Jewish understanding of the Torah, I decided to buy the book on which the lessons were based. I cannot stop raving about, The Exodus You Almost Passed Over by Rabbi David Fohrman. Fohrman is not a Christian, but takes Judaism and the Jewish perspective on the text very seriously. In doing so, he approaches the story from an "eastern" perspective in which one is invited to ask questions of the text and assume meaning only discovered through a deep dive.

He begins in a way which would never be taught in any Christian church and points out some obvious oddities about the story. Why didn't God just get the Israelites out through smiting all the Egyptians, blinding them while the Israelites escaped, or simply killing Pharaoh? Why did God go through the whole "Ten Plagues" thing at all? Fohrman quickly makes it clear that God was after much more than the freeing of the Israelite slaves; He wanted Pharaoh's heart. He wanted to show Pharaoh that He was a God above all other gods and give Pharaoh the opportunity to proclaim Him to the nations of the earth. He is the Creator/Father and we owe him both love and obedience. He is a God like nothing Pharaoh can even conceive. 

Fohrman suggests God had a Plan A, "The Easy Way," Pharaoh consents and the off the Israelites go, a Plan B, "The Hard Way," in which Pharaoh, eventually convinced of his own free will, recognizes who God is and submits to His call, or Plan C, "God's Will Prevails Despite Pharaoh." All of the plans would convince Pharaoh of who God is and all would lead to the "birth" of God's first-born (bechor). But in both Plan A and Plan B, Pharaoh would, of his own free-will come to understand God's loving and providential character and respond in a moral fashion by freeing his slaves. In Plan C, Pharaoh would be forced to free God's people, but would never relent of his stubborn refusal to recognize the Creator/Father God. 

The hardening of Pharaoh's heart begins early (Ex. 7:13). Moses and Aaron have just demonstrated their God-given ability to cast down their rods, which turn into snakes, and devour those of the Egyptian magicians. This should have been enough. The message was clear: One God to rule them all. But "Pharaoh's heart was hardened." Interestingly, Torah uses two Hebrew words for "harden." Chizuk halev refers to "strengthening" or giving yourself a pep-talk. This is what Pharaoh believes he is doing, strengthening his resolve to not listen to the prophets of Yahweh (YHVH). In the next verse, Scripture will reveal that God sees it as kibbud halev, simple stubbornness.

With each subsequent plague, God ups the ante. The first plague of water turning to blood is duplicated by Pharaoh's magicians. In Pharaoh's mind the ground rests on power and it's a tie. By stopping the plague of the frogs at a time of Pharaoh's choosing, God shows himself to be a God not only of power, but of precision. Pharaoh's Egyptian gods are capricious and random. In one overwhelmingly clear show, God reveals that he is both all-powerful AND precise. The plagues of gnats cannot be duplicated by Pharaoh's team and once again God demonstrates His power over all Egyptian gods. Yet Pharaoh, still believing he is in a power struggle chizuk halev's (courages) himself. In the fourth plague (known as either flies or wild animals) God not only says when, but where he will afflict the land. This level of precision is simply unknown in Pharaoh's world. As Pharaoh continues to strengthen his heart, God unleashed the plague of killing livestock. Yet this time God dictates the time, the place, and the ownership of the affected animals. This is an overwhelming show of godship in the ancient world. Pharaoh's only concern was to verify the precision of YHVH, while concluding with kibbud halev (stubborning) his heart. In the sixth plague of boils, God even takes out Pharaoh's magicians. No one can stand to support Pharaoh; he is all alone. Apparently this broke Pharaoh and God steps in to chizuk halev (courage) Pharaoh's heart. This hardening is often looked at as God forcing His will on Pharaoh. The opposite is true. God simply strengthens Pharaoh's heart to help him stay true to his own desire. 

For the next plague, God makes clear to Moses that he is going hard after Pharaoh's heart (9:15, "so that you [Pharaoh] may know that there is none like me in all the earth"). When the seventh plague of hail, a supernatural mixture of fire and ice, hits Pharaoh crosses a line and makes the fatal decision to both kibbud halev (stubborn) his denial of the lordship of YHVH and chizuk halev (courage) his position. He courages his own stubbornness. In verse 27 Pharaoh finally gets it. YHVH is not one of many gods. He is THE God. He is Father; He creates and parents. Like any parent He deserves gratitude and love. He demands justice. For the 1st time Pharaoh sees the contest in terms of morality, not power. No longer "Might makes right, but "Right makes might"! Yet by verse 34 we see his willful and conscious choice to spit in the face of the one he knows to be creator God. Pharaoh is incorrigible. 

