Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made … then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” Genesis 3:1, 7a
The Hebrew scriptures are full of wordplay, ambiguity, and multiple meanings, and here in the garden story of Genesis we see an interesting example: the serpent was arum – clever, sly or crafty, and Adam and Eve saw that they were arum – naked. Or did they indeed discover that they, like the serpent, were crafty? Or, crafty and naked? The Berakhot Sanhedrin says every word of Torah splits into 70 languages – as many interpretations as there are people. Imagine the challenge to the translator, especially considering that written biblical Hebrew has no vowels! So - what do you think? Are we naked or crafty?
Open our hearts to your word, O God, and give us understanding. Amen
- INVITE FRIENDS OR FAMILY TO BAKE PRETZELS (SEE RECIPE).
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