Stephen Spector, "God and the First Families: Parenting, Trauma, and Healing in the Book of Genesis" (Jewish Publication Society, 2026)

What if the book of Genesis is not only the story of humanity’s first

family, but also the story of God learning how to parent? In this

episode, Rabbi Marc Katz sits down with Stephen Spector to discuss his

book God and the First Families: Parenting, Trauma, and Healing in the Book of Genesis (Jewish Publication Society, 2026), a provocative reexamination of the Bible’s foundational stories through the lens of parenting.

Drawing on both biblical interpretation and contemporary psychology,

Spector explores how God’s relationship with the patriarchs and

matriarchs evolves throughout Genesis. God begins as a demanding

authority figure, shifts toward a more nurturing presence, returns

briefly to authoritarianism in the binding of Isaac, and ultimately

develops a style focused on fostering moral and emotional growth.

Remarkably, Spector argues, Genesis anticipates parenting insights that

psychologists would not articulate for thousands of years.