A presentation to assert the divine origins of the Bible using a “scientific” methodology drew an audience of 40 students February 20th. The Discovery Seminar is a program sponsored by ultra-Orthodox outreach group Aish HaTorah.
“There is one word Discovery wants to put in your mind, and that word is maybe,” said presenter Rabbi Eliyahu Bergstein at the evenst sponsored by Jewish Arizonans on Campus.
According to his Bergstein, God’s promises in the Torah consistently came true — everything from a triple harvest in the sixth year of planting in order for the land to be fallow in the seventh year, to the seemingly-contradictory promises of great influence and much persecution for the Jewish people. “22 percent of Nobel prizes have been awarded to Jewish people,” Bergstein said, declaring “we’re out of proportion.”
Bergstein also discussed more mystical ideas the theory that Megillat Esther seems to predict the eventual hanging of 10 Nazis at Nuremberg.
His presentation was peppered with jokes and discussion with the crowd. Afterwards, amid much applause, the audience went to the Hillel building for free pizza and to talk about what they had just seen and heard.
Student reaction was generally positive. “He has a lot of good points about things you don’t normally think about,” said sophomore Carolyn Basalla.
“It gets you thinking,” said junior Lisa Edelson, who was seeing the presentation for the the third time, and declared “It definitely puts a maybe in my mind.”