Judaism: sacred texts and revered writings Books
Koren Publishers Koren Lev Ladaat Humash: Bemidbar
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£21.84
Koren Publishers Koren Lev Ladaat Humash: Devarim
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£21.84
Koren Publishers Koren Tanakh Maalot, Magerman Edition, Standard,
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£41.39
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V26a Shevuot Daf 2a Daf 19b
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£10.26
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V26b Shevuot Daf 19b Daf 36b
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£10.26
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V26c Shevuot Daf 36b Daf 49b
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£9.90
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V27a Avoda Zara Daf 2a Through
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£9.90
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V27b Avoda Zara Daf 22a
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£10.26
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V27c Avoda Zara Daf 40b
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£10.26
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V27d Avoda Zara Daf 62a
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£10.26
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V28 Horayot Daf 2a Through Daf
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£9.67
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V29a Zevahim Daf 2a Through
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£9.67
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V29b Zevahim Daf 15b Through
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£9.67
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V29c Zevahim Daf 36b Through
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£9.67
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V29d Zevahim Daf 58a Through
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£9.67
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V29e Zevahim Daf 83a Through
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£9.67
Koren Publishers Koren Talmud Bavli V29f Zevahim Daf 98b Through
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£9.67
Koren Publishers The Koren Aviv Tanakh Bereshit
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£31.50
Koren Publishers Koren Lev Ladaat Humash
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£41.39
Koren Publishers Megillat Ruth Mesorat Harav
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£18.04
Koren Publishers Koren Humash with Rashi and Onkelos Boxed Set
£21.84
Koren Publishers Pirké Avot
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£21.84
Oxford University Press Rabbinic Texts and the History of LateRoman
Book SynopsisThis volume brings together studies by experts in the rabbinic literature of late antiquity and by specialists in the history of the Jews in that period in order to reveal the value of rabbinic material as historical evidence and the problems and issues which arise in its exploitation.A substantial introductory section discusses the current state of knowledge about Palestine in this period and debates about the difficulties involved in editing and dating rabbinic texts. Specific core texts and text categories are then introduced to the reader in a series of ten discrete studies. The volume concludes with six thematic analyses which illustrate the use and limitations of rabbinic evidence for cultural, religious, political, economic and social history.This volume will be essential reading for all scholars concerned with the history of the later Roman Empire.Table of ContentsPART I: THE ISSUES ; PART II: THE RABBINIC TEXTS ; PART III: HISTORY
£80.75
Oxford University Press Handbook of Jewish Literature from Late Antiquity
Book SynopsisFrom major seminal works like the Mishnah or the Palestinian and Babylonian Talmuds, to Biblical commentaries, translations of Biblical books into Aramaic or relatively little-known mystical, liturgical or apocalyptic writings, here is a complete guide to the rich tradition of Jewish literature in the second to seventh centuries of the Common Era.Each work is described in a succinct and clearly structured entry which covers its contents, dating, language and accessibility (or otherwise) in print or online.The aim throughout is to cover all of this literature and to answer the following questions. What Jewish literature, written either in Hebrew or Aramaic, has survived? What different genres of such literature are there? What printed texts, or translations into any modern language, or commentaries (either in Hebrew or a European language) are there? And, for those who want to enquire further, what are the manuscripts on which modern editions are based? This handbook will be of value toTrade Reviewthe book can be recommended to first-year students and ancient historians as a first step towards learning Hebrew, studying the texts themselves, and engaging in a more serious study of ancient Jewish history and literature. * Catherine Hezser, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies *A small masterpiece of breadth, concision and clarity; it is one of those select books which every library should have, and which a great many individual readers will want to buy for themselves. * William Horbury, Journal of Jewish Studies *Table of Contents1. Historical Introduction ; 2. Talmudic Texts ; 3. Midrashic Texts ; 4. Mystical (Hekhalot) and Magical Literature ; 5. Targumim ; 6. Liturgical Texts ; 7. Historiography ; 8. Apocalyptic ; 9. Contemporary Documents in Hebrew or Aramaic
£30.00
Indiana University Press Heidegger and Kabbalah
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWolfson's new book Heidegger and Kabbalah is arguably the magnum opus of his long and productive career. It stands as a landmark study in Judaism and philosophy. -- Shaul Magid * Los Angeles Review of Books *By embracing a helix of competing paradoxes, Wolfson expertly shines the luminous speculum of kabbalah upon the darkening speculum of Heideggerean thinking to venture beyond all boundaries, opening a clearing for all future philosophical expositions of Jewish mysticism that would have otherwise been forgotten. * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Belonging Together of the Foreign1. Hermeneutic Circularity: Tradition as Genuine Repetition of Futural Past2. Inceptual Thinking and Nonsystematic Atonality 3. Heidegger's Seyn/Nichts and Kabbalistic Ein Sof4. imum, Lichtung, and Bestowing Refusal 5. Autogenesis, Nihilating Leap, and Otherness of the Not-Other6. Temporalizing and Granting Timespace7. Disclosive Language: Poiēsis and Apophatic Occlusion of Occlusion8. Ethnolinguistic Enrootedness and Invocation of Historical Destiny Bibliography Index
£105.40
Indiana University Press From Metaphysics to Midrash
Book SynopsisExplores the exegetical tradition of Isaac Luria and his followers within the historical context in 16th-century Safed, a community that brought practitioners of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam into close contact with one another. This title suggests that Luria and his followers were far from cloistered.Trade ReviewShaul Magid has written a bold and intriguing book that should be stimulating to scholars of Jewish literature and intellectual thought. Utilizing five Scriptural narratives—one from each book of the Chumash—Magid shows how Lurianic Kabbalists imposed their own particular mystical interpretation on Scripture. Reconstructing the Lurianic Kabbalists' exegesis, he argues that their reading of Scripture linked contemporary sociological issues with metaphysical themes. Their most compelling societal issue was a preoccupation with the question of the conversos who wished to re-enter Judaism and the Jewish community. Their metaphysical preoccupation was the presence of Evil in a world that Torah proclaimed, "And God saw all that He had Made, and behold it was very good." Both these themes concerned a concept of "the Other." Each of the Scriptural narratives that Magid presents is a case study of the Other. In Genesis, Magid presents the Lurianic interpretation of Adam's sin as a way to introduce their view of Evil; in Exodus, he examines the Lurianic exegesis of the erev rav, the minority of non-Jews who accompanied the Jews out of Egypt, and who were responsible, according to some rabbinic interpretations, for the sin of the golden calf. In Leviticus, he discusses the prohibition against male homosexuality. In Numbers, Balaam is presented as the Other in contrast to Moses. And in Deuteronomy, the Torah as authoritative text is the Other when juxtaposed with the authority that is vested in the person Moses. In each case study, the Other turns out to be not a true other but a complement—part of a duality that is necessary for certain historical and metaphysical processes to complete their mission. Magid notes that making the Other (always ontologically impure) part of one's self is a paradoxical move for a religion that proclaims its special election as a "people apart," and who live lives of distinctiveness and separation. Magid explains that Lurianic thinkers can incorporate the impure into the pure because they hold a worldview that "all things contain their opposite; consequently, all otherness is only a temporary instantiation of the self." Chapters One and Two provide readers enough background information to understand the assumptions of Lurianic Kabbala. Magid introduces the notion of the sephirot, entities that, depending on what kabbalistic system one studies, are alternatively regarded as building blocks of the universe or aspects of God (often characterized as the entities that constitute the