TEXT STUDY: ​TaNa"KH

TaNa"KH
​DIVING DEEP IN THE HEBREW BIBLE 
TaNa”KH is an acronym for the entirety of the Hebrew Bible from Genesis to Chronicles. We tend to think of the Bible as a single volume but it is actually an anthology covering the greatest hits of Hebrew literary production spanning nine centuries. It includes historiography, narrative fiction, law, prophecy in prose and poetry, aphorisms, laments, battle hymns, love songs, genealogical tables, etiological tales, and more. Whether you’re interested in studying one verse, one chapter, one book or the entire canon, the opportunity to do a deep dive into the TaNa”KH can be deeply gratifying. 

Here Comes the Judge:
​Strange Tales of Salvation

What do a long-haired strongman (Samson), sword-wielding lefty (Ehud), a female army commander (Deborah), and a guy hell-bent on making good on a foolish promise (Jephtah) have in common? Each was a charismatic leader sent by God to rescue the Israelites from oppression in the long period between Joshua's death and the first Israelite kings. This eccentric group were called "judges" but most operated way outside the law. 
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Public Victories and Personal Failures:
​The Life of King David

​The Biblical hero David, famous as king and musician, and infamous as warrior and womanizer, provides a fascinating perspective on the contrast between the public persona and the private person.  Investigate David's kingship and character, as well as his relationships with his trophy wives and rebellious sons, through the Biblical text, Rabbinic legends, and modern literature.

The 10th Commandment:
A Dance with Desire

We tend to best remember the first and last thing on a list (a.k.a. the primacy and recency effect). For that, and other reasons, the positioning of the 10th Commandment seems to point to its significance. But if you’re trying to remember which one it is you’re not alone. The commandment is against coveting but who or what is being protected and from what potential harm? How can feelings such as desire, envy, and jealousy be legislated?  

Jonah and the Moody Blues

The story of Jonah is read during the afternoon service on Yom Kippur. Depleted, vulnerable, waiting for inspiration and a good push to commit ourselves to be better people in the coming year—and what do we get?  A trippy fairy tale about a depressive saved from attempted suicide with the support of a really big fish!  Easy to caricature and fun to illustrate, the story of Jonah is all too often submerged in shallow water. Arguably the most realistic story in the Bible, Jonah can be read as a profound reflection on the intersection of mood and mystery, personality and possibility.
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Taste Its Delicious Fruit:
​Sampling the Song of Songs

An anthology of love poems, full of riddles and dreams, The Song of Songs has been read since Biblical times as an allegory of God's love for Israel.  Yet the eroticism and humor of the text encourage multiple readings.  Explore the style, structure and literary history of this provocative book through its themes of love and lust, gardens and gazelles as well as its subversive images of strong, clever, and beautiful women. 
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The Whole Megillah about the Whole Megillah 
​(Actually all Five of Them)

From the saccharine to the scandalous, from the cynicism of old age to the erotic encounters of young love, the five Megillot (scrolls included in the Torah) read like an anthology of “The Best of Ancient Israel.”  Esther, Ruth, Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), Song of Songs and Eicha (Lamentations) are included in this collection. The range of genre (poetry, prose, short story and political satire) and theology is breath taking.