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2. WholenessClose attention to the minutae of the text, especially with a view to source analysis, runs the danger of obscuring the proverbial forest for the trees. The Torah has remarkable wholeness, a unity in diversity, that must be noted before we dig into the texts. Keeping this wholeness in mind may serve to keep our close readings in perspective.
The Torah achieves unity in a number of ways. The story has a consistent unity of action as it moves in linear fashion from creation through the period of ancestors to the nation of Israel. In addition, the God who directs this history retains the same character and upholds the same promises throughout, even if he is known by different names at different times. |
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