personality of God). In the Lurianic system, there is a reciprocal relationship—an ebb and flow—between the actions of people and the sephirot: the smallest movement in one realm effects the entire configuration of the other realm. Thus, the sephirot and creation are ontologically and cosmologically seamless. Adding to this seamlessness is the notion of soul inheritance (gilgul), which is a kind of recycling of souls into other souls. In the case study on Adam's sin, the system works in the following way: the sephirot that constitute primal Adam sin with the primal serpent, resulting in a spiritual or metaphysical blot on the soul. This blot is transmitted to the earthly Adam who passes it along to Cain and Abel. As Magid explains: "More than being born after the sin, here Cain and Abel are born in or as a result of the sin. They do not merely inherit the sin but essentially are the sin. This affects their diminished soul construction and foreshadows their sinful behavior and the behavior of their soul progeny: the generation of the flood, of Babel, and of Sodom. Those born from Adam's 130 years of spilled seed culminates in Jacob and his family's descent to Egypt (Jacob being prefigured in Adam) resulting in the generation of Egypt . . . and the birth of Moses (prefigured as Seth)." For the Kabbalists, each stage of history is regarded as an opportunity to "repair" the sin of previous generations. This latent potential is called tikkun. In fact, the potential is always only partially fulfilled. Full success is only possible in messianic time. This pattern provides the kabbalists with an answer to the problem of Evil: we are diminished by evil (a notion, by the way, already found in the Talmud, e.g., Chagiga 12a) but we strive towards total redemption. The metaphysical "Other" (evil) turns out to be a necessary and unavoidable component of the structure of the universe. Ultimately, there is no real notion of otherness because Evil is an intrinsic part of creation and an essential part of the creation of Man with roots in the divine itself. Magid also connects the story of Adam's sin to the societal issue of the status of conversos. According to his thesis, the kabbalist's version of creation and sin allows the converso, "burdened with the weight of sin from birth," to understand that his situation is "rooted in the highest realms of the cosmic world." Reconversion is simply another narrative of cosmic tikkun. Magid never claims that sixteenth-century Lurianic Kabbalists were adjudicating questions of whether coversos were Jews: "[W]hat I am doing is linking the historical fact with a particular literary trope as it appears in Lurianic exegesis and am suggesting how one may have informed the other." The book also illustrates how this "taming" of the Other works in Lurianic Kabbala's understanding of the role of the erev rav, the reality of male homosexuals, Balaam, and the transformation in Deuteronomy of text as the sole authority for a people who no longer have direct access to the person Moses. In a fascinating comparison of the Christian notion of incarnation (the divine became human in order that the human might become divine), Magid suggests that studying Torah triggers the divine in man: "The divine text (as divine names) and the zelem elohim [the image of God] in the human (also comprised of divine names according to these kabbalists) become activated through the engagement of text and person in the performance of study." The identification of text and person is a Jewish version of incarnation. From Metaphysics to Midrash is rich in intriguing discussions about the boundaries between Jews and non-Jews, good and evil, God and man from the perspective of Lurianic Kabbalah's interpretation of Scripture. -- Michael Nutkiewicz * SHOFAR *Shaul Magid has written a bold . . . book. . . . From Metaphysics to Midrash is rich in intriguing discussions about the boundaries between Jews and non-Jews, good and evil, God and man from the perspective of Lurianic Kabbalah's interpretation of Scripture.Vol. 28, No. 1 Fall 2009 -- Michael Nutkiewicz * Religious Studies Program,University of New Mexico *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Kabbala, New Historicism, and the Question of BoundariesThe Lurianic Myth: A Playbill1. Genesis "And Adam's Sin Was (Very) Great": Original Sin in Lurianic Exegesis2. Exodus The "Other" Israel: The Erev Rav (Mixed Multitude) as Conversos3. Leviticus The Sin of Becoming a Woman: Male Homosexuality and the Castration Complex4. Numbers Balaam, Moses, and the Prophecy of the "Other": A Lurianic Vision for the Erasure of Difference5. Deuteronomy The Human and/as God: Divine Incarnation and the "Image of God"ConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex
£29.45
University of Notre Dame Press The Kingly Crown
Book SynopsisSolomon ibn Gabirol (1021-1058) was a Jewish philosopher and moralist. Hailed by scholars as one of the most important classics of Hebrew literature, his poem, ""Keter Malkhut"" (The Kingly Crown), employs the metaphor of a king in his palace to describe the relationship between humanity and God.Trade Review“This edition of The Kingly Crown, featuring Bernard Lewis’ translation and Andrew Gluck’s intoduction and commentary, is a superb piece of work. It would be difficult to find a more literate translator than Lewis, and Gluck’s contributions are both knowledgeable and eminently readable.” —David B. Burrell, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame“The Kingly Crown, one of the gems of Sephardic liturgy for the High Holidays, is the jewel in the crown of Solomon ibn Gabirol’s religious poetry. Bernard Lewis’ elegant and lively translation reflects the poetic beauty and grandeur of the Hebrew original as does no other translation I know. Andrew Gluck combines Bernard Lewis’ peerless translation with a meticulous scholarly edition of the Hebrew text, adding his own introduction and commentary. He offers a comprehensive survey of the medieval philosophical and mystical environment that constituted the backdrop of Ibn Gabirol’s philosophy and religious poetry. This volume is a substantial contribution to the understanding and appreciation of The Kingly Crown.” —Henry Toledano, Hofstra University"This is a significant new source for the modern reader who is interested in medieval Hebrew poetry as well as in early modern Jewish thought." —The Sixteenth Century Journal“The Kingly Crown is one of the most important classics of Hebrew literature and the translation by Bernard Lewis has gained great acclaim since its original publication. Andrew Gluck’s new materials add a great deal of richness to the book. His introduction and notes provide fresh, original insights into the text and illuminate the work of Solomon ibn Gabirol.” —Menahem Schmelzer, Jewish Theological Seminary“The University of Notre Dame’s 2003 bilingual reissue of Bernard Lewis’s 1961 lyrical translation of this masterwork is a cause for celebration. The concise introduction by Professor Lewis of Princeton, one of the world’s foremost scholars of Islam, and the commentary of Andrew Gluck, a former member for the department of philosophy of Hofstra University, combine to make this edition priceless. They give readers a textured understanding of precisely how Ibn Gabirol employs the metaphor of a king in his palace to describe the relationship between humanity and God.” —The Jewish Press“An updated bibliography about the poet and poem enrich the value of this volume, which should be on the bookshelf of all those interested in medieval belles letters, philosophy, and Jewish-Islamic relations.” —Religious Studies Review
£16.14
Yale University Press Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch
Book SynopsisTrade Review“Deuteronomy is arguably the most important book in the Pentateuch, if not in the entire Hebrew Bible. With his trademark clarity and rigor, Stackert compellingly explains what Deuteronomy is, what it does, and how it works, both on its own and in its broader literary context. Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch is unquestionably the best book out there on this central biblical text, and should be standard reading for scholars and students alike.”—Joel Baden, Yale Divinity School“Jeffrey Stackert is known for his thoughtful and theoretically informed contributions to Pentateuchal scholarship. In this new work, he tackles the range of complex issues surrounding the compositional history of Deuteronomy with characteristic acumen and clarity.”—Molly Zahn, author of Genres of Rewriting in Second Temple Judaism“Stackert’s new volume on the book of Deuteronomy is a priceless contribution to the field. His analysis is incisive and accessible in equal measure. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in Deuteronomy, from its inception to its early reception.”—Shimon Gesundheit, Hebrew University of Jerusalem“A compelling and original exploration of Deuteronomy, its composition, its use of earlier sources, its use in later sources, its ancient Near Eastern influences, and its date.”—Marc Zvi Brettler, Duke University“In this exciting addition to the Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library, Stackert offers something genuinely new: he brilliantly weaves together biblical scholarship, cuneiform literature, and contemporary literary theory. This clearly written and engaging volume examines how the concept of scripture shaped ancient readers’ understanding of Deuteronomy.”—Bernard M. Levinson, University of Minnesota
£42.75
Yale University Press Amos
Book SynopsisA new translation and commentary on the book of Amos, forgoing speculation about his life to provide an innovative analysis of the book itself
£52.25
Yale University Press Introduction to the Apocrypha
