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Q&A: Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)

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Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.

Hebrew Bible (Tanakh)

Question

Hello,
According to what you say, the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is boring and lacks novel insights, and therefore there is no need to study it.
Does the fact that it is a divine text not constitute a sufficient reason to study it?

Answer

Absolutely. After I’ve finished everything else.

Discussion on Answer

A (2025-10-26)

Hello Rabbi, what kinds of things do you define as falling into the category of “everything else”? And in your opinion, is it actually possible to finish what you mentioned?
Thank you very much

Haim Yellinek (2025-10-27)

According to your view that the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) lacks novel insights, why did God give it to us? Was it relevant at the time it was given, but no longer today? Does human creation continue to be relevant while divine creation is nullified?

Novel insights in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh):
The story of the first man, Noah, and the patriarchs testifies that God desires a relationship with human beings, contrary to the position that God does not deal with trivialities like human beings.
The passage of Vayera, chapter 18, from our father Abraham’s claim, “Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?” teaches that one may argue and demand that God conduct Himself according to justice.
From the destruction of the Flood, the commandment to wipe out Amalek, and Saul’s war against Amalek, we learn that evil must be eradicated absolutely, without mercy.
The story of the Exodus from Egypt teaches the special bond between God and the Jewish people. And specifically Exodus 14: “I bore you on eagles’ wings.” If God had not declared the special bond between the Jewish people and Himself, we could not have created it unilaterally.
The revelation at Mount Sinai is of enormous importance in studying the only divine revelation to hundreds of thousands of people.
The book of Jonah introduces the concept of repentance, the revolutionary idea that what has already been done can be corrected.
II Kings chapter 14 shows that God saves Israel despite its wickedness in order to preserve the Jewish people.

The Torah is the source of the Torah’s commandments. In order to understand the source of the commandments, one must study the Torah.
There is a halakhic obligation to study Torah: a person is obligated to study “twice Scripture and once translation”; there is an obligation upon the community to read from the Torah; and Maimonides rules that a person must divide his study into thirds: one-third Scripture, one-third Mishnah, and one-third Talmud.

There is importance in holding up the values of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) as a banner, even those that seem self-evident, so that they will continue to guide our way. For example, studying the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) reminds us of the critical importance of doing justice and righteousness.
The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is the most direct source of connection to God. I am surprised that you say it is right to prefer everything else, since you emphasize that the rest is human creation and can be mistaken. The Oral Torah obligates you to a lesser degree than the direct word of God. You said that if there is a conflict between your moral position and the sages’ interpretation of the words of the Torah, you would prefer your moral position.

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