PREFACE

In “The Book of Heresy” I present an interpretation of the Bible that combines a secular viewpoint with a Masoretic way of interpretation. I address myself to those readers who believe in the freedom of thought and impose no boundaries on biblical criticism.
Many people conceive God as an ideal spiritual entity and they interpret the Bible accordingly. Mine is a different way. God in my book is assumed to be a flesh and blood figure with manners very similar to ourselves. To readers who may find this idea difficult to accept, I suggest adopting it as a working hypothesis and examine to what extent the interpretation of the scriptures according to such an assumption results in a logical and a comprehensive picture. I hope that in the course of reading, they will realize how a change in a basic assumption leads to an abundance of new and unexpected interpretations.
Why “Heresy”?
A major part of my book is dedicated to the origins of the Jewish faith. The pillars of this faith are, in my opinion, the following three principles:

Rejecting these principles, or even casting doubt upon only one of them, may be considered an act of heresy. However, studying the scriptures carefully, I found out that the Bible and its Masoretic interpretations are inlaid with sayings of heresy outspoken by great believers such as Moses, Jeremiah, and Avrabanel. This has been the main reason why I decided to name my interpretation of the Bible: “The Book of Heresy”. Religious readers should be alert to the fact that due to its special character, the book contains phrases that they may find too harsh. Still, I would like to emphasize that the book discusses serious problems of belief that had been troubling the sages of Israel throughout the ages and that the Talmud already said: “The prophets know that their God is real, and they do not flatter him” (Jerusalem Talmud, tractate Brachot, chapter 7, Halacha 3).