Book SynopsisAn ambitious introduction to the Apocrypha that encourages readers to reimagine what “canon” really meansTrade Review2022 PROSE Award Finalist, Theology and Religious Studies category“A work of first-rate scholarship that makes ancient Jewish apocrypha, ranging beyond the traditional Greek and Latin collections, accessible to the non-specialist audience. I cannot see teaching my Bible courses without it.”—Benjamin G. Wright, Lehigh University“In this comprehensive introduction, Wills shows that neither ‘canon’ nor ‘apocrypha’ is a simple, consistent idea. This should now be the standard introduction to the Apocrypha.”—John J. Collins, Yale University“Introductions to the Apocrypha used to be dull, dutiful little books. Not any more! In this engaging study Wills demonstrates the sophistication and significance of these compositions. In addition, he dismantles the prevailing Eurocentric construction of ‘apocrypha’ and embraces a long overdue global perspective.”—Carol A. Newsom, Emory University“A thorough, comprehensive, and insightful examination of texts, regarded as non-canonical for the Hebrew Bible, that were quite influential in later Jewish and Christian sources. Organizing these texts according to genre is a special feature of this study.”—Gale A. Yee
£30.88
University of California Press Halakhah in the Making
Book SynopsisA study of the legal material found in the "Dead Sea Scrolls" and its significance in the greater history of Jewish religious law (halakhah). It covers the relationship between rabbinic law, as written more than one hundred years after the destruction of the Second Temple, and Jewish practice during the Second Temple.Trade Review"Illuminating." Journal Of Jewish Studies "A very welcome and valuable contribution from an accomplished scholar who is superbly competent in both bodies of legal literature." Journal For The Study Of Judaism
£56.80
University of California Press Migrating Tales
Book SynopsisSituates the Babylonian Talmud, or Bavli, in its cultural context by reading several rich rabbinic stories against the background of Greek, Syriac, Arabic, Persian, and Mesopotamian literature of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, much of it Christian in origin.Trade Review"The rabbinic gems unearthed by the author's questions/answers/reflections mark the beginning of a venture into the place of rabbinic folk narrative in the culture of the ancient Mediterranean world." -- Z. Garber CHOICE "Kalmin has provided scholars of late antique Judaism with a valuable resource for thinking about Jewish culture and ideas." -- Dvora E. Weisberg H-Net "This is a fascinating book... Migrating Tales is a most welcome edition." -- Ben Rothke The Times of Israel "All credit to Richard Kalmin for judiciously and encouragingly pointing in scholarly directions that have previously been little explored." -- Stefan C. Reif Journal of Theological Studies "Kalmin expertly uses the examples in his book to claim that the borders of late ancient empires were porous, and that ideas and traditions moved freely between them. This is undoubtedly correct and an important corrective to the inward gaze of rabbis - Roman and Sasanian - celebrated in scholarship in recent decades." Marginalia, Los Angeles Review of Books "Few... rigorous, scholarly publications are also written in a brilliant, clear, and fluent manner, making them interesting and enjoyable reading for any educated reader. Professor Richard Kalmin's Migrating Tales: The Talmud's Narratives and Their Historical Context certainly belongs to this category, and I hope it receives the wide audience it deserves." Mediterranean Studies "Rightly contests a dichotomous division of the rabbinic world into 'West' and 'East,' 'Greco-Roman' and 'Persian,"' and presents instead a much more complex and dynamic picture of migration, transition, and interaction between regions, languages, and cultures... The book deserves praise for the remarkable erudition that underlies it, for its scrupulousness, and for the textual and philological sensitivity that guides every page of it." -- Mira Balberg Journal of Religion "[Kalmin's] approach is quite convincing, and will hopefully encourage others to pursue similar areas of research. Recommended for academic libraries, with interests in rabbinics or ancient Jewish history." Association of Jewish Libraries This book is highly recommended for its thorough research, elegant translations, and readable style. It is a significant addition to talmudic scholarship. Review of Biblical Literature "Kalmin has provided scholars of late antique Judaism with a valuable resource for thinking about Jewish culture and ideas." Humanities and Social Science "A rich resource for students of rabbinic literature who seek to understand how legends were borrowed and retold among rabbis and non-Jews in the Roman east. This book will also serve as a methodological guide for scholars interested in studying cultural sharing among a wide range of traditions." Studies in Christian-Jewish RelationsTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Manuscripts and Early Editions Introduction 1. "Manasseh Sawed Isaiah with a Saw of Wood": An Ancient Legend in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Persian Sources 2. R. Shimon bar Yohai Meets St. Bartholomew: Peripatetic Traditions in Late Antique Judaism and Christianity East of Syria 3. The Miracle of the Septuagint in Ancient Rabbinic and Christian Literature 4. The Demons in Solomon's Temple 5. Zechariah and the Bubbling Blood: An Ancient Tradition in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Literature 6. Pharisees 7. Astrology 8. The Alexander Romance Summary and Conclusions Bibliography General Index Index of Primary Sources
£46.75
University of California Press Migrating Tales
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The rabbinic gems unearthed by the author's questions/answers/reflections mark the beginning of a venture into the place of rabbinic folk narrative in the culture of the ancient Mediterranean world." * CHOICE *"Kalmin has provided scholars of late antique Judaism with a valuable resource for thinking about Jewish culture and ideas." * H-Net Reviews *"A fascinating book. . . . Migrating Tales is a most welcome edition." * Times of Israel *"All credit to Richard Kalmin for judiciously and encouragingly pointing in scholarly directions that have previously been little explored." * Journal of Theological Studies *"Kalmin expertly uses the examples in his book to claim that the borders of late ancient empires were porous, and that ideas and traditions moved freely between them. This is undoubtedly correct and an important corrective to the inward gaze of rabbis—Roman and Sasanian—celebrated in scholarship in recent decades." * Marginalia *"Few . . . rigorous, scholarly publications are also written in a brilliant, clear, and fluent manner, making them interesting and enjoyable reading for any educated reader. Professor Richard Kalmin’s Migrating Tales: The Talmud’s Narratives and Their Historical Context certainly belongs to this category." * Mediterranean Studies *"Rightly contests a dichotomous division of the rabbinic world into 'West' and 'East,' 'Greco-Roman' and 'Persian,”' and presents instead a much more complex and dynamic picture of migration, transition, and interaction between regions, languages, and cultures. . . . The book deserves praise for the remarkable erudition that underlies it, for its scrupulousness, and for the textual and philological sensitivity that guides every page of it." * Journal of Religion *"Kalmin's approach is quite convincing, and will hopefully encourage others to pursue similar areas of research. Recommended for academic libraries, with interests in rabbinics or ancient Jewish history." * Association of Jewish Libraries *"This book is highly recommended for its thorough research, elegant translations, and readable style. It is a significant addition to talmudic scholarship." * Review of Biblical Literature *"Kalmin has provided scholars of late antique Judaism with a valuable resource for thinking about Jewish culture and ideas." * Humanities and Social Science *"A rich resource for students of rabbinic literature who seek to understand how legends were borrowed and retold among rabbis and non-Jews in the Roman east. This book will also serve as a methodological guide for scholars interested in studying cultural sharing among a wide range of traditions." * Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations *"Honigman presents a sophisticated, encompassing, and ultimately persuasive reconstruction of the political, economic, cultural and literary forces at work that resulted in the production of these two puzzling books." * Heythrop Journal *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Manuscripts and Early Editions Introduction 1. “Manasseh Sawed Isaiah with a Saw of Wood”: An Ancient Legend in Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Persian Sources 2. R. Shimon bar Yohai Meets St. Bartholomew: Peripatetic Traditions in Late Antique Judaism and Christianity East of Syria 3. The Miracle of the Septuagint in Ancient Rabbinic and Christian Literature 4. The Demons in Solomon’s Temple 5. Zechariah and the Bubbling Blood: An Ancient Tradition in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Literature 6. Pharisees 7. Astrology 8. The Alexander Romance Summary and Conclusions Bibliography General Index Index of Primary Sources
£27.00
Harvard University Press What Is the Mishnah
Book SynopsisThe Mishnah is the foundational document of rabbinic Judaism—rabbinic law is based on the Talmud which, in turn, is based on the Mishnah. Yet its sources, genre, and purpose are obscure. What Is the Mishnah? collects papers by leading scholars from the United States, Europe, and Israel and gives a clear sense of the direction of Mishnah studies.
