The question of understanding is beyond recognizing the printed figures. The question is with regards to the knowledge gained of the fundamental exercise. Is it that understanding (more than the reading) should be the base? Is reading an act in the quest of something else? Should reading be enough?
I read for a lot of reasons: I read to relax (and fall asleep), I read for the entertainment of my person, I read to learn and increase learning, I read (to fill the time and space) instead of something else I should be doing and I read because it is fundamental. Yet I wonder if I should always strive to understand what I read. If you have picked up very technical materials and tried reading for understanding at times, it seems but an exercise in futility. Yet those are the kind of material that demands understanding (and often without the fun).
Being that this is Sunday, let's consider the source of the question. I like the question and the sources from which I borrow it. The first was Jesus to the Jewish leaders of his day when they had asked about the resurrection of the dead and illustrating their side of the argument with the law of Moses and the tale of seven brothers and one wife. Now I have to digress a bit on this story of seven brothers who all ended up with one woman; one after the other. The story goes that in this family of seven brothers, the oldest married himself a wife and died before they could have offsprings. According to tradition (the law of Moses), his second brother took his wife to raise offspring (for his dead brother). Let's pause here for a second. ... ... ... This brother also died (without offsprings). The third, fourth through the seven brothers all married the same woman and died without offspring. Then they asked their question regarding to whom the woman will be married to in the resurrection of the dead since they all had her. Jesus was alarmed at the question which he showed by the questions: "
understandest thou what thou readest?" to paraphraze.
Why I recommended the pause was to allow for someone else to understand what they read. I was moved within the story for a different reason that the Jewish leaders. Did anybody else think this or was it just me that was wondering why the brothers are dying for one woman? Did anyone question her cooking methods? Did they check to see if she had any effects that these brothers should have stayed away from? How pretty was she? Did not Moses also recommend a letter of seperation (and I would think that death of four brothers may qualify for reasons of divorce)? But that's just me. I really do think that some investigations are warranted. I really do think someone should try to understand this situation. That is one good reason why it is good to understand what is being read.
[TO BE CONTINUED]
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