[Avodah] Open Orthodoxy, again

[Lisa Liel]

On 7/31/2013 5:14 PM, Micha Berger wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 05:09:40PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
>    
>> This is exactly what the Malbim says about Devarim.  That Hashem took Moshe's
>> words, redacted them, and dictated His version to Moshe to write down.
>>      
> And the Abarbanel. I don't see the major chiddush, though. Nearly all
> of the seifer is a collection of speaches (and a poem) said by Moshe
> anyway.
>
> Saying that part of Bereishis was redacted from something Avraham wrote,
> or that the collection of scrolls dictated to Moshe in the midbar were
> then redacted together in Arvos Mo'av...
>    
There's nothing at all wrong with that.  There was research a few 
decades ago about how the "eleh toldot" statements in Genesis were 
similar to colophons, and actually made more sense when seen as ending a 
previous account, rather than introducing a new one.  Is it reasonable 
to say that this part of the Torah was redacted by God, at least in 
part, out of works we already had?  Sure.  Just like God can do a 
miracle through natural means.  But that has nothing to do with Open 
Orthodoxy and the recent brouhaha with Farber's kefirah.

Lisa