Book review – Exodus: The Genesis of God’s People

If Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Grumet (director of the Tanach Program at Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi) were not a scholar, I think he would have made for a very successful contracts lawyer. A contracts lawyer drafts and reviews contracts, emphasizing clarity and legal validity.

Contract lawyers are essential, as even minor grammatical and punctuation errors can have significant legal consequences. Perhaps the most famous case is the “million-dollar semicolon”: a Maine law lacked an Oxford comma, leading Oakhurst Dairy to pay millions in an overtime lawsuit.

In Exodus: The Genesis of God’s People (Maggid Books), Grumet draws on his attention to detail and dedication to the written word to offer deep and contemporary insights into the book of Exodus. This is the same approach he used in his previous work, Genesis: From Creation to Covenant.

The original approach Grumet takes to Torah is, in part, based on the Yeshiva Har Etzion method. This employs an analytically rigorous, creative, and interpretive method, grounded in both traditional and academic sources, and is of profound significance. This organic approach and understanding of the Torah and Torah philosophy are particularly appealing to many who may find other approaches unsatisfying.

With his discerning eye for text and underlying narrative, Grumet has crafted a masterpiece that deepens the meaning of the Torah. His command of Hebrew reveals fresh insights. Readers need not know Hebrew to appreciate his analysis, though it is advantageous, especially when he addresses verbs, terminology, and roots.

As noted earlier, throughout the chapters, Grumet uses terms such as “careful look,” “deeper reading,” and others. He invites the reader to slow down and dig deep into the text. By digging deep into the text and reading slowly, Grumet uncovers ideas that one can often pass by.

Much of Exodus builds on what began in Genesis and continues into Leviticus and Numbers. The last two chapters on Leviticus and Numbers leave him room to continue this fascinating analysis.

The notion of hardening the heart occurs 20 times in the book of Exodus. One striking example of Grumet’s insights is his claim that the phrase “heaviness of the heart” has a specific meaning in the ancient Egyptian milieu. Egyptians believed that the path to everlasting life was determined by a ceremony called the Judgement of Osiris, in which a person’s heart was weighed against a feather.

Egyptians believed that good deeds and the maintenance of the natural order made the heart light. If the heart were lighter than a feather, the person could proceed to the afterlife. However, if the person did not pursue justice and harmony, then the heart would be judged as heavier. This condemned the person to the underworld.

In Exodus 18:14, Yitro asks his son-in-law Moshe, “What is this thing that you are doing to the people?” Grumet notes that rhetorical questions in the Chumash are usually not meant to be answered. They are intended as a rebuke.

Similarly, in Genesis 20:9, Avimelech confronts Avraham after discovering that Avraham had misled him into thinking that Sarah was his sister. He says, “What have you done to us?” Avimelech is not expecting a response, as that is not a question waiting for a response but an attack; indeed, Avraham is silent, as there is no justified response.

Regarding Yitro’s rebuke, Moshe responds in 18:15: “It is because the people come to me to inquire of God.” Grumet writes that Moshe’s response is a prime example of what Yitro is advising him to stop doing: answering every question posed to him. Not every request can or should be answered, and certainly not by him alone.

Grumet astutely writes that Yitro’s rhetorical question and Moshe’s straightforward response show that there has been an inversion in Moshe’s concept of leadership. He is no longer leading the people, but is being led by them. Yitro proposes a fundamental change to the system—one that will free Moshe to focus on leadership.

The book of Exodus begins this week, and those looking for a contemporary, engaging read to enhance their understanding of the events will find Grumet’s book quite insightful.