Впервые в Библии

by Meir Shalev, Меир Шалев

Библия - это книга, в которой всё - в первый раз. Кто-то плачет, кто-то смеется, кого-то ненавидят, кого-то любят, и все это - впервые. Так кто они, эти "первые"? Что они думали, чего хотели? Библия не отвечает на эти вопросы подробно, она немногословна. Но Меир Шалев, вдумчиво перечитывая истории этих "первых", вскрывает их сокровенные чувства, потаенные мысли, подспудные мотивы. Он ведет нас в мудрые глубины библейского текста, и мы благодарны ему за это волнующее, драматическое, полное неожиданностей и открытий путешествие.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Israel, Spirituality, Jewish, Judaism

413 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Meir Shalev (Hebrew: מאיר שלו) was one of Israel’s most celebrated novelists. He received many awards for his work, including the National Jewish Book Award and Israel’s Brenner Prize, both for A Pigeon and a Boy.

A columnist for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Shalev lived in Jerusalem and in northern Israel with his wife and children.

Reviews

[Ram · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first love in the bible is love of a father to his son (Abraham to Itzhak … and we all know where it got them…. And if you don't know then read the Bible or better, this book)

The first man that loved a woman was Itzhak who loved Rivka

The first love of a mother to her son is the love of Rivka to her son Jacob

The bible does not mention any case of love of any parent of a daughter.

The first death (a murder)
The first kiss (son to father and not a kiss of love)
The first hate
The first laughter (that is also the last)

The first prophet (was Abraham, but except for the fact that God called him a prophet, this skill is not mentioned again and we know none of his prophecies)

And many more.....

In this book, Meir Shalev takes us through the first incidents in the bible and on the way discusses other, not first incidents, of the same, especially if they are the interesting ones.

Meir Shalev uses the Bible, and especially Genesis as an important source for idea's and metaphors for his novels. He has flowing love for the Bible and he combines idea's and themes from the bible in his books, weekly column in the newspaper and lectures. Three of his novels have names (the Hebrew name) taken from the bible and he wrote another book except for this one that discusses the Bible.

Reading his special analysis of the verses, his unique way of understanding the words is pure entertainment and broadening of the mind. He has vast knowledge, and he uses it to cross reference the verses with other similar verses or similar stories. All this is done with allot of love and admiration to the book, a touch of humor, and a quiver full of intellectual arrows that he uses to ridicule some of today's political and religious institutions and leaders by comparing them to the leaders and institutions in the Bible.

I can't visualize myself sitting down and reading the Bible, but a book like this is perfect for me. The approach is completely nonreligious. Meir Shalev treats the Bible as literature that was written by many authors. I recommend this book to anyone, it is a wonderful read.

[Irit Marek · Rating 5 out of 5]

רגעים ראשונים בתנ''ך שאת חלקם זכרתי וחלקם פחות. מנקודת מבט חילונית שמטילה ספק ומעוררת מחשבות מעניינות מאוד. אהבתי!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good book about the Good Book.

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents an unusual combination: a set of essays about the Torah by an Israeli novelist who believes the Bible was written by and for men.

Often Shalev's insights are quite interesting: for example, his discussion of David points out that many people loved him, but that he loved hardly anyone. Perhaps as a result, David becomes less moral and less competent over time.

Shalev also sheds new light on the David/Goliath story, discussing his father's use of a slingshot to create precise dents in a faraway iron barrel- the sort of dents that perhaps could have felled Goliath.

On the other hand, Shalev's attempts to debunk religious conventional wisdom are sometimes a stretch. For example, he argues that the authors of Ecclesiastes and of Proverbs cannot be the same man, because the latter book "consists of tedious renditions of conventional wisdom [celebrating] obedience, conformity and mediocrity" while the former book "tilts towards hedonism [and] objects to bromides about reward and punishment." But the two points of view seem consistent to me. On the one hand, to get along you have to go along (as the author of Proverbs might say). On the other hand, sometimes even getting along and going along won't prevent bad fortune, and even a fortunate getter-along should try to enjoy himself or herself along the way.

[Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a joyous time reading this book. Each time I opened it, I felt like I was dropping in for a cozy visit with a chatty, fun friend.

This book is ostensibly about biblical firsts: the first animal, the first law, etc. I believe that Shalev must have tired of this gimmick quickly, because he seems to identify the first of a topic then goes on to write about the instance of it which interests him. I'm fine with that. I would rather read his detailed psychological and moral analysis of King David then ruminations on some obscure monarch mentioned in one line of Genesis.