This is where it shifts to Plan C. God will have his way despite Pharaoh. God hardens (chizuk halev) Pharaoh's heart and announces a new goal: the Israelites will KNOW He is God. In the Hebrew, God states in 10:2 that he will now "play with" Pharaoh, seeing as consent will never come. Chilling. In verse 3, God calls Pharaoh His "slave," intentionally pushing Pharaoh's last button. God knows this will cause Pharaoh, of his own free will, to retreat into his fortress of stubbornness. Pharaoh's grip on power is slipping as his servants beg him to call back Moses and Aaron to repent. Yet Moses twists the knife, allowing Pharaoh no face-saving way out, and contrasts the joy they anticipate in their feast to the Lord with Pharaohs total devastation. God used the completely free-will choice Pharaoh made to cling to his pride to harden his heart. Pharaoh thinks he is "winning" by denying God the recognition Pharaoh knows He deserves. 

As the final plague, the death of the firstborn approaches, Israel celebrates the first Passover. This is the night they choose to become the bechor. They will slaughter an animal considered a god by the Egyptians and very publicly paint their door frame with the blood. There is no turning back. The blood is not for identifying whose house to "pass over;" God has already shown Himself more than capable of preserving His people. The blood is the very public acceptance of God's offer. This night, as they pass through a bloody opening, they will be "born again" as God's first born.

Although this part of the book fascinated me, the second half opens another door to understanding this text. As the Israelites prepare to depart, Ex. 14:4 states, "I will get glory over Pharaoh." Does the text indicated God will showboat in his victory. No. Rather Fohrman reminds the reader of an earlier Pharaoh and an earlier trek by the Israelites. He returns to the story of Joseph hundreds of years earlier. At the time of his brothers' betrayal, Joseph may have wondered why his father never came to rescue him. He had no idea that his father thought him dead and mourned for years over the loss. By the time Joseph is reunited with his family, he has made a close connection with his Pharaoh and it stands to reason that Jacob may have worried Joseph no longer considered him his father. When Jacob blesses Joseph's sons and calls them his very own, just before his death, he requests that Joseph carry his body back to the Promised Land. This is a tough ask as Joseph will have to basically declare his loyalty to his own family over his adopted Egyptian father. But Joseph does it, and the kind and loving Pharaoh, along with the whole nation, not only grieves the death of Jacob, he sends Joseph off with a retinue of soldiers and singers all praising the dead patriarch, the father. Then Joseph and his family return.

Fohrman posits that Plan A involved much the same thing. God asks Pharaoh to allow his people three days in the desert in order to see if Pharaoh was made of the same stuff as his ancestor (of course God knew and foretold from the beginning that Pharaoh would fail). Since ultimately God shifted into (what looks like from our perspective) Plan C, God would still have His glorious send-off. The army and the horses would still accompany the Israelites, but this time under duress. God would get his due. Only this time the Israelites did not return. Pharaoh lost everything. His intentional refusal to worship the God who created him led to his downfall. 

Since God's original plan that Pharaoh would acknowledge His Lordship and proclaim Him to the world did not take place, Fohrman suggests there is still work to do. It is now our job to do what Pharaoh failed to do: Proclaim the name of the Lord.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Our latest book club genre is "Books in translation." My pick was The Count of Monte Cristo. We voted on Beartown by Fredrik Backman instead.

It's staccato prose and subject, a dying, desolate, and desperately cold hockey town, proved an initial obstacle to me. But once I got over that, the story really began to suck me in. I don't think I've had a book grab ahold of me like this in a while. All the characters were multi-dimensional. They all had their flaws and virtues. Just when I was ready to write off a character as unredeemable, he would surprise me. But the actual plot a bit to get going. 

But once the central action took place, it was non-stop.

Except that what appeared to be the central action was not. The author keeps us up-to-date on the happenings of a secondary character, Benji, who appears to move "off-screen" as the plot really takes shape. In those glimpses, we see hints that this boy is a closeted gay student. But that is a distraction to the gripping story the town is facing. 

Somehow the author manages to pull out a somewhat satisfying end. No one gets everything they want, but all get some satisfaction. That's the point we shift the focus back to Benji and his coach's discovery of the young man's sexual attraction to males. Suddenly the story becomes about acceptance and the appalling lack of sympathy the coach and players have displayed when it comes to same-sex attraction. The big takeaway seems to be, "Don't be a bigot to gay people." 

