This study focuses on food imagery utilized in the Torah of the Old Testament with the goal of presenting a new interpretation of the Torah that centers on such images. The importance of food imagery derives from the fact that food sustains and develo...
This study focuses on food imagery utilized in the Torah of the Old Testament with the goal of presenting a new interpretation of the Torah that centers on such images. The importance of food imagery derives from the fact that food sustains and develops life. In examining the role of food imagery as a vehicle for conveying certain messages, I find that the Torah uses food imagery as a major source to convey that God is the creator and owner of the life and the One who sustains and develops life, the "Food Provider".
Food imagery is frequently used when expressing the meeting with God and the meeting and sharing between members of the community. For example, it is a central image in Cultic and Purity Laws, tithes, and festivals. Also in important Biblical narratives, including the covenant narratives and etiological narratives, the "eating of food" often precedes the "oracle," showing how food imagery affects construction in Biblical narratives. Finally, this study includes a new interpretation of the story Joseph centered on food imagery, thereby showing the potential for use of a new interpretation of the Torah.