In accordance with this larger plan, and helped by many valuable criticisms and suggestions of members of the Board of Editors, I carefully revised the original manuscript. The fact that the work was now designed for a larger and somewhat different public than was contemplated at first, necessitated a recasting of much of the original, and the inclusion of considerable matter which had been purposely omitted from the first manuscript. To a certain extent it compelled likewise a modification of the original standpoint and mode of treatment. Nevertheless, to a very considerable degree my first manuscript constitutes the basis of this work, and problems of Jewish religious instruction are still touched upon in this book. So far as possible, however, those portions of the book which deal specifically with those problems, and are therefore intended primarily for a professional teacher public, are printed in small type, in order that they may be readily passed over by readers not interested in their consideration.
The two publics which this book now seeks to reach are those of the professional Jewish religious school teacher, whose main concern is to learn as much of the subject as possible, in order to be able in turn to impart instruction with greater efficiency and authority, and the non-professional Jewish Bible student, whose thirst for knowledge and whose Jewish loyalty and interest impel him to seek greater knowledge of Judaism for himself. I trust that this explanation of how this book came to serve these two publics may obviate what might otherwise perplex and confuse, and that it may incline both publics to forbearance in their judgment of the book and patience in its use.
The book aims to be precisely what its title indicates, a Jewish interpretation of Genesis. We have had countless books on Genesis by Jewish authors. But, with rare exceptions, they have sought only to recount the stories of Genesis literally, without penetrating to the fundamental
