The Exodus You Almost Passed Over

by David Fohrman

Overview

Is there an Exodus story that we almost passed over? Every year we read the story or the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt. It seems like something we already know. But do we? Questions haunt the careful reader. Among them: Doesn't the name "Passover" seem a bit strange? Why not just call it Freedom Day, or Independence Day? And did the Exodus have to be so complicated? Couldn't an all-powerful deity have teleported the Israelites out of Egypt and spared everyone the arduous process of the Ten Plagues? Then there's the uncomfortable parts of the Exodus: Why, exactly, did God have to harden Pharaohs heart? Was that really fair? In this book, Rabbi Fohrman invites us to look at the Exodus story with fresh eyes - to join him, as it were, on a guided adventure, a close reading of the ancient biblical text. In so doing, Rabbi Fohrman reveals a side of the Exodus story that illuminates not just our past, but our future, and tells not only of our freedom, but of our destiny. This book will uncover secrets that lay hidden in this ancient and sacred saga and tell the tale of the Exodus you thought you knew.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781592645688
Publisher:	Koren Publishers
Publication date:	02/18/2021
Pages:	312
Sales rank:	79,997
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.30(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Preface xxi

Part I Taking Apart the Exodus Story

The Angel in the Back of the Room 3

The Exodus Game 11

Power and Precision 21

A Tale of Two Speeches 29

Much Ado about Names 37

Part II The Exit Strategy

What's in a Name? 45

Do You Believe in Parker? 51

More than a Numbers Game 61

The Hidden Agenda 69

The Case for Monotheism 79

Stubbornness and Courage 83

Part III Putting the Exodus Story Back Together Again

The Path Not Taken 93

The Journey to Tomorrowland 103

Escalation 111

Hail to the King 119

The Desecration of Remorse 129

Pharaoh's Last Refuge 135

Birth Night 147

Creation and Uncreation 157

The Exodus that Might Have Been 169

Part IV Joseph and the Phantom Exodus

All the King's Horsemen 173

A Moment of Truth 179

The Triangle 185

The Land of Nearness 195

The Fence of Thorns 205

A Conversation, Delayed 217

Honor Guard 225

Take the Long Way Home 229

Convergence 235

Divergence 249

The Unfinished Journey 259

Appendix A God, Moses, and the Worst-Case Scenario 265

Appendix B One Coat, Two Coats 275