More light reading: Russell Surprises Rabbi during Reception preceding Presidential Prayer Breakfast

[Lem]

Nelson seems to build his stories up from small experiences. Nelson originally told this anecdote in a 1997 BYU speech, where he refers to the National Prayer Breakfast he attended earlier in the year. In the transcript of the 1997 prayer breakfast, at about 34:25, Al Gore says this:

....when this Minister revisited the White House earlier this year I was reminded of the famous chapter in Ezekiel 37 when Ezekiel is placed in the valley and I saw a great many bones on the floor....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTyqgzZcxEQ

He then proceeded to quote about the first 10 verses of Ezekiel 37. I have a hard time believing two NY rabbis couldn't remember what was in verse 16 of that same chapter, either before or after, but especially not after so much of it was quoted at the very event they were currently attending.

[Physics Guy]

Nelson seems to build his stories up from small experiences. Nelson originally told this anecdote in a 1997 BYU speech, where he refers to the National Prayer Breakfast he attended earlier in the year. In the transcript of the 1997 prayer breakfast, at about 34:25, Al Gore says this:

....when this Minister revisited the White House earlier this year I was reminded of the famous chapter in Ezekiel 37 when Ezekiel is placed in the valley and I saw a great many bones on the floor....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTyqgzZcxEQ

He then proceeded to quote about the first 10 verses of Ezekiel 37. I have a hard time believing two NY rabbis couldn't remember what was in verse 16 of that same chapter, either before or after, but especially not after so much of it was quoted at the very event they were currently attending.

That is some sleuthing!

Now that I think about it, there's a fair chance that both rabbis had learned enough about Mormonism, just out of idle curiosity at some point, to have heard the Mormon take on Ezekiel's two "sticks". In that case they might well have run this routine on Nelson as a sort of dry rabbinical joke, especially if they had just heard Al Gore recite from Ezekiel 37.

[Fence Sitter]

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[Fence Sitter]

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[Lem]

Nelson seems to build his stories up from small experiences. Nelson originally told this anecdote in a 1997 BYU speech, where he refers to the National Prayer Breakfast he attended earlier in the year. In the transcript of the 1997 prayer breakfast, at about 34:25, Al Gore says this:

He then proceeded to quote about the first 10 verses of Ezekiel 37. I have a hard time believing two NY rabbis couldn't remember what was in verse 16 of that same chapter, either before or after, but especially not after so much of it was quoted at the very event they were currently attending.

That is some sleuthing!

Thanks. We already know he reuses stories, adding and subtracting details, so I found the earliest version which gave a year, then googled 1997 national prayer breakfast. First link was a video transcript showing preset timestamps, one of which was.... Ezekiel 37.

Now that I think about it, there's a fair chance that both rabbis had learned enough about Mormonism, just out of idle curiosity at some point, to have heard the Mormon take on Ezekiel's two "sticks". In that case they might well have run this routine on Nelson as a sort of dry rabbinical joke, especially if they had just heard Al Gore recite from Ezekiel 37.

Lol. I could see that.

[Gadianton]

it's true that the only hope of credibility would be if the Rabbi's had staged the question in advance. I highly doubt it.

There is just no way the Rabbi would happen to get stuck on the one scripture that the Tin Man had to play as a proof-text to introduce his book to a Rabbi or any Bible believer. In my years of interacting with EVs, that scripture wasn't of high importance for anything.

[Physics Guy]

Well, but here’s where Lem’s discovery makes a difference. The two sticks of Judah and Joseph may be obscure, but the rest of Ezekiel 37 is not. It’s the famous “dry bones” vision. “Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around, Now hear de word of de Lord!“ is a famous spiritual. So two rabbis who have sat through a pious American recapitulation of Ezekiel 37 might well be thinking about gentile appropriations of Ezekiel 37. If they had happened to know already about the Mormon take on this one, Gore’s quotation might have prompted them to bring up the Mormon take with a Mormon leader.

[Philo Sofee]

Well, but here’s where Lem’s discovery makes a difference. The two sticks of Judah and Joseph may be obscure, but the rest of Ezekiel 37 is not. It’s the famous “dry bones” vision. “Dem bones, dem bones gonna walk around, Now hear de word of de Lord!“ is a famous spiritual. So two rabbis who have sat through a pious American recapitulation of Ezekiel 37 might well be thinking about gentile appropriations of Ezekiel 37. If they had happened to know already about the Mormon take on this one, Gore’s quotation might have prompted them to bring up the Mormon take with a Mormon leader.

True enough, yet I have sincere doubts he walked away a victor in the discussion as if the Rabbis simply swooned at his irresistible "scripture logic."

[kairos]

Confused- the reception was prior to the sit down breakfast so no one would have yet heard AG speak right?
So also later in the false story Russell M. Nelson says “my friend( rabbi)”
But in the earlier part he had just bumped into this first rabbi from NY , now 5 minutes later Nellie calls him a friend- quick friendship huh?
The probability either of these rabbis knew Nelson as a Mormon is unclear and probably very low- in these receptions you talk to the one or two near to you and introduce yourself. The second rabbi would have been very respectful normally and would not have butted in to get a scripture answer - distasteful at best ; then again Nellie could have been trying to give rabbi one a pass along card to get the guy an opportunity to be taught by the mishap.
Obviously the story is a remake / retelling with additions to suit Nellie’s need to have a faith promoting story tied to
The national prayer breakfast for which Nelson was one of the lucky 500 to attend- maybe he ate his eggs in the overflow.
Just musin
k

[Lem]

I'm guessing that AFTER the Ezekiel 37 reference was made, Nelson's memory of an earlier 'hello' morphed into a scriptural smack down of two learned NYC rabbis. Because surely he knows the Bible better than any other religious person present, right?