Question
How are the Jews taught to interpret Genesis? Literally? Figuratively?
Thank you.
Answer
Shalom,
That happens to be a very important question. The Torah is an outline, and there is a vast amount of information which supplements the outline for proper understanding. It is this supplemental information which kept Moshe (Moses) busy for 40 days and nights on Sinai, 3,317 years ago.
The Torah has literal parts, such as the Mabul (Flood), and many non-literal parts, such as the “hand of G-d.” The hand of G-d is only figurative as G-d is purely spiritual, having no physicality of any kind.
“An eye for a eye” relates to monetary damages, and is not literal for maiming a person.
And so on, and so on…
Regards, Eliahu Levenson