Imagine a school cafeteria at night filled with high school juniors and seniors discussing the nature of God and human-kind in Cain and Abel. A rare intensity animated the conversation as if they intuited that the violence of ancient times has a nasty habit of breaking into our own world. This latest ground-breaking Genesis project of the ICJS occurred four evenings last spring and involved 45 students represent-ing a variety of schools (independent, public, and parochial) and a diversity of perspectives, backgrounds, and religions. In small groups led by adult facilitators, we wrestled with the familiar stories of Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve in the Garden, the Binding of Isaac, and Noah and the Flood. Students worked within small groups reminiscent of the study sessions one might experience in a yeshiva. With electrifying energy and a ravenous hunger for knowledge, we asked questions of the text, of each other, and closely listened to surprising and fresh interpretations. We grappled with difficult ambiguities and tensions imbedded in each story, The students ap-proached each text with honesty, openness, originality, and commitment.

A few snapshots of the discussions: In Cain and Abel (Ch. 4) questions raised included, Why does God play favorites? Who was really responsible for Abel's death? Am I my brother's keeper? What does it mean to be both marked and protected? We discovered the critical difference made by two interpre-tations of Cain's words, "My 'sin/iniquity' or 'punishment' is too great to bear" (v. 13). Perhaps Cain became the founder of cities/civilization in order to hold his own passions in check!

In the Creation stories (Chs. 2 & 3) we examined the text from the perspectives of God, Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. What is the nature of God, humankind, and the relationship between the two? There was much energy around the nature of good and evil, free will and the bad rap Eve has received, and thus women throughout subsequent history. In the words of one Christian student, "I don't see Original Sin here!"

For the Binding/Sacrifice of Isaac (Ch. 22) we engaged in a creative, nonverbal midrash of this profoundly disturbing story. By tearing pieces of multicolored construction paper, we each fashioned our individual understandings of five central ele-ments: God, Abraham, Isaac, the ram, and the altar. The results were stunning. Each creation expressed deeply percep-tions that words often fail to capture. The agony of Abraham, torn between his love for God and his beloved son, was de-picted dramatically by one student by an enormous red heart, jaggedly wrenched in two.

Most students were shocked at the careful re-reading of Noah and the Flood (Chs. 6-9), recalling the happy childhood story of the ark and the family and animals safely secured inside. The promise symbolized in the rainbow dominated the land-scape of their earliest memories. The horror of the devastation that extended beyond the human realm to include animals and plant life raised tough questions: Why this overkill? Can we deal with God as both creator and destroyer? Were people so evil, and why, if indeed humankind was made in God's image? Where was Noah's voice of protest? Would the newspaper headline the next day read GOD DESTROYS THE WORLD or GOD GIVES HUMANKIND A SECOND CHANCE!?

The students pursued this inquiry with stunning honesty and openness. Being able to explore and critically voice a variety of interpretations and questions was a new experience for students who rarely have opportunities to explore religious and ethical questions, their own as well as their neighbors'. The sense of affirmation and trust was hard won and bore eloquent testimony to a willingness to speak freely and to listen with the utmost concentration. The experience was transformative. Each evening we left awed by the complexity of building bridges across diverse communities. The wonder of the project emerged as we discovered the varying paths to God and the possibilities of a dialogue that dares to ask unfathomable questions. This Genesis experience spoke profoundly and powerfully of new beginnings -- now and in the future.