In reading The Zohar, I found many comparisons in every day life. It seems to me that the purpose of these interpretations was basically to show people that whether or not stories are true or factual, they have real moral and purposeful meaning behind them. The comparison that most closely resembles this, in my mind, is the way in which our class found meaning in the Paleolithic art and things that the Neanderthals did.
On page forty three of the Zohar it is written, "Woah to the human being who says that Torah presents mere stories and ordinary words!". Instantly, the reader is set back and considers the meaning behind each story and word that is present in the Torah. We, as readers, are more easily swayed to believe that the meanings are true and relevant because we can interpret them as we please. Thus, religion is there for us to analyze and take what we want. Humans like the ability to perceive thoughts in a way that gels well with their own opinions.
Just how the Zorah says to interpret the Torah, our class studied early human and neanderthal life as we pleased. There was obviously confliction between thoughts, and even more between the way objects, paintings, and symbols were looked at. Some saw religion, some saw artwork, and some nothing but day to day materials needed for survival. The Zorah exemplifies one type of person and the Torah another. I know that there are people that believe Adam and Eve were actually people that walked the earth. There are also others that believe the story is there just to give meaning. I think it is clear that no matter what, there will always be a distinction between the two types of people. Even those who read the Zorah may still believe that all the stories in the Torah are factual.
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