£30.56
Princeton University Press The Song of Songs
Book SynopsisThe Song of Songs has been embraced for centuries as the ultimate song of love. But the kind of love readers have found in this ancient poem is strikingly varied. Here, Pardes explores the dramatic shift from readings of the Song as a poem on divine love to celebrations of its exuberant account of human love.Trade Review"Pardes deftly demonstrates how the biblical past can furnish us with a common storehouse of images, to be rediscovered or recast."---Benjamin Balint, Wall Street Journal"The volume is to be commended . . . Pardes engages empathetically with the concerns of the readers in each chapter, seeking to explain why and how they read the Song as they did." * Reading Religion *"Take this chance to refamiliarize yourself with one of the great curiosities of biblical exegesis. Ilana Pardes, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, frames the issue thus in the opening pages: 'Why was a daringly sensual poem of love with no reference whatsoever to God or national history included in the Bible.'"---Robert Erickson, New Criterion"Pardes’s training as both biblicist and scholar of comparative literature gives her a much broader perch from which to survey the Song than the typical and tired history-of-exegesis overviews, which too often account only for learned commentaries by theologians and exegetes both Jewish and Christian. . . . I recommend this book for both academic and general readers. Pardes brings her reader into the heart of this textual garden, showing them how to eat of its choicest fruits."---Jonathan Homrighausen, Englewood Review of Books"Pardes deftly weaves her way through the interpretive transition from the allegorical to the literal and then shows how they are intertwined and inseparable. Pardes’ work is erudite and academic yet highly readable. She does not attach herself to any specific agenda and does not attempt to sway the reader to any definitive conclusion. Rather, she presents the Song’s interpretations through the millennia inside a well-crafted, historical overview."---Brad Pruitt, Christian Chronicle"Pardes does a wonderful job of shining a light into the many manifestations and understandings of this poem, while the clear expressive language of love and passion is not diminished in any way . . . it is a great pleasure to read."---The JC, Rabbi Sylvia Rothschild"Pardes . . . skillfully guides readers through the many twists and turns in the Songs of Songs’ reception history. The most brilliant moments come when she challenges us to redraw the frontiers of allegory, metaphor, and conventional sense. ‘Are breasts innately more similar to fawns than to Moses and Aaron?"---Shai Secunda, Jewish Review of Books"Pardes is able to travel through history, bringing diverse texts to the attention of a general readership who might otherwise not encounter texts of medieval Jewish mysticism and nineteenth-century biblical criticism at all, let alone in conversation with one another."---Elsie R. Stern, Review of Biblical Literature
£18.00
Princeton University Press The Art of Bible Translation
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Hugely entertaining and irreverent."---Adam Gopnik, New Yorker"In a series of short essays, [Alter] delves into the minutiae of word choice, syntax and rhythm that make up the substance of a translator’s work." * New York Times Book Review *"In this slim work, Mr. Alter sets out the principles that govern his translation while also delivering his pointed commentary on almost all other modern versions."---Eric Ormsby, Wall Street Journal"Alter provides a refreshing look into the complex work of translating the Bible." * Publishers Weekly *"Alter’s book is a short masterclass in how to appreciate biblical language. We may read through the veil of translation but it helps us glimpse the colour of the original."---Simon Rocker, Jewish Chronicle"An essential companion volume to [Alter’s] own translations."---Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal"In The Art of Bible Translation, Alter provides an intriguing insight into the complexities he faced in producing, single-handed, his translation of the Hebrew Bible. It makes fascinating reading."---Neville Teller, Jerusalem Post
£18.00
Princeton University Press The Closed Book
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Wollenberg . . . deserves praise for highlighting rabbinic views that are often glossed over and for her novel readings of various Talmudic narratives that suggest the rabbis viewed written scripture as flawed." * Choice *
£29.75
Stanford University Press Prophet Reads Scripture Prophet Reads Scripture
Book SynopsisThis book examines the use of older biblical texts in Isaiah 40-66, notably the writings attributed to Deutero-Isaiah. Its discussion of allusions, influence, and intertextuality generates significant questions for both biblicists and literary critics: Why do authors allude? How does the presence of older material in a text affect readers? How can critics identify genuine cases of allusion? Are contemporary theories of intertextuality applicable to ancient texts? The author defends the controversial historical questions asked by scholars of inner-biblical exegesis, modifying some of the dominant (and, in some ways, misleading) categories other biblical scholars have created. In sum, the book aims to refine the study of inner-biblical exegesis through an extensive examination of the use of older texts in one corpus.The redactional complexity of the Book of Isaiah has rendered it central to discussions of canon formation and the final shaping of biblical material. The author deTrade Review"This book is a very careful and well-written consideration of how Second Isaiah uses scripture. It demonstrates a deep knowledge of literature and literary theory that is not often paralleled in the field of biblical studies, and it goes beyond earlier pathbreaking work on 'inner-biblical exegesis.' Especially provocative is Sommer's argument that the prophesies of Isa. 1—39 evidently did not bear any primacy of authority for Second Isaiah. The thesis is closely argued and will certainly attract much attention and further discussion." -- Gary A. Anderson * Harvard Divinity School *“This very impressive work is an original and deeply instructive contribution to biblical studies. Sommer is a finely perceptive reader of biblical texts, has a real mastery of the immense body of biblical scholarship, and moves with remarkable assurance from literary to historical analysis. The book not only enables us to read the prophet Deutero-Isaiah in a new and illuminating way but also leads us to understand the development of later biblical history in a new way.”—Robert Alter, University of California, Berkeley“Sommer has written a very detailed and precise account, arguing that the prophetic figure Deutero-Isaiah knew and used, by allusion and by various modes of reinterpretation, the very words of certain other biblical texts. He defines the different forms of allusion very exactly, and his study, interestingly, does not seek to overturn, but actually supports, familiar source-critical approaches. With present interests in canon and intertextuality, this is a work of first-rate importance.”—James Barr, Oxford UniversityTable of Contents1. Literary theory and the study of inner-biblical allusion and exegesis 2. Deutero-Isiah's use of Jeremiah 3. The appropriation of prophetic tradition 4. From poetry to prophecy: transformations of psalms and laments 5. Deutero-Isiah's use of pentateuchal texts 6. Learned tongue, inspired tongue Appendix Notes Bibliography Chart Indices.
£63.00
Stanford University Press Genesis 111
Book SynopsisA new translation and literary interpretation of the first 11 chapters of the Book of Genesis.Trade Review"This accessible, informed volume is ideal for undergraduate courses or adult education programs on the opening chapter of Genesis. Good's translation yields new insights even for those who have worked with the Hebrew. His relating knowing good and evil to sexual ability (cf. 2 Sam 18:26) is an intriguing hypothesis; his reading of Cain's failure in light of a gendered desire subtle but plausible; and his recognition that, for the Bible, the status of "hero" is ambiguous spot-on." -- A. J. Levine * Choice *"This book will be indispensible for scholars, students, and general readers interested in the 'primeval narrative' of Genesis 1–11: it is a rare combination of outstanding linguistic analysis, keen literary-critical insight, and uniquely engaging prose. Good brings fresh perspective to literature that has become all too familiar in its standard translations. The result is a new translation that is as provocative and readable as Seamus Heaney's Beowulf, with the much added value of a highly accessible scholarly commentary." -- Timothy Beal"There exist innumerable commentaries on Genesis, and yet, there are surprisingly few that are broadly accessible. Tales of the Earliest World fills this gap nicely. Written in clear, smooth-flowing prose, it introduces the reader to the challenges of the Hebrew text of Genesis 1–11." -- Steven Weitzman * Stanford University *"[T]his volume provides an original look at these captivating chapters of Genesis. Good's careful attention to details brings fresh insight to the uninitiated and elicits probing questions from the text . . . Genesis 1-11 is a delightful read." -- Kyle Greenwood
£16.14
University of Pennsylvania Press Conceiving Israel
