Pimf… to the word idiot!

Rabbi is right. When Ludwig had his bar mitzvah, the praise he received for the beautiful recitation of his portion and the brilliance of his speech went to his head. He does now think that he is authorized to sermonize the congregants at the lgf temple.

This particular sermon would be only mediocre for a thirteen-year old. But one might forgive a lad for not having read much biblical exegesis, history of exegesis, anthropology, biblical archeology, epistemology, philosophy or religion (other than Judaism), before holding forth about truth. Rabbi Ludwig, the adult, might be expected to be a little more humble.

His “truth” about the Noah story is utter rubbish. The meaning of “Earth” is not Planet Earth. It is the world of men (and, according to some exegetes, a world of men and evil angels, and the corrupt offspring of women and evil angels) and their evil ways. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the pollution of the air, water or soil .

The truth of the Noah myth has nothing to do with “communicating to the ancient mind that our actions have global consequences” !! This is the sort of social justice message put out by community organizers. It makes a travesty of one of the founding (or pre-founding) myths of the Jewish people as a people. Above all else, the Noah story relates mankind to the Jews and to God. The Noahide laws were – are – the laws for all mankind and the Jews before they became a nation under Mosaic law. The Noah story, like most of the Old Testament, is profoundly concerned with conduct by men towards other men (Jews towards Jews, Jews towards others) – with the law. God flooded out the corrupt (non-human?) elements in the world, so that righteousness would be possible in man, who could live a life abiding by God’s laws – even before additional laws were given to Jews. God civilized all mankind, before he created a nation of the Jews. This is a remarkable identification of a people with other peoples, an acknowledgment of shared humanity. These are the “global consequences” of the flood: the universalization of humanity (under one God ).

One might be well be disappointed in searching for physical, scientific evidence for the Ark. But there is no point in being contemptuous of those who seek it . The Turin shroud, the pieces of the Cross, wood from the Ark will not succeed in proving that the Bible speaks literally – except to those who believe in the literal truth of the Bible anyway. Some of these people may watch Fox, they may watch CNN. They may be found everywhere. Even next door.

I would rather trust as fellow citizens believers who use science to prove God than scientists who uses the Torah to validate their science. The former can do no harm. The latter diminishes the significance of a foundational text of civilization by reading it as a scientific cautionary tale, and simultaneously exposes scientific argument as little more than a disaster myth told to frighten the credulous into obedience.

Poor Ludwig. It is hard to reconcile being a Jew with the contempt of creationists demanded by Pharaoh ( the Lizard King). Once senses that Ludwig is awaiting with great excitement the destruction in flood and fire of the global warming deniers and creationists. That would be the scientific proof he needs – just like a splinter of the Ark to those simple-minded idiots.