Q&A: Miracles in the Torah as a Rhetorical Device
Miracles in the Torah as a Rhetorical Device
Question
Hello Rabbi!
If I were to argue that the miracles and supernatural things in the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) are only parables, I assume I would be considered a heretic against Judaism, but is there any refutation of that?
I mean, it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it?
Parables meant to convey some message.
The story happened; the miracles didn’t.
Am I running into any real refutation here? Does the Rabbi agree with me that this makes more sense than saying that a sea split in two (and yes, I’m aware that under certain physical conditions that could happen).
Thank you very much, and have an easy fast!
Answer
Anything is possible, though the tradition says that it happened. It is unlikely that descriptions that appear entirely factual are a parable. But perhaps.
I don’t know what “a heretic against Judaism” means, and it’s also not really interesting. The question is whether it is true, not whether it is heresy.