Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Moshe Shulman <mshulman AT ix.netcom.com>]

At 08:17 PM 11/1/99 +0200, you wrote:
>Moshe, you wrote:
>> John, I always find it interesting when people who are not fa,miliar with
>> Rabbinic works, attempt to use them to make some point in favor of a pet
>> theory. Obviously that passage is not meant seriously, since according to
>> tradition Avraham was thrown into a furnace, and of  course we can mention
>> many things that are different.
>The Genesis Rabbah passage refers to the correspondances between Gen
12:10ff and
>Israel's later exodus from Egypt, and I'm surprised anybody would think
it's not to be
>taken seriously - see Cassuto's Exodus commentary, for example.

Jon, I can show you voluminous examples of similar Midrashim that show that
they are not to be taken in a literal manner. They are like sermons. More
of teaching tools, then to be accepted uncritically.
moshe shulman mshulman AT NOSPAMix.netcom.com    718-436-7705
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