Jew in the Lotus - Part 6
The next set of dialogue with the Dalai Lama began with a small discussion of how Jews read the Bible. Moshe Waldoks spoke about the four different methods, known as PaRDeS. It stands for Pshat (literal), Remez (allegory), Drash (interpretative) and Sod (esoteric). Each method has been tried and tested during Jewish History. The Dalai Lama claimed that Buddhism also had four different methods of reading texts.
Waldoks specifically focused on the importance of non-literal interpretations for the modern/postmodern Jew. His claim is the Bible should be a living book. By constantly interpreting the text in light of the generation, we would be able to make the Bible relevant. The Bible should be a book that speaks to us all.
We should continue being creative in how we read the divine text. It is not enough just to rely on the past readings, though their insights often help us in our readings. We need to be conscious of the stories and lessons the text has to offer us.
The next set of dialogue with the Dalai Lama began with a small discussion of how Jews read the Bible. Moshe Waldoks spoke about the four different methods, known as PaRDeS. It stands for Pshat (literal), Remez (allegory), Drash (interpretative) and Sod (esoteric). Each method has been tried and tested during Jewish History. The Dalai Lama claimed that Buddhism also had four different methods of reading texts.
Waldoks specifically focused on the importance of non-literal interpretations for the modern/postmodern Jew. His claim is the Bible should be a living book. By constantly interpreting the text in light of the generation, we would be able to make the Bible relevant. The Bible should be a book that speaks to us all.
We should continue being creative in how we read the divine text. It is not enough just to rely on the past readings, though their insights often help us in our readings. We need to be conscious of the stories and lessons the text has to offer us.
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