“These Are the Generations”: Reasoning with Rabbi Samuel ben Meier

Abstract

The series of meetings at the Center for Theological Inquiry that led to writing the following paper presented a unique opportunity for reflection on medieval biblical interpretation, my area of academic research, within the context of lived experience where all of us who participated were devoted to the study of scripture within our daily lives. Rather than force a dichotomy between the core values that animate our lives and our scholarly disciplines, these gatherings encouraged us to share our “work” as part of a continuum.