This "moral of the story" left a bad taste in my mouth. Obviously, as Christians, we are called to love all people and treat all with dignity and respect. Acceptance of that bent is another story. But just as a matter of story-telling, the ending felt jarring. While one really big and intractable story is seemingly the focus, Backman pulls a bait-and-switch and seems to say, "And by the way, while I got you hooked on one compelling story, I'm going to use this time to shame the anti-gay bigots." 

Anyways, I wouldn't recommend it. And I'm leery of reading his other novels. I don't need to be that invested to have the rug pulled out from under me. 

It's really a shame.

The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis

Having read many of C.S. Lewis' books, and considering him one of my favorite thinkers, I decided to tackle, The Discarded Image. I think I probably bit off more than I could chew. I blame my own meager education.

Lewis is making the point that the medievals had a full and coherent "model" of the world and from it grew all we know of it and the subsequent Renaissance. Lewis begins by describing the medieval man as, "not a dreamer nor a wanderer. He was an organizer, a codifier, a builder of systems. He wanted 'place for everything and everything in the right place.' Distinction, definition, tabulation were his delight" (10). 

Unfortunately, while I yield to better minds who claim great reverence for this work, I got lost time and again. 

I should probably read it again in twenty years. After I finish my "List of Great Books to Read Before I Die."

 

A Light in the Window by Jan Karon

Since Tim and I both enjoyed the first "Mitford" book, we decided to read A Light in the Window by Jan Karon. She keeps up the small town feel in the next installment which begins immediately upon Father Tim's return to Mitford from Ireland.

Things are progressing with his lady love Cynthia. Of course they cannot go perfectly smooth and lots of miscommunication and jealousy ensue.

Father Tim must deal with the cantankerous contractor in charge of building Miss Sadie's bequeathed nursing home. 

On top of all that, Cousin Meg shows up out of the blue (or maybe Ireland, it's unclear). 

Between the daily events that consume Father Tim's time and finding Dooley a new school where he has a chance to flourish, Cynthia and Time struggle to figure out where their relationship fits in. 

I guess I'll have to read the third book!

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

As I work to read the list I give my students of "Books to Read Before you Die," I grabbed The Crucible by Arthur Miller off my shelf.

 

As a substitute, I watched the second half of the movie multiple times, so I felt a familiarity with the characters, setting, and plot. Now I want to go back and watch the whole movie.

The story is engrossing. It ostensibly centers on the Salem Witch Trials, but is obviously so much more. The tale reveals the very dark underbelly of humanity. Lust, greed, fear. It's all in there. 

The story begins with young women doing what young women do: fighting for an escape and freedom. One has apparently seduced a married man and sees her chance to break him free from his long-suffering wife. Not only do the girls shout, "Witch" in order to absolve themselves, the town uses the opportunity to free itself of gadflies and cranks, or even obstacles to prosperity. 

The panic, the rush to judgment, the absolute certainty mirror our own during the Covid nightmare.

Nothing has changed. 

John Proctor takes center stage as he seeks to redeem himself from his sin of adultery and betrayal. He is the hero of the play. 

Interestingly, after the madness, the town returns to "normal" and consigns the horror to a never-spoken-of anecdote. This too is typical of humanity. We don't learn. We intentionally forget. 

The play is horrifying. It's a slow-motion train wreck in which multiple people yelled, "Stop!" Yet the reader knows it will not stop until the cancer has worked itself out. 

Never didactic, the play shines a bright light on our own foibles. 

 

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

Robyn Vandewalle sent me At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon for my birthday. Set in Blowing Rock (Mitford) North Carolina, she figured I love a "hometown" novel. She was right.

The book features a variety of small town characters led by Father Tim, a gracious and good-natured bachelor. As he deals with the daily circumstances that present themselves, we fall in love with the charming and slow-paced town. 

All stories, no matter how dire, seem to end well. Small setbacks are simply fodder for spending time with the demention-adled Miss Rose, the long-suffering Uncle Billy, the misunderstood child Dooley, the opinionated secretary Emma, and rich spinster Miss Sadie, as well as the intriguing "neighbor" Cynthia Coppersmith. 

The plot is not especially relevant in this slice-of-life novel. 

Father Tim is simply going about his day trying to handle each hiccup as best he can. 

I look forward to reading more in the series. 

