http://www.joelnothman.com/2007/11/19/is-there-a-bigger-picture/ Hobbily blogging Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:17:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.joelnothman.com/2007/11/19/is-there-a-bigger-picture/comment-page-1/#comment-2305 Arie Fri, 23 Nov 2007 01:44:06 +0000 http://www.joelnothman.com/blog/2007/11/19/is-there-a-bigger-picture/#comment-2305 I don't think it's so much about curses as it is about being aware of the power of words. I don’t think it’s so much about curses as it is about being aware of the power of words.

]]> http://www.joelnothman.com/2007/11/19/is-there-a-bigger-picture/comment-page-1/#comment-2297 Simon Holloway Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:47:19 +0000 http://www.joelnothman.com/blog/2007/11/19/is-there-a-bigger-picture/#comment-2297 The jury is out. My gut instinct is that Ibn Ezra is right and that this reading is simply the result of the two stories being juxtaposed in such a manner. Jacob's "curse", to me, reads like an expression rather than an indictment, but that's not to deny validity to Rashi's reading. There are many readings of the Bible that are only arrived at by such juxtapositions, and I think that this is just as valid a motivator for interpretation as is the elusive "authorial intent". The jury is out. My gut instinct is that Ibn Ezra is right and that this reading is simply the result of the two stories being juxtaposed in such a manner. Jacob’s “curse”, to me, reads like an expression rather than an indictment, but that’s not to deny validity to Rashi’s reading. There are many readings of the Bible that are only arrived at by such juxtapositions, and I think that this is just as valid a motivator for interpretation as is the elusive “authorial intent”.

]]>