Torah references noted in Harry Potter books
July 25, 2003 at 5:49 PM ET
Cheeser
iharrypotter.net (via Jewsweek)
Jewish Rabbi David Zauderer found "some of the strangest, almost magical, supernatural things" - like what you'd find in the Harry Potter adventures - in what used to be the bestselling book of all time.
He's speaking of the 3,000-year-old Torah
, in which he sees parallels to Salazar Slytherin's basilisk and Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes:
God wasn't just trying to get on top of the New York Times best-sellers list! So, granted, all this sea-splitting, manna-dropping, and serpent-staring makes for a riveting read, but what really is the purpose of the Torah recording all those strange, otherworldly events? And it is especially troubling when you consider that, for the better part of our history, we have not experienced such supernatural events, and have always thought of Judaism as a down-to-earth religion, which doesn't rely on "magic" or other "freaky" things in order to impress us of its truth and relevance.