Monday, November 24, 2008

The First Two Pages of the Hebrew Bible

I am one of those who had been reading the Sacred Scriptures of the Hebrew people, and the wisdom of the Bible never failed to amaze me, a kind of wisdom that I have not yet found in any other "sacred writings". The Hebrew Bible does not only give me inspirations and insights, but it also gives me a peek into the wisdom of the Almighty who personally wrote and contributed the first two pages of the Hebrew Bible.

Wait a minute! Didn't the Hebrew scribes wrote all that was written in the original scroll of Genesis? Yes of course, but the whole book of Genesis which begins with the word "Bereshit" (in the beginning) was based on the letters of an earlier two pages which started with the word "Anoki" (I Am), and these two pages could not be found in Genesis but somewhere else.

Remember, when the children of Israel left Egypt, they brought with them their tales and their stories that were handed to them from their previous generation to their time by word of mouth. They also brought with them the understanding of the Egyptian hieroglyphics which they cared not to use in transcribing their tales and stories for their coming generations. Then how did they come up with Genesis in writing?

Only a few months after the Hebrews left Egypt, Moses (peace be upon him), the Hebrew leader went up to meet with the Almighty at Mount Sinai where he was given the two tablets of the testimonies, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of the Almighty. In them were the Asereth HaDebarim (Ten Commandments) in a new hieroglyphics which the Hebrew had to learn, which they were to use in transcribing the additional instructions they were about to receive, and the tales and stories which had been handed down to them. In these two tablets were the very letters they used in writing the accounts of Genesis and all others up to Deuteronomy.