A Lively Kind of Learning: Mastering the Seminar Method by Jennette DeCelles-Zwerneman

A fellow teacher recommended a website to help us as we craft our Seminar class. On that site I discovered A Lively Kind of Learning: Mastering the Seminar Method by Jennette DeCelles-Zwerneman. It turned out to be a very helpful book. I recommended that our entire team read the short treatise and discuss a la "book club"!

I found several worthy gems: "The goals of the seminar are to teach the following skills and habits of mind: how to read well with sensitivity to genre; how to speak precisely in a spirited, adult conversation marked by wonder and rigor; how to defend their positions and gracefully change their minds when necessary; how to think through a thorny problem from beginning to end with precision; and how to think about the world more generally." (p. 5)

Something to reflect on: "Another more sober complaint against conducting seminars with high school students is that it invites arrogance in young people who enjoy minimal experience of the world and who are already prone to sophomoric pronouncements. (p. 6)

The goal: "If a seminar discussion is successful, the students should know that they have learned something at its conclusion." (p. 8)

Questions to ask: "Why do you say that? What do you mean by that? Where is that in the text?

Can you expand on that? How can you maintain that reading in light of this other passage? You are now contradicting what you said before; did you mean to do that? What would we have to assume to believe what you're saying is true?" (p. 9)

A call to center the text: "Seminar leaders should always begin with the concrete text before them. The rest will follow naturally. The students should know that the text is the source of their discussion and that they should not be consulting outside sources." (p. 20)

A word of advice on what to do; "When sorting through philosophical texts, an exceptionally useful habit to acquire is the practice of distilling arguments on a one-half sheet of paper in outline form. Restricting oneself this way has the effect of clarifying the issues and disciplining the mind." (p. 28)

The author outlines "Six Patterns for Leading Seminar":

1. Recreate the drama, collect the questions. "Learning to ask good questions is an important intellectual skill that should be acquired in seminar training." (p. 36)
2. Arguments: Find them first than evaluate. "The students are directed to locate the thesis of an argu-ment, the argument's logical construction, and the evidence offered by the interlocutor for that position." (p. 36)
3. Two by Two. "In this pattern, the students are working together, building a shared experience of the text. They are seeing it through the eyes of their colleagues, and they are seeing afresh what they had missed on their own." (p. 40)
4. Line by line. "We are trying to teach the students how to read, and that involves occasions of close, detailed investigation of the text." (p. 44)
5. Competing Essays. "The fifth kind of seminar discussion is based on two competing essays written by the students themselves...The essay assignment would have to solicit opposing but arguable positions." (p. 49)
6. The Big Picture. "It involves comparing and contrasting assessments of various authors on a variety of overlapping concerns an interests." (p. 50)

Finally the book ends with "Common Mistakes that Spoil a Seminar."

The Expert: "[T]hey fear the unruly and often unpredictable nature of the seminar. They are frightened when students start interrupting each other. Because they fear the seemingly gigantic pauses that sometimes open up in these conversations, they fill them, instead of patiently waiting for the students to catch up...If the seminar leader plays the Expert long enough, the students will catch on and wait for him to settle the debate..."(p. 57)

The Traffic Cop: "They believe their purpose is to stay out of the way and keep the traffic moving by calling on students to speak; directing traffic by quieting interruptions and ticketing malcontents; and waving travelers through the intersection by cueing up the next remark." (p. 60)

The best Seminar teacher functions as an "Experienced Mountain Guide."The skillful teacher needs to be intellectually alive, energetic, and opportunistic. When the students move the conversation into unexpected territory, and the issues arising are potentially fruitful, the teacher needs to guide that conversation and move in the fresh direction suggested by the students' questions and remarks." (p. 61)

And finally, my biggest takeaway: "One of the most important skills students gain in these discussions is learning how to engage each other, not just the teacher, in a lengthy and substantive exchange. It is imperative that the students be consistently redirected to address one another in these conversations." (p. 76)

In true Seminar fashion, the author details the Final Cause of Seminar: "We want them to become reflective, rigorous, intellectually honest, spiritually sensitive, and competent readers of a wide and various selection of genres. The seminar should cultivate in the students the ability to think through problems independently, collaboratively, and imaginatively; to scrutinize arguments and evaluate the truth of those ar-guments; to imaginatively observe and reflect on the created world in a piece of literature and the development and motivation of the characters who inhabit that world; and to be genuinely moved by the beauty and the suffering they confront in their reading. Finally, the students should acquire an understanding of the world and their place in it." (p. 89)