Commentary on the Torah Book

Commentary on the Torah by Richard Elliot Friedman includes the original Hebrew text of the Torah, a complete new translation of these five books of the Bible, and commentary that aims to show how each passage illuminates the Torah as a whole. Friedman's massive project invites comparison with the legendary commentary written by Rashi, which has served as the standard work of its kind for almost 1,000 years. This new commentary draws on recent archeological discoveries, medieval commentaries, and modern textual scholarship "to shed new light on the Torah, and, more important, to open windows through which it sheds its light on us." The book also continues Friedman's ongoing project of making serious religious scholarship accessible to the general reader (as did his previous works, including Who Wrote the Bible and The Hidden Face of God). To that end, it is organized not only with chapter and verse markings, but also by traditional weekly synagogue readings. This textual organization, combined with Friedman's relentless focus on the text's meaning for faithful lay readers, makes his Commentary an ideal resource for synagogue and church study groups, as well as a necessary reference work for individual students of religion. --Michael Joseph GrossRead More