I was very satisfied with his reading of the Joseph story.

Ultimately, Meir Shalev just wanted to write a collection of midrashim and I found it totally engaging

[Louise Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone interested in the bible. The author reintroduces all of the great heroes and heroines of the Hebrew Scripture in a series of firsts including the first kiss, the first laugh, and the first dream. His analysis is skillful, innovative and even provocative and clearly Shalev knows his bible. It was refreshing to see a modern look at a traditional subject that is accessible with a secular perspective.

I loved his fiction work: A Pigeon and a Boy and would recommend checking that out as well.

[Jr Dela Fuente · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF-
good for Biblical context. it’s written by Jewish writer with heavy cultural opinions and criticism of Hebrew texts.

[Menno Beek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kreeg dit boek nogal dwingend aangeraden door een bevriende journalist, schafte het dus maar aan, en het was welbesteed geld: dit is een geestig man, die zij het enigszins geforceerd zichzelf als agnost afficierend, over de bijbel schrijft met het diepe inzicht van een man die niet alleen zelf boeken heeft geschreven maar vooral ook goed begrijpt hoe een verhaal werkt, en wat je in een zuinig geschreven verhaal tussen de strak vormgegeven regels lezen kunt (De verhalen uit het oude testament, de Hebreeuwse bijbel om precies te zijn, bevatten nooit zinnen als de boovenstaande, waar niks tussen de regels te lezen valt omdat het maar één zin is - de zin redt het grammaticaal wel, dacht ik, dus ik laat haar staan)

[Pablo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of Mr. Shalev’s fiction, A Pigeon and A Boy being one of my favorite books. This, tho, is a non-fiction reflection on the firsts (love, laugh, etc.) in the Bible, the Old Testament. Mr. Shalev writes that there are other more devout than him, which is quite apparent in how he refers to the Bible’s “author or authors” many times throughout these chapters. While this might be hard for the more orthodox to bear, Mr. Shalev reflections and insights allow you to look at the Bible through a new lens, and if you are challenged by his interpretations that's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Erik Ros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shalev grasduint in het Oude Testament, legt verbanden, verklaart en geeft zijn visie op bepaalde passages. Hij vergeet niet ook af en toe met een sneer naar het heden te verwijzen. Hij is een meesterlijke verteller, maar zijn eigen verhalen vind ik mooier dan zijn verklaring van andere bekende verhalen. Naar het einde toe valt hij zelfs een beetje in herhaling, maar misschien komt dat omdat ik het verhaal van Jozef nog goed in mijn hoofd had.

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read for Bible needs lay or scholar. By marking biblical firsts he has a gateway into other aspects of the Bible including women, prophets, family structures, relationships and so much more. Accessible but not dumbed down.

[Janine Wohlfarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erste Male in der Bibel unterhaltsam erzählt und analysiert.

[Noamsnotonfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

יואו נהנתי נורא לקרוא את זה, שפה קלה. מאיר שלו מוצא דרך להפוך גם את הסיפור הכי משעמם בתנ"ך להכי מעניין

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

His commentary on God is insulting. If you don't believe God is an omniscient being, then his commentary won't be terrible for you. However, if you don't want to hear about God "having second thoughts about his relationship" with Abraham after he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, because "even God known he'd gone too far", don't read this book. If you don't want to hear about how Jacob outsmarted God by being specific in his request to be safe on his journey in order to become God's follower, don't read this book.

[gardienne_du_feu · Rating 3 out of 5]

In diesem Buch beschäftigt sich Meir Shalev, den ich als Romanautoren ja sehr mag, mit den "ersten Malen" in der Bibel: der erste Kuss, die erste Erwähnung der Liebe, der erste Hass, der erste Spion.

Gewisse Grundkenntnisse in Sachen Bibel empfehlen sich natürlich, um das Buch zu verstehen. Man muss nicht übertrieben bibelfest sein, da die weniger bekannten Passagen, auf die er Bezug nimmt, nochmals erläutert werden, aber z.B. mit den Geschichten von Abraham, Isaak, Jakob und Joseph sollte man zumindest in den Grundzügen vertraut sein. Shalev erläutert auch den historischen Kontext, wo es nötig ist, geht auf Sitten und Bräuche ein und scheut sich auch nicht, den offiziellen Exegeten gelegentlich ordentlich ans Bein zu treten. So demontiert er in gewisser Weise das glattpolierte Bild von König David oder lässt den Propheten Samuel gar nicht so gut wegkommen. Die biblischen Gestalten, wie er sie schildert, sind sehr menschlich in ihren Regungen und Aktionen.