Book SynopsisKessler shows how the rabbis of the third through sixth centuries turned to non-Jewish writings on embryology and procreation to explicate the biblical insistence on the primacy of God's role in procreation at the expense of the biological parents.Trade Review"A significant contribution to the reconstruction of rabbinic culture in late antiquity." * Denise Kimber Buell, Williams College *Table of ContentsChapter 1. The Torah of the Fetus Chapter 2. Covenantal Fetuses Chapter 3. And the Sons Struggled Chapter 4. Embryology as Theology Chapter 5. Reproductive Theology Epilogue Notes References Index Acknowledgments
£52.70
Rutgers University Press Kabbalistic Revolution Reimagining Judaism in
Book SynopsisThe set of Jewish mystical teachings known as Kabbalah are often imagined as timeless texts, teachings that have been passed down through the millennia. Yet, as this groundbreaking new study shows, Kabbalah flourished in a specific time and place, emerging in response to the social prejudices that Jews faced.Trade Review"This book is an exceptionally fresh and significant contribution. It is an important corrective to the tendency to sublimate social history to the history of ideas." -- Marc Michael Epstein * Vassar College *"Lachter's work is a compelling and important study of the manner in which Kabbalah responded to political and cultural pressures in Castile at a time of striking proliferation of kabbalistic literature." -- Jonathan Dauber * professor of Jewish mysticism, Yeshiva University *"A worthwhile and edifying contribution to contemporary scholarship on medieval Jewish mysticism." * H-Judaic *"Lachter succeeds admirably in moving scholarship forward." * AJS Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Kabbalistic Writing in Late Thirteenth-Century Castile1 Masters of Secrets: Claiming Power with Concealed Knowledge2 Secrets of the Cosmos: Creating a Kabbalistic Universe3 Secrets of the Self: Kabbalistic Anthropology and Divine Mystery4 Jewish Bodies and Divine Power: Theurgy and Jewish Law5 Prayer Above and Below: Kabbalistic Constructions of the Power of Jewish WorshipConclusionPostscript—Cultural Logics: Kabbalah, Then and NowNotesBilbiographyIndex
£105.40
New York University Press Torah Queeries
Book SynopsisIn the Jewish tradition, reading of the Torah follows a calendar cycle, with a specific portion assigned each week. These weekly portions, read aloud in synagogues around the world, have been subject to interpretation and commentary for centuries. Following on this ancient tradition, this title interprets the Torah through a 'bent lens'.Trade ReviewGives engaged, pertinent, GLBT-focused meaning to the Tanach. The analyses offered here work to break boundaries, queer-ing, celebrating, and re-creating our Jewish texts and traditions in meaningful ways. These acts of reading become the radical movement of making a space for GLBT Jews that is clever, humorous, loving, and thought-provoking. -- Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum,Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, New YorkProvides a challenge to readers and preachers who are single-mindedly devoted to the straight and narrow. -- Daniel Boyarin,author of Carnal Israel: Reading Sex in Talmudic CultureThis unique and lively work blends the traditional Jewish format of dividing Torah into weekly portions with specifically queer perspectives on them. Torah Queeries unveils a new queer Jewish way to understand this most sacred and central text that will surely stimulate and challenge the reader. -- Rabbi Rebecca T. Alpert,author of Whose Torah? A Concise Guide to Progressive JudaismRabbi Joshua Lesser . . . believes it is time for LGBT people to move beyond simply defending their identities from biblically based attacks. As one of the three editors of Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, he hopes to push such discussions to a new, more complex level. * Southern Voice *With Torah Queeries, no longer is the LGBT community an outsider in the Bible...[This volume is] a must for the Jewish bookshelf. * The Jerusalem Post *The point of all these essays is to make us question ourselves and our assumptions and in this purpose, they succeed. . .these authors offer insights into the Torah text that can speak to everyone, regardless of their gender identity. * The Reporter *The tone of the commentaries varies greatly: some are scholarly treatises drawing heavily on rabbinic sources, some are sociological or biological studies, while others are deeply moving personal essays. The book includes bibliographical references and an index. Highly recommended for all libraries. * Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletters *The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is (Reading) which carries the root (call), thus seeding the scriputural charge, (interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance. * Choice *The goal of the book is to bring a new set of voices to Torah. * New Jersey Jewish News *While the CJM invites artists to interpret the weeks Torah portions, Torah Queeries invites LGBT individuals and allies to do so. Both should be celebrated and embraced for their creativity, innovation, and depth. * Jewish News Weekly of Northern California *This book, an indispensable resource for all teachers and learners of Torah, in the best way possible makes queers of us all. * Jewish Currents *Torah Queeries attempts to be a broader study of the Five Books of Moses, with discussion of every Torah portion, rather than just those that might be particularly difficult or inspiring to LGBT Jews. * Jewish Exponent *Table of ContentsForeword Judith Plaskow Introduction: Interpreting the Bible through a Bent Lens David ShneerPart I Bereshit, The Book of GenesisPart II Shemot, The Book of ExodusPart III Vayikra, The Book of LeviticusPart IV Bemidbar, The Book of NumbersPart V Devarim, The Book of DeuteronomyPart VI Holiday Portions The New Rabbis: A Postscript Benay LappeContributors Index
£70.30
Fordham University Press What Is Talmud
Book SynopsisRedefines the place of the Talmud and its study in the intellectual map of the West.Trade Review"What is Talmud? The Art of Disagreement is an innovative and provocative analysis of the intellectual art and practice of Talmud, exemplified by the fifteenth-century Castilian commentator, Izh.ak(DOT UNDER H) Canpanton. Embracing a sophisticated conceptual methodology, Dolgopolski sets talmudic rhetoric in contrast to the dominant Western philosophical concern for agreement. Influenced by Nietzsche and Heidegger, the author combines philology and anthropology in an attempt to provide an alternative to viewing the Talmud primarily as a traditional source or a historical object. This work of speculative juxtaposition promises to expand the horizon of philosophic hermeneutics and rabbinic dialectic, and to highlight the value of disagreement to human discourse more generally: not only is it important to agree to disagree, but it is precisely disagreement that facilitates a deeper sense of agreement." -- -Elliot R. Wolfson New York University "With the loss of the most seemingly inconsequential of words, the "the" before "Talmud," a world, Sergey Dolgopolski shows us, can be gained. Leaving behind what was previously understood as a circumscribed text or body of thought, we find a new and potent mode of thinking, different from logic, hermeneutics and philosophy, which has implications far beyond those of theological disputation. Drawing on the most advanced contemporary continental theory to revive the forgotten lessons of the 15^th -century Sephardic sage Canpanton, Dolgopolski provides stunningly original and profoundly unsettling insights into "the art of disagreement." -- -Martin Jay University of California, Berkeley "In both engagement and disengagement with post-Heideggerian traditions of thought, What Is Talmud redefines the place of the Talmud and its study in the intellectual map of the West." -Shofar "Explores Talmudic interpretation through a study of Rabbi Izhak Canpanton and his followers in 15th-century Spain." -The Chronicle of Higher Education "What is Talmud? is a provocative and strikingly original work that defies disciplinary boundaries. This intensive encounter staged between Talmud and post-structuralist thought not only gives us an illuminating new perspective on each of these traditions, it also provides a lucid and sophisticated reconceptualization of rhetoric that emerges out of their mutual confrontation. The relevance of post-structural thought to Talmud is clearly demonstrated here. However, what is most extraordinary to me is the powerful (and persuasive) claim that philosophy must itself seriously engage Talmud in order to move beyond the impasses of post-Heideggarian thought." -- -David Bates University of California, Berkeley "Dolgopolski's argument that Talmud offers an alternative to philosophy in its radical past-ness is brillant and ground-breaking." -- -Bruce Rosenstock University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana "Dolgopolski brilliantly maps how each subtle shift in twentieth-century philosophy has established the groundwork for presenting Talmud as a third way between philosophy and rhetoric." -- -Zvi Septimus The Journal of AJS Review
£62.10
Jewish Publication Society Searching for Meaning in Midrash
Book SynopsisExplores the body of Jewish literature called Midrash - creative interpretations of the Bible that are designed to reveal hidden or deeper meaning in Scripture. This title includes each of the over 50 midrashim that sit next to its corresponding biblical text so that readers can compare them.
