A Soulful Journey

  Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said that " the Bible is meant to be our critic, not we its critic." 

“The Bible is a great record of human loneliness.”    - Thomas Wolfe A  leader is a groundbreaker, someone who acts out of "the norm."  They say and do things no one else has done.  That leadership invariably brings great loneliness.   And yet history records them as heroes.

Maurice Samuels, featured on the "Eternal Light" television series was discussing the difference between the Jewish Bible and the Christian Bible.   In our Tanakh, the Prophets come before the Writings.   In the Christian arrangement, the Prophets come last.   Maurice Samuels gave this explanation: For the Christian Bible it is necessary to conclude with the destruction of the Jews and Judaism, in order to lead into the New Testament with its message of the New Covenant replacing the old, redemption following upon the destruction of the old Israel.   Therefore, Malachi at the end of the “Old Testament” is perfect.   “When I come I will strike the whole land with destruction.”

"God is not the chief character in the Bible.  He is the only character."   -G.K. Chesterton

“God is not the chief character in the Bible, He is the only character.” –G.K. Chesterton

“Who was the mother of Moses?” asked the teacher. “Pharaoh’s daughter, answered little Abie. “Oh no! She just found him in the river.” “Yeah. That’s what she said!” Even children need to learn faith.  Especially children.  

"The devil quotes Scripture." - George Bernard Shaw You can say virtually anything and back it up with a verse from the Bible.  Taken liberally from any one of the many biblical books it is possible to find words that "proofs" for even absurd statements.   In your soul you always know the truth.  You cannot be deceived without your consent.

“The inspiration of the Bible depends upon the ignorance of the gentleman who reads it.”   -Robert G. Ingersoll “I have read it [the Bible] carefully.   And if Bob Ingersoll isn’t in hell, God is a liar and the Bible isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.”   -Billy Sunday Perhaps the best advice comes from the Mishna which states, “Turn it over and over for everything is found in it.”   You see what you are willing to see.   No more.   No less.

“Woe to the person who says that the Torah is just a series of stories.   We could write better stories! "  - Zohar

On the Bible: George Washington said, " It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." Abraham Lincoln said, " I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through that book." Said Andrew Jackson, " That book, sir, is the rock on which our republic stands ." Douglas MacArthur, " Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed." Dwight D. Eisenhower said, " To read the Bible is to take a trip to a fair land where the spirit is strengthened and faith renewed."

Everybody knows about the famous pony express. Riders would travel vast stretches of land in order to bring the mail to the distant reaches of civilization. Men on horseback made the arduous journey from one point - sometimes on one coast - to a destination far, far away. These men would often travel for two thousand-miles or more in less than two weeks. Pony-express men needed to travel light to conserve their horse’s energy. Clothing had to be thin, saddles were narrow and weapons were too heavy to be carried. The men themselves would have to agile and light as well. They were often small in stature as well as in weight. Their horses wore small shoes, or sometimes none at all. The letters they bore had to be written on thin, parchment-like paper and postage was costly, $5.00 per ounce. With all these limitations the rider always carried a full-sized Bible that was presented to him when he signed on. Question: what is necessary and what is extraneous? What is truly needed and what ca...