When an non-observant Jewish man reads the Hebrew Bible, what does he observe?
One thing is the influence the Bible has on us by having shaped the culture:
First, I’m much more aware of how foundational the Bible is for our culture. Many phrases and stories that serve as models for stories today come from the Bible—themes that are the lifeblood of books and movies today. All of a sudden, I see these things, like I’m seeing the world through new glasses.
And there’s plenty more.
David Plotz also blogged his way through the readings. I haven’t read his blog posts, but here they are.
In his own reflections on reading, Plotz says he’s ‘no closer to God’ – sadly, I think – but calls himself ‘a full-on Bible thumper. Everyone should read it—all of it!’ While I’d hope for even more, I love what he says: ‘While reading the Bible, I often felt as if I had finally lifted a veil from my eyes.’