£17.99
Jewish Publication Society The JPS Bible Commentary Song of Songs
Book SynopsisSong of Songs is a wondrous collection of love lyrics nestled in the heart of the Hebrew Biblesongs of passion and praise between a young maiden and her beloved. It is religious lyric par excellence. But what is its true meaning? Is it an expression of human love and passion, pure and simple? A celebration of the covenant between God and Israel? Or something else?The latest volume in the Jewish Publication Society's highly acclaimed Bible Commentary series, Song of Songs provides a line-by-line commentary of the original Hebrew Bible text, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, alongside the JPS English translation. Unique to this volume are four layers of commentary: the traditional PaRDeS of peshat (literal meaning), derash (midrashic and religious-traditional sense), remez (allegorical level), and sod (mystical and spiritual intimations). Michael Fishbane skillfully draws from them all to reveal the extraordinary range of interpretations and ideas perceived in this belovTrade Review"This series is an indispensable resource, and Fishbane's new work is among the most rewarding entries."—Howard Freedman, jweekly.com"This multilayered commentary makes for an absorbing, enriching and satisfying immersion in this endlessly fascinating Song."—Pinchas Roth, Jewish Book Council"This most interactive book invites the reader to engage with its multiple levels of understanding and interpretation. It provides abundant material for both sermons and for study sessions."—David J. Zucker, CCAR Journal“Michael Fishbane, one of the most penetrating Bible scholars of our time, has surpassed himself in this magnificent study of The Song of Songs, combining scholarly erudition, poetic sensibility, theological depth, and an unmatched mastery of the history of interpretation of this most difficult yet lyrical testimony of love. A masterpiece of scholarship!”—Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, emeritus chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth.“Fishbane’s commentary on ‘the great songbook of the Jewish soul’ is a tour de force. There is nothing like it for opening up the inner depths of the biblical dialogue of love.”—Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelley Professor emeritus, Divinity School, University of Chicago Table of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviations and Other ConventionsIntroduction to the Commentary: Song of SongsSongs of LoveThe Language of LoveOther Love Language and Lyrics in AntiquityGetting Love Language RightThe Many Poetics of Love in Jewish TraditionThe Song of Songs and Jewish Religious PracticeReading the CommentaryNotes to the IntroductionFull Hebrew-English Text of the Song of SongsThe Commentary to the Song of SongsFour Levels of Commentary: Peshat, Derash, Remez, and SodChapter 1:1-17 First Words, First EncountersChapter 2:1-17 Love in Its Proper TimeChapter 3:1-11 Inner Experience and Shared JoyChapters 4:1-5:1 The Beautiful Maiden, So PraisedChapter 5:2-16 In Quest of the Marvelous BelovedChapter 6:4-10 The Maiden, Lovely and LuminousChapters 6:11-7:11 Love OverwhelmingChapters 7:12-8:14 Longing, Love, and LossNotes to the CommentaryExcursus A History of Jewish Interpretation in the Song of Songs Peshat: The Exegetical Revolution and Its Exemplars Derash: The Forms and Formulations of Covenant LoveRemez: Personal Love of God—With All One’s Heart, Soul and MindSod: The Most Hidden Truth—Divinity and Divine Love in the Depths Notes to the ExcursusBibliography
£45.00
Jewish Publication Society The Aura of Torah
Book SynopsisBecause a welter of details sometimes conceals the Torah ’s aura of holiness, Jewish mystics and spiritual teachers have for centuries attempted to reveal that aura through creative interpretation of the Torah text. The Aura of Torah explores these attempts in an effort to bridge the gap between the Torah text and the modern Jewish spiritual quest.Trade Review"The Chasidic pioneers, ever concerned to prevent religion sliding into dull routine, refreshed Torah with their creative readings. As this book amply demonstrates, Jewish spirituality remains rooted in the text."—Simon Rocker, Jewish Chronicle"The Aura of Torah is more than interesting and thought-provoking readings of biblical commentaries. The exegeses, taken from the heart of Kabbalah and the writings of Hasidic masters, have much historical value and give the modern reader insights into the ways eighteenth and nineteenth century Eastern European rabbis wanted their congregations to think about life and the Torah."—Fred Reiss, San Diego Jewish World"[The Aura of Torah is] an enormously valuable collection of commentaries from the mystical viewpoint, which will enrich our understanding of the weekly parashah, and present fodder for much discussion on the timeless words of Torah."—Dov Peretz Elkins, Jewish Media Review“The Aura of Torah is an important and useful contribution to the emergent literature of spiritual companions to the parashah. There is nothing quite like it on the shelf. Tabick assembles mystical teachings for the general reader with insight, creativity, and obvious spiritual depth.”—Lawrence Kushner, author of Honey from the RockTable of Contents Introduction: The Aura of TorahThe World’s Aura: An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism and KabbalahGenesisB’reishit[1] Genesis 1:1 Unfinished Business—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[2] Genesis 2:24 The Soul’s Mate—Yitzchak Mordechai ben Yisra’el Aharon Podvah[3] Genesis 5:22,24 The Enoch Enigma—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem TovNoa?[4] Genesis 6:13 Wisdom or Cleverness?—Hayyim of Krasna[5] Genesis 8:15,20 Misplaced Anger—Zohar, Sitrei Torah[6] Genesis 9:20–21 The Wine of Torah—Avraham ben Shmuel AbulafiaLekh Lekha[7] Genesis 12:1 “Go for Yourself”—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[8] Genesis 13:17 Going About for Wisdom—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava[9] Genesis 17:1 God Fills and Surrounds All Things—Mordechai of ChernobylVa-yera’[10] Genesis 18:17 Lovingkindness in All That Happens—Yitzchak of Vorki[11] Genesis 20:11 Fear of God—Pinchas of Koretz[12] Genesis 21:17 Silent Screaming—Menachem Mendel of Vorki?ayyei Sarah[13] Genesis 24:1 For All—Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev[14] Genesis 24:44 Kindness and Compassion—Zevi Elimelech of Dinov[15] Genesis 24:62 God Sees Me—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovToledot[16] Genesis 25:25–26 Falsehood and Truth—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of Sudylkov[17] Genesis 26:15,18,20–22 Digging Our Own Wells—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[18] Genesis 28:9 Positive from Negative—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of IzbicaVa-yetse’[19] Genesis 28:12 You Are a Ladder—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[20] Genesis 29:17 “The Young Woman with No Eyes”—Naftali Hertz ben Ya’akov Elchanan Bacharach[21] Genesis 31:40 Coming and Going in Thought—Uri of StreliskVa-yishla?[22] Genesis 32:4 Prayers Are Messengers—Aharon (II) ben Asher of Karlin[23] Genesis 33:17 Houses for the Soul—Shalom Rokeach of Belz[24] Genesis 34:19 How to Love God—Hayyim ben Menachem Mendel of KosovVa-yeshev[25] Genesis 37:2 Renewed Each Day—Aharon (II) ben Asher of Karlin[26] Genesis 37:32 Rebound—Reuven Hoeschke, based on Zohar I, 144b[27] Genesis 39:2 The Double Test—Simchah Bunam of PshischeMikkets[28] Genesis 41:1 The Light of Consciousness—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[29] Genesis 42:1–2 Broken Torah—Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk[30] Genesis 44:17 The Importance of Truth—Aryeh Leib, Shpole ZaydeVa-yiggash[31] Genesis 44:18 Ways of Coming Closer—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[32] Genesis 45:16 The Voice of Prayer—Zohar I, 209b–210a[33] Genesis 46:2 The Level of Israel, the Level of Jacob—Aharon (II) ben Asher of KarlinVa-ye?i[34] Genesis 47:28–29 Body and Soul—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava[35] Genesis 49:8 Being a Jew—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of Sudylkov[36] Genesis 49:28 The General and the Particular—Simchah Bunam of PshischeExodusShemot[37] Exodus 1:7 Bodies of Holiness—Meir ben Chalifa Bikayam[38] Exodus 3:5 Habits Get in the Way—Yosef ben Yechiel Michal of Yampole[39] Exodus 5:22–23 Joining with the Pain of the Shechinah—Elimelech of LyzhanskVa-’era’[40] Exodus 6:5 Service for Positive Reasons—Moshe ben Yisra’el Polier of Kobrin[41] Exodus 7:9 Performing Signs—Shalom Rokeach of Belz[42] Exodus 8:22 Sensitivity to Others—Mordechai of NeschizBo’[43] Exodus 10:22–23 Darkness between Us—Yitzchak and Menachem Mendel of Vorki[44] Exodus 12:3 How to Eat—Moshe Cordovero[45] Exodus 13:2 The Firstborn Thought—Yisra’el Friedman of RuzhynBe-shalla?