Indians had tepees, cone shaped portable dwellings. Such social arrangements reflect mythology or ideology. Conversely, a change in mythology will lead to rearrangement of social patterns. We may study a text by looking at the social arrangements which produced it. Or, we may study the symbols in the text and observe how they call new social relationships into being.
Interpretation takes place in such a context of social arrangements.
It is never truly personal. We seek what the community tells us to be valuable. Our language is a gift we share with the community. Torah as scripture defined the symbols all Jews used to represent reality to themselves and others. Secondary symbols like Temple, Promised Land, Suffering Servant, People of God, and the Resurrection were drawn from the primary symbol of Torah.