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Garden of Eden

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Rabbi Jonathan Blass

17 Kislev 5764
Question
By locating the source of the headwaters of the four rivers in Genesis the Garden of Eden was in southeastern Turkey. Should the description found in Genesis be taken literal? And did Moses receive the inspirations of Genesis, or did he compile it?
Answer
Since one of the rivers mentioned in Genesis is the Nile, I don't see how you place the Garden of Eden in Turkey. The descriptions in the Bible are all exact- but not all relate to the physical world as we know it. Moses received the stories of Genesis as prophecy.
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