[46] Exodus 13:18 Going Up—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[47] Exodus 14:15 Turn to Israel First—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[48] Exodus 17:16 The War against Amalek—Natan of (Nemirov) BreslovYitro[49] Exodus 18:1 Reacting to Fear—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[50] Exodus 19:5 The Greatest Treasure—Moshe ben Yisra’el Polier of Kobrin[51] Exodus 20:2–3 Your Physical Being, Your Spiritual Being—Mordechai of ChernobylMishpatim[52] Exodus 21:24 Whose Eye?—Menachem ben Binyamin Recanati[53] Exodus 22:13–14 Soul on Loan—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[54] Exodus 24:7 “Who Is This Life Force?”—Menachem Nachum of ChernobylTerumah[55] Exodus 25:1–2 Not Just Now—Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomir[56] Exodus 25:31 Becoming a Menorah—Mordechai of Neschiz[57] Exodus 27:1 Your Body Is an Altar—Hayyim Yosef David AzulaiTetsavveh[58] Exodus 28:4 The Ideal Jew—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[59] Exodus 28:32 Everyone Is a Priest—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[60] Exodus 29:46–47 God Is Still Our God—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn AttarKi Tissa’[61] Exodus 30:12 Ransoming Yourself—Pinchas of Koretz[62] Exodus 33:20 Seeing the Face of God—Mordechai of Chernobyl[63] Exodus 34:17 The Danger of Generalizations—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of IzbicaVa-yak’hel[64] Exodus 35:3 Fiery Anger—Tikkunei HaZohar[65] Exodus 35:30,31,33 Stone or Wood?—Yisra’el ben Shmuel of Modzhitz[66] Exodus 38:8 Seeing Yourself in a Mirror—Ya’akov Yosef of PolonnoyePekudei[67] Exodus 38:21 Submitting an Account—Mordechai of Chernobyl[68] Exodus 39:42 Work or Service?—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava [69] Exodus 40:36 Removing the Cloud—Avraham Yissachar Ber HaCohen of RadomskLeviticusVa-yikra’[70] Leviticus 1:1 Going to Your Head?—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[71] Leviticus 2:13 A Union of Opposites—Efraim Shlomo ben Aharon of Luntshits[72] Leviticus 5:17 Turning Good Deeds to Naught—Levi Yitzchak of BerditchevTsav[73] Leviticus 6:2 Harnessing Our Drives—Ya’akov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, Seer of Lublin[74] Leviticus 7:37 Torah Is What We Make of It—Yisra’el Friedman of Ruzhyn[75] Leviticus 8:29 Sanctifying Sight—Yisra’el ben Shmuel of ModzhitzShemini[76] Leviticus 9:6 It Depends on You—Ya’akov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, Seer of Lublin[77] Leviticus 10:1–2 Refining Your Plans—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[78] Leviticus 11:45 Dedicated to God—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem TovTazria‘[79] Leviticus 12:2 We All Receive—Yisra’el Friedman of Ruzhyn[80] Leviticus 13:23 Spirituality: Moving or Stationary?—Ya’akov Zevi Yolles[81] Leviticus 13:59 The Affliction of the Shechinah—Avraham Yissachar Ber HaCohen of RadomskMetsora‘[82] Leviticus 14:4 Humility at the Wrong Time—Yitzchak Meir of Gur[83] Leviticus 14:35 What Is Love?—Zevi Hirsh ben Shmuel Zanvil Minkovitz of Semyatitch[84] Leviticus 15:31 Separation for the Sake of Cleansing—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov’A?arei Mot[85] Leviticus 16:2 Charity Begins at Home?—Uri of Strelisk[86] Leviticus 16:30 Self-Cleansing—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[87] Leviticus 18:5 Putting Life into the Commandments—Menachem Mendel of KotzkKedoshim[88] Leviticus 19:2 Infinite Progression—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[89] Leviticus 19:36 An Honest “Yes” and “No”—Yehudah ben Shmuel HeHasid of Regensburg[90] Leviticus 20:7 Always Be Prepared—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov’Emor[91] Leviticus 21:1–2 Priests in Thought—Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomir[92] Leviticus 23:2 Keeping Festivals Holy—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[93] Leviticus 24:19 It Will Come Back on You—Yisra’el ben Shmuel of ModzhitzBe-har[94] Leviticus 25:2 Trust Only in God—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[95] Leviticus 25:23 Only Passing Through—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of Sudylkov[96] Leviticus 25:35,36 Taking No Personal Interest—Elimelech of LyzhanskBe-?ukkotai[97] Leviticus 26:3 Making God—Zohar III, 113a[98] Leviticus 26:13 “Two Structures”—Mordechai of Chernobyl[99] Leviticus 27:33 The Love of Inferior Things—Dov Ber, Maggid of MezritchNumbersBe-midbar[100] Numbers 1:1 The Spread of Torah—Naftali Zevi Horowitz of Ropshitz[101] Numbers 2:2 Advice against Greatness—Avraham Yissachar Ber HaCohen of Radomsk[102] Numbers 4:20 Cheap Imitations—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovNaso’[103] Numbers 4:46–47 Joy Is Also a Mitzvah—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben Chlava [104] Numbers 6:26 A Gift from a King—Simchah Bunam of Pshische[105] Numbers 7:9 Exertion Required—Menachem Mendel of KotzkBe-ha‘alotekha[106] Numbers 8:3 Keeping It Fresh—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[107] Numbers 9:18 Moving On with the Help of God—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[108] Numbers 12:3 Accepting Yourself—Simchah Bunam of PshischeShela?-Lekha[109] Numbers 13:32 Beyond the Earthly—Ze’ev Wolf of Zhitomir[110] Numbers 14:13–16 Why God Can Forgive—Moshe Leib of Sasov[111] Numbers 15:39 Not Even If You Have a Good Heart—Menachem Mendel of KotzkKora?[112] Numbers 16:1 The Ongoing Struggle—Ya’akov Zevi Yolles[113] Numbers 16:22 The Spirit in Flesh—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[114] Numbers 17:23 Producing Blossoms and Almonds—Simchah Bunam of Pshische?ukkat[115] Numbers 19:2 The Secret of the Red Heifer—Menachem Mendel of Vorki[116] Numbers 20:14 Brothers on the Inside—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[117] Numbers 21:17–18 Prayer as Meditation—Rabbenu Bachya ben Asher ben ChlavaBalak[118] Numbers 22:23 The Soul Can See Everything—Uri of Strelisk[119] Numbers 23:9 Turning Things Around—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov[120] Numbers 24:5 The Internal Takes Precedence—Avraham Noach HaLevi Heller of DolinaPin?as[121] Numbers 25:12 Inner Conflict—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[122] Numbers 27:16 Leaders: Military and Spiritual—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[123] Numbers 28:2 Feeding God—Pinchas of KoretzMattot[124] Numbers 31:2 Moses Never Has Left Us—Pinchas of Koretz[125] Numbers 31:21 The War after War—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[126] Numbers 32:22–23 Becoming Pure before God—Menachem Mendel of RymanovMase‘ei[127] Numbers 33:1–2 Journeys of Purification—Yisra’el ben Shabbetai Hapstein, Maggid of Koznitz[128] Numbers 34:2 Conquering Evil Within—Elimelech of Lyzhansk[129] Numbers 35:6–7 Repairing What We Have Damaged—Avraham Yehoshua Heschel of AptaDeuteronomyDevarim[130] Deuteronomy 1:17 Overcoming Doubt—Ya’akov Yosef of Polonnoye[131] Deuteronomy 1:31 No Two the Same—Elazar ben Yehudah of Worms[132] Deuteronomy 2:24 Concentration and Humility in Prayer—Menachem Mendel of RymanovVa-’et?annan[133] Deuteronomy 4:39 Nothing but God—Yishayah HaLevi Horowitz[134] Deuteronomy 5:5 Ego Gets in the Way—Kalonymos Kalman HaLevi Epstein[135] Deuteronomy 6:4 The Meaning of Divine Unity—Moshe Alsheich‘Ekev[136] Deuteronomy 8:3 The Spirituality of Eating—Hayyim Vital[137] Deuteronomy 9:15–17 The Weight of the Law—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[138] Deuteronomy 10:21 Prayer Is Divine—Pinchas of KoretzRe’eh[139] Deuteronomy 11:26 Today—Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev[140] Deuteronomy 13:4 Testing Times—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem Tov[141] Deuteronomy 15:22 Why Eating Is Like Sleeping—Ya’akov Yitzchak HaLevi Horowitz, Seer of LublinShofetim[142] Deuteronomy 16:18 Judgment Within—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[143] Deuteronomy 18:13 Raising Love and Fear to God—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem Tov[144] Deuteronomy 19:14 Making God Real—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovKi Tetse’[145] Deuteronomy 21:10 The War against Evil—Moshe Teitelbaum of Ujhely[146] Deuteronomy 23:19 Praying without