Redemption

(The Strait and Narrow Path)

Primary Content (From 1 Sefer Moses, the Book of Beginnings):

• Chapter 6 – The Redemption
• Chapter 7 – The Oath

Additional Reading (Comparison Texts):

• Genesis 4-5 from the Inspired Version of the Bible
• 2 Nephi Chapter 13 (RAV) / Chapter 31 (OPV)

Objectives:

• Compare and Contrast: Teshuvah vs. Rebellion

Kabbalistic Concepts:

• Walking in Teshuvah
• The Proclamation of Shalom

Notes Before Reading:

These two chapters don’t seem to be thematically related to each other, but they do give a stark contrast between walking in Teshuvah and rebelling against YHVH Elohim.

Engage:

Engage the Text through Investigation

Using the two translations, and differences in word choice, build yourself a working definition for the concept of Teshuvah.  What is it, what is it not?  Is teshuvah a commandment or invitation? Is it an ordinance or an attitude?  Is it an action or a belief?

Engage the Concepts through Comparison

In 7:12, Cain becomes defiant.  And a few verses later, he is warned that if he doesn’t get control of his feelings, he’s going to reap serious consequences.   His defiance here is in stark contrast to the idea of Teshuvah that Adam and Eve are multiplying and replenishing out into the earth via the declaration of Shalom.   Compare these two concepts (Rebellion and Teshuvah) and find deeper meaning in both by exploring their contrasts.

Engage the Spirit through Contemplation

A good topic for contemplation this week is Redemption.  At first it is a simple concept that is hard to misunderstand.  But, it’s also a very vague thing. What is it?  What does it mean to be redeemed from the fall?  At what point do we become redeemed?  Can we then be un-redeemed?  Is it an on-again, off-again sort of thing?  Does redemption require effort on our part? Does it require our cooperation?  Are we redeemed somehow through our own actions? (is it achievable without atonement being made on our behalf)?  Were Adam and Eve redeemed as soon as they walked in teshuvah? Or some later moment?  Was it an “event” or a “process”?  Did anything change at the moment of redemption?  Were they suddenly allowed to eat the fruit from the tree of life?  Is it the fruit of the tree of life?

Engage the Group through Discussion

When you meet together as a group to discuss the content of these chapters, here are some ideas to help get the discussion going:

• How does a person know if they are walking in Teshuvah?
• What was “the Oath” in chapter 7?  This looks like something that you don’t enter into it without realizing you are doing it.   Do you feel people could accidentally make this oath? Does that happen today?  Is there a way out of this oath for people who already made it?