Nicht alle Kapitel fand ich gleichermaßen interessant, insbesondere die langwierigen politischen Verwicklungen im Zusammenhang mit den Spionen waren mir teils doch ein wenig zu zäh, aber es gab einige Überraschungen und Aha-Momente für mich. Shalev geht mit der Bibel und der Religion kritisch, humorvoll, aber nie respektlos um - das hat mich insgesamt sehr angesprochen und auch ein wenig über die sich ziehenden Passagen hinweggetröstet.

[Henry Sturcke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I knew the narratives of the Hebrew Bible fairly well, but Shalev surprised me with his insight. Part of this is from his close reading of the text and attention to detail, part of it is his own sense of characterisation borne of his own experience as a novelist. A third ingredient, perhaps most indispensable, is that he does not approach the text or its characters as "holy". This gives him license to question the actions and motives of Abraham, Samuel and Elijah, while rehabilitating some others. I enjoyed this book more than I expected I would and recommend it highly. A very good read.

[Natan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You may wonder why I started a new shelf called 'Bible' for this book when I already have one called 'Judaism'. The answer is that this is by no means a religious text. Sometimes it is quite the opposite, in fact. At some points it is exceedingly so, to the point that it is annoying.

Don't get me wrong - it's a good book, and a thought-provoking one at that. Just don't expect any rabbi to like it.

[Jo]

You know a book deserves 5 stars when you are sad that you've finished reading it. (Something is missing, irretrievably)

I guess that never before has anything ever made me want to reread - and re-reread - the stories from the Tanakh as much as 'Beginnings' by Shalev. If you're interested in the Bible, be it only slightly, read this book. It is probably going to change your perspective for a lifetime.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book about biblical first is fantastic for any time of discussion group. Each chapter can stand alone as an essay. Shalev is a secularist which does mean that his observations on the Bible should be considered inconsequential. His analysis is thought provoking and considers literary structure and human behavior. I can recommend this most strongly!

[TempleOhabeiShalom]

Recommended by Rabbi Sonia Saltzman:

In Beginnings, bestseling and prize winning Israei author Meir Shalev, describes the many "firsts" of the Bible- from the first love and the first death to the first laugh and the first dream -providing a fresh and surprising look at the stories we think we know.

[Marjolijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leuk boek. In een boek over de Bijbel gaat het uiteraard om het uitleggen ervan, van Gods bedoeling met mensen. Maar dit boek laat ook zien dan de Bijbel een heel literair boek is dat is geschreven door mensen met bijzondere schrijftalenten.

Enige nadeel is de keuze voor "eerste keren", het gaat daardoor nogal veel over dezelfde verhalen uit het begin van de Bijbel: Abraham, Izaak en Jakob.

[Emma S · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning and middle are stronger than the end, but in every chapter Shalev explores the Biblical texts surrounding the first appearance of a specific root (Hebrew is a language based on three-letter roots) in the Hebrew Bible. The book does explore some subtle grammatical points, so I'm not sure how well that came through in the translation. Very interesting book.

[Judy Zingher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shalev's genius in reviewing these well-known Biblical stories is that he imagines logically how each situation looked from the point of view of a character whose take on the situation was not explored by the writer of Tanach. The results are often brilliant, and sometimes with a swipe at current Israeli politics.

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Een zwaar teleurstellend boek.Het blijft aan de oppervlakte zodat het niets toevoegde aan wat ik al wist. De opzet,de eerste keren in de bijbel,is uitermate geforceerd.Ik zie de zin of functie ervan totaal niet in.

[K C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful if irreverent Torah commentary from a secular writer who knows his Tanach. Wish all Jews, religious as well as secular, were as well versed as Shalev in Tanach. Of course well written resulting in very good reading for all.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when somebody else does all the hard work and puts the interesting bits together, especially when it is done with a sense of humour.

[Rebekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biedt een verrassende kijk op overbekende verhalen

[Barak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart and interesting facts and interpretations of various biblical events and characters.

[Suzanne Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative, and interesting, journey into the Bible's firsts.

[Marge Congress]

A fascinating retelling of the Bible as written as literature. The famous writer describes the real story of the First Love, First Hate, First Dream, etc. and why the author of the story told it that way. Should be savored slowly, not read quickly.