Desire—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[147] Deuteronomy 25:19 Blotting Out Amalek Within—Yisra’el ben Eliezer, Ba’al Shem TovKi Tavo’[148] Deuteronomy 26:11 How to Rejoice—Mordechai of Neschiz[149] Deuteronomy 26:16 Timeless Prayer—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[150] Deuteronomy 28:31 Backward Curses—Pinchas of KoretzNitsavim[151] Deuteronomy 29:9 Standing before God—Yisra’el Friedman of Ruzhyn[152] Deuteronomy 29:28 The Hidden and the Revealed—Hayyim Vital[153] Deuteronomy 30:11–12,14 The Shechinah in Our Mouths—Baruch ben Yechiel of MedzibodzVa-yelekh[154] Deuteronomy 31:1 Controlling Our Words—Elimelech ben Hayyim Meir Yechiel of Grodzhisk[155] Deuteronomy 31:12 Fixing Holiness in Our Minds—Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica[156] Deuteronomy 31:18 When God Is in Hiding—Simchah Bunam of OtvotzkHa’azinu[157] Deuteronomy 32:1 Without Knowing What We Say—Menachem Mendel of Rymanov[158] Deuteronomy 32:18 Forgetting God—Menachem Mendel of Kotzk[159] Deuteronomy 32:47 The Torah as Advice—Meshullam Feibush HaLevi Heller of ZbarazhVe-zo’t Ha-berakhah[160] Deuteronomy 33:1 The Never-Recurring Now—Hayyim ben Menachem Mendel of Kosov[161] Deuteronomy 33:18 Business and Study—Hayyim ben Moshe ibn Attar[162] Deuteronomy 34:12 Returning to the Beginning—Moshe Hayyim Efraim of SudylkovAppendix 1: Original TextsAppendix 2: The Teachers
£25.19
Jewish Publication Society Joseph
Book SynopsisThe complex and dramatic story of Joseph is the most sustained narrative in Genesis. Many call it a literary masterpiece and a story of great depth that can be read on many levels. In a lucid and engaging style, Alan T. Levenson brings the voices of Philo, Josephus, Midrash, and medieval commentators, as well as a wide range of modern scholars, into dialogue about this complex biblical figure.Trade Review"Even those who think that they know the story will find much to contrast and compare and much to learn in this fascinating account of how the later generations found themselves in the age-old story of Joseph and his brothers."—Jack Riemer, Jewish Advocate"An excellent companion to the Joseph story."—Howard Freedman, jweekly.com"This offers one excellent model of how to read a biblical text with care and attention, and should become a key resource for those studying the Joseph narratives."—Richard S. Briggs, Society for Old Testament Study Book List"Levenson has set a place at the table for all interested readers, inviting all to listen in on significant questions in a conversation that has been going on for millennia. . . . I would, without hesitation, recommend this book to anyone with more than a casual interest in the Joseph story, and especially to Bible readers who are unaware of the rich resources of Jewish biblical interpretation. All readers will benefit from Levenson's enthusiasm, scholarship, and broad perspective. Those who have never had a close encounter with Jewish biblical scholarship will come away educated and even perhaps a bit amazed."—Kapali Lyon, Biography“An exciting book. Levenson has a wonderful ability to distill classic and contemporary scholarship and mix it with his own original insights in language every reader will find easy to grasp.”—Marc Lee Raphael, Nathan Gumenick Chair of Judaic Studies at the College of William and Mary “There is simply no other book quite like this. Levenson’s multilayered treatment of the Joseph story, with its Jewish focus and non-Jewish insights interwoven throughout, gives readers the feeling they are being engaged in intimate conversation. Highly recommended.”—Norman A. Stillman, author of The Jews of Arab Lands in Modern TimesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. Joseph: Favored Son, Hated Brother 2. Joseph the Dreamer 3. Tamar, a Difficult Hero 4. Potiphar’s Wife Vilified and Redeemed 5. Joseph from Rags to Riches 6. Testing, Dreaming, Punishing 7. Judah in Joseph 8. The Return of Rachel 9. Adopting Ephraim and Manasseh 10. Jacob’s Valedictory 11. The Deaths and Burials of Jacob and Joseph 12. Portraying Egypt in Joseph Notes Selected Bibliography Index
£27.90
Jewish Publication Society A Year with Mordecai Kaplan
Book SynopsisYou are invited to spend a year with the inspirational words, ideas, and counsel of the great twentieth-century thinker Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, through his meditations on the fifty-four weekly Torah portions and eleven Jewish holidays.Trade Review"The author . . . [hopes that his work] 'will stimulate reader contemplation, elicit personal reflections that further illustrate or develop the ideas in this book, and motivate readers to make our tradition's profound teachings ever more meaningful and impactful in their own lives.' A Year with Mordechai Kaplan does just that, while at the same time sharing the wisdom, passion, and insights that Kaplan can continue to offer us into the next phase of Jewish life."—Jonathan Fass, Jewish Book Council"Mordecai Kaplan's illuminating commentary based on Jewish tradition and his own life experiences give us new wisdom. Rabbi Reuben explores Kaplan's wide-ranging thought, Jewish religious experience, and human experience in a way that is clear and emotionally sensitive."—Reviews by Amos Lassen"Rabbi Reuben’s commentary makes for wonderful Shabbat reading—inviting us to engage with Torah, Kaplan and contemporary human experience in ways that are nourishing, optimistic and inspire us with hope."—Elsie Stern, Reconstructing Judaism“There is no greater sage than Mordecai Kaplan to walk us into an appreciation of how religion can add depth and insight to the experience of modernity, and no rabbi with greater sensitivity to guide us along the way than Steven Carr Reuben. Newcomers to Kaplan and longtime aficionados alike will revel in spending a year with Mordecai Kaplan. Relying on the spirit and smarts of these two rabbis not only enlightens us but elevates us.”—Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University“A Year with Mordecai Kaplan is inspirational. It reminds me of a less mystical Larry Kushner and a more anecdotal Harold Kushner.”—Rabbi Arnold Rachlis, University Synagogue, Irvine, California“Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben’s selection of insightful passages from the writings of Mordecai Kaplan and illuminating commentary from Jewish tradition and his own life experiences generate a treasure trove of wisdom to delight the mind and move the heart. A Year With Mordecai Kaplan is a spiritual gift!”—Rabbi David Ellenson, chancellor of Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion“As Steven Reuben probes Torah, Kaplan’s wide-ranging thought, Jewish religious experience, and human experience in wonderfully clear and often penetrating reflections, Reuben and Kaplan together awaken our desire to be ‘champions of holiness.’”—Ellen Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, Duke Divinity SchoolTable of ContentsForeword, by Rabbi David A. Teutsch Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Genesis (Bere’shit) Bere’shit: Fulfillment Noaḥ: Good Enough Lekh Lekha: Purpose Va-yera’: Interconnectedness Ḥayyei Sarah: Lovingkindness Toledot: Family Va-yetse’: Seeking Va-yishlaḥ: God-Wrestling Va-yeshev: Thoughtlessness Mikkets: Dreams Va-yiggash: Destiny Va-yeḥi: Appreciation 2. Exodus (Shemot) Shemot: Revelation Va-’era’: Mercy Bo’: Hardened Heart Be-shallaḥ: Action Yitro: Self-Interest Mishpatim: Human Dignity Terumah: Indwelling Tetsavveh: Light Ki Tissa’: Giving Va-yak’hel: Community Pekudei: Building 3. Leviticus (Va-yikra’) Va-yikra’: Prayer Tsav: Firelight Shemini: Godliness Tazriaʿ: Witness Metsoraʿ: Defilement ’Aḥarei Mot: Scapegoat Kedoshim: Holiness ’Emor: Hunger Be-har: Oppression Be-ḥukkotai: Free Will 4. Numbers (Be-midbar) Be-midbar: Wilderness Naso’: Blessings Be-haʿalotekha: Humility Shelaḥ-Lekha: Perception Koraḥ: Rebellion Ḥukkat: Anger Balak: Dwellings Pinḥas: Women Mattot: Vows Maseʿei: Vengeance 5. Deuteronomy (Devarim) Devarim: Discovery Va-’etḥannan: Oneness ʿEkev: Gratitude Re’eh: Choice Shofetim: Justice Ki Tetse’: Indifference Ki Tavo’: Experiencing God Nitsavim: Generations Va-yelekh: Teaching Ha’azinu: Rock Ve-zo’t ha-berakhah: Divine Kiss 6. Holidays Rosh Hashanah: Sovereignty of God Yom Kippur: Transformation Sukkot: Gratitude Shemini Atzeret: Sharing the Divine Presence Simḥat Torah: Celebration Hanukkah: Rededication Purim: Resilience Pesach: Freedom Yom ha-Shoah: Living in the Shadow Yom ha-Atzmaut: Building a Just Nation Shavuot: Torah Epigraph Source Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography
£17.09
