Q&A: What Do We Need the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) For?
What Do We Need the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) For?
Question
Hello Rabbi, have a good week.
As I understand it, Judaism is Jewish law. If so, what value is there in Jewish works like the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), which for the most part do not contain commandments? Outreach, maybe?
Perhaps my conception of what Judaism is is mistaken from the outset?
Thank you,
Nick
Answer
I have written more than once along the lines you describe. In my view, the value of everything else is not clear. It may have universal value, and after all every Jew is also supposed to be a human being. But that is not specifically a Jewish value. And indeed, the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is accepted in other religions as well. But my problem with the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is more severe: not only is its content not significant, but in my opinion it has no content at all that can be extracted from it. People read their own ideas into it.