Q&A: Parable and Reality in the Book of Genesis
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
Parable and Reality in the Book of Genesis
Question
Have a good week, Rabbi,
I wanted to ask whether, in your opinion, the story of Noah and the Flood actually happened in reality, or whether it is a parable. And more generally, is there some point in the Book of Genesis from which onward the parabolic mode stops and the matters begin more to describe what actually happened in reality.
Best regards,
Answer
I don’t know. I assume that Abraham was real, because he is the biological father of the Jews and serves as the basis for the definition of Jewishness.