BIBLE DYNAMICS - Vol. 1 GENESIS. Part a - Bereshit - Chayei Sarah

The Midrash notes that "every generation has its expounders," and new commentaries to the Torah are needed in every generation. Likewise, a new approach to understanding the Torah is needed nowadays. Bible Dynamics commentary, based on the kabbalistic ideas of Rabbi Y. L. Ashkenazi (Manitou), seeks to provide that.The need for new commentaries arises as cultures and societies constantly evolve, change and generate new problems. Naturally the previous commentaries retain their...
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The Midrash notes that "every generation has its expounders," and new commentaries to the Torah are needed in every generation. Likewise, a new approach to understanding the Torah is needed nowadays. Bible Dynamics commentary, based on the kabbalistic ideas of Rabbi Y. L. Ashkenazi (Manitou), seeks to provide that.The need for new commentaries arises as cultures and societies constantly evolve, change and generate new problems. Naturally the previous commentaries retain their importance, but they are no longer sufficient. New approaches are paramount for preserving the relevance of the Torah for new generations.The contemporary reader might be a free-thinking traditional Jew, a Jew entirely removed from the tradition, or not even Jewish at all, but a person who has undertaken to read the Torah simply because it is an important work belonging to humanity's rich spiritual heritage.All of a human life is a dialogue between man and God. The participants in this dialogue are individuals, nations, and humankind as a whole. The Almighty wants every human being to become more perfect. He constantly presents us with new tasks and new problems. As we manage to cope with each succeeding task, He gives us yet another and another, in order to advance us to the next, higher level. Sometimes it may happen that we are not able to cope with a given task.Then God gives us an easier one and after we solve it He presents us with the original, more difficult problem. As we continue solving each subsequent problem in the long series of tasks, humanity gradually improves, and man advances closer and closer to God.Our ability to understand the Patriarchs as dynamically developing personalities is an essential part of this process. It is our hope that this book will succeed in serving that purpose. We begin this commentary from the story of Cain and Abel in the fourth chapter of Genesis. The numbered chapters here likewise begin with chapter 4. Commentary on the first three chapters of Genesis will be published in the next edition of this book.