Who Wrote The Torah?
Introduction: A No Ordinary Book
Imagine a book so meticulously crafted. Its stories interlock like the threads of a vast tapestry. Every word, every repetition, and every clear interruption serves a profound purpose. This is no ordinary book. It is the Torah. The Torah is the foundational text of Judaism. Modern scholars often dismiss it as a patchwork of disparate sources compiled by multiple authors over centuries. Yet, as Rabbi David Fohrman compellingly argues in his teachings, the Torah’s literary genius defies such fragmentation. It reveals a singular Author. This Author’s handiwork transcends human ability. The narratives are woven with chiastic precision, verbal echoes, and thematic symmetries. These elements illuminate divine truths about justice, redemption, and human frailty.
It reveals a singular Author.
In this essay, we focus on a microcosm of this brilliance. It holds the interwoven tales of Genesis 37. This chapter describes the sale of Joseph into slavery. Genesis 38 tells the story of Judah and Tamar. These chapters are often read as a jarring interruption. Judah’s domestic scandal suddenly sidelines Joseph’s dramatic descent into the pit and Egyptian servitude. Yet, they are a deliberate literary diptych. Rabbi Fohrman compares their connection to “sewing seventy layers of muscle together.” This metaphor describes a surgical fusion. One story can’t be fully understood without the other. By analyzing Hebrew word matches, we uncover not just artistry, but also deeper meaning. Examining numerical repetitions, chiastic structures, and thematic resolutions provides evidence of unified authorship. No human editor, piecing together oral traditions or rival documents, will orchestrate such depth. This is the fingerprint of the Divine.
The result? A presentation that proves the Torah
We draw on Fohrman’s insights, as explored in his Aleph Beta teachings and writings, like Genesis: A Parsha Companion. We will dissect these chapters and highlight their interconnections. The analysis will be extended with extra chiastic links. Although Fohrman hints at them, he does not fully chart these links. For readers, this essay provides a textual roadmap. For YouTube viewers and podcast listeners, it suggests visual aids like animated overlays of parallel verses. It includes timelines of “lost sons” and features voice-over echoes of key Hebrew terms. The result? A presentation that proves the Torah is literature of unparalleled sophistication—proving its Author.
The Template: Joseph’s Story as Groundwork for Judah’s
Did TheBrother’s sale Joseph? Did You Follow Your Tradition Again?
Genesis 37 sets the stage: Joseph, Jacob’s favored son, dreams of his brothers bowing to him, igniting jealousy. His brothers strip his special ketonet passim (multicolored coat), cast him into a bor (pit), and sell him to Ishmaelite traders. Judah, ever the pragmatist, proposes the sale: “What profit is it if we slay our brother?” (37:26). Jacob, deceived by the bloodied coat, mourns Joseph as dead.
This narrative lays a “template” of deception, loss, and fractured legacy. But why interrupt here with Genesis 38? Fohrman explains: the interruption is the point. Judah “went down” (va-yered, 38:1) from his brothers, mirroring Joseph’s descent into the pit—a verbal hinge that binds the chapters. Without Joseph’s story, Judah’s tale reads as a salacious aside. Judah marries a Canaanite and fathers three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. He loses the first two to divine judgment. Judah fails his levirate duty by withholding Shelah from Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law. Tamar, disguised as a prostitute, seduces Judah, who leaves his chotam v-petil (seal and cord) and staff as eravon (pledge). When exposed, Judah confesses, “She is more righteous than I” (38:26).
Genesis 38 feels disjointed.
Read sequentially, Genesis 38 feels disjointed. But as Fohrman demonstrates, it is a mirror. Joseph’s “death” in the pit (quasi-death, as he survives) parallels Er’s actual death. The brothers’ failure to rescue Joseph echoes Onan’s refusal to continue Er’s line. Judah’s pledge redeems Tamar’s claim, just as his later actions will redeem Benjamin (Jacob’s remaining Rachel-son). The stories are interdependent. Joseph’s template of loss solves Judah’s personal crises. Judah’s redemption arc foreshadows Joseph’s rise and family reconciliation.
For presentation: In print, use side-by-side columns of verses (e.g., 37:23-33 vs. 38:25-26). On video, animate a split-screen: Joseph’s coat “morphing” into Judah’s seal, with Hebrew text fading in/out. In podcast, pause for listener reflection: “Hear the echo? Both men lose a garment that becomes evidence—one false, one true.”
Hebrew Word Matches: Echoes That Bind
The Torah’s Author is a master wordsmith, deploying rare terms as connective tissue. Fohrman highlights several “set repetitions”—words used sparingly, only in these chapters, forging unbreakable links.
- Haker-na (Recognize, please): Appears only twice in the entire Torah. In 37:32, the brothers urge Jacob: “Haker-na (Recognize, please) if it is your son’s coat.” In 38:25, Tamar counters Judah’s judgment: “By the man to whom these belong… haker-na (recognize, please).” The rarity (no other occurrences in Pentateuch) screams intentionality. Deception in Joseph’s story involves a false recognition of death. This flips to truth in Judah’s story, which involves a forced recognition of sin. This match exposes Judah’s hypocrisy—he deceives his father about Joseph, only to be undeceived by Tamar.
- Yared (Went down): Used three times in quick succession. Joseph is “brought down” to Egypt (39:1, post-38); Judah “went down” from his brothers (38:1). This descent motif ties separation and suffering, resolving in ascent (Joseph’s rise, Judah’s moral climb).
- Eravon (Pledge/Collateral): Rare (only here and Deuteronomy 24:17, but contextually unique). Judah leaves his staff as eravon for Tamar (38:17-20). Fohrman connects this to Joseph’s pit. The brothers’ “pledge” to Jacob is the coat. However, Judah’s literal pledge redeems his figurative debt. Selling Joseph created a “hole” (pit/bor) in the family, which his redemption fills.
- Numerical Precision: “Coat” (ketonet) appears seven times across Genesis 37-39, framing the triad of stories. “Pit” (bor) echoes in themes of barrenness (Tamar’s widowhood as a “dry pit”). Brothers’ names tie back: Reuben (behold-a-son, 37:21-22, tries to save Joseph but fails) parallels Onan (strength? but fails levirate); Judah (praise, 38:26, self-praise in confession) redeems the line.
15 Such Strands
Fohrman notes over 15 such strands, impossible for redactors. An additional connection I observe: Chotam (seal) in 38:18 evokes God’s “seal” of approval on creation (Genesis 1). This is inverted. Judah’s personal seal exposes his unseal-ed sin, contrasting Joseph’s sealed dreams (prophetic seal).
For audience: Print tables tally word frequencies (e.g., | Word | Gen 37 | Gen 38 | Torah Total |). Video: Word clouds pulsing in sync. Podcast: Recite verses in Hebrew/English, layering audio echoes.