… and that there is a hidden message or meaning?
Jews can study the text of the Torah on four levels:
* Peshat, the plain (simple) or literal reading;
* Remez, the allegorical reading through text’s hint or allusion
* Derash, the metaphorical reading through a (rabbinic sermon’s) comparison/illustration (midrash)
* Sod, the hidden meaning reading through text’s secret or mystery
One level of meaning doesn’t negate any other.
The "stories" matter, however you choose to interpret them.
to what book are you referring ?
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THE BIBLE MATTERS..
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Yes, the Jews consider most of the bible to be allegory.
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I never address the Jews because they are not religious people. They only defend their Judaic roots. The ultra conservative Jews will never show up in here! I may be wrong… but that only in somebody’s perception…
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answer: Some Jews view the first part of Genesis as a teaching myth and doubt that a global flood occurred. Some Jews view the first part of Genesis as a teaching myth but all other stories as actual. Some Jews view most of the stories in the Tanakh as legends/teaching tales. Some Jews believe everything, especially in the Torah, as factual.
NB is having a fit of wishful thinking, probably because Jews won’t convert. I know MANY Jews who are very religious (including myself as someone converting).
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Of course the stories in the Torah (AKA Bible) matter. They are fact.
What you are referring to is called Midrash. In a nutshell- Midrash is the "expanded version" of what actually occured. While the Torah might reference an incident in just a few words, the Midrash expands on what happened, going into much more detail.
Sometimes, the Midrash will take a story out of context to portray a "hidden meaning" but that doesn’t mean that the actual story never occured.
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Orthodox Jew, studied Torah and Midrash
Jews can study the text of the Torah on four levels:
* Peshat, the plain (simple) or literal reading;
* Remez, the allegorical reading through text’s hint or allusion
* Derash, the metaphorical reading through a (rabbinic sermon’s) comparison/illustration (midrash)
* Sod, the hidden meaning reading through text’s secret or mystery
One level of meaning doesn’t negate any other.
The "stories" matter, however you choose to interpret them.
References :
Me, Conservative Jew and former Hebrew School teacher