The Beginning of Desire [Paperback]

Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

Turn the Scriptures over to Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg and what do you get? A unique blend of brilliant literary insights and theological wisdom, derived from a lifelong immersion in rabbinic traditions and lore. With amazing literary sensitivity, Zornberg ingeniously breathes new life into Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Rachel, and Joseph. The author's vibrant spirit, charming personality, and infectious enthusiasm for the Bible draw the reader into the search for meaning where real life and the biblical story intersect. The Beginning Of Desire imaginatively interweaves biblical, rabbinic, and literary sources into a colorful tapestry that is both intellectually stimulating and personally uplifting.



One of the Jewish biblical scholars scheduled to appear on the Bill Moyers PBS special on Genesis, Avivah Zornberg employs an amazing repertoire of literary sources to engage the audience and illuminate the text. Delivering her erudition in a pleasantly lyrical style, the author shares her experience of God with the world. It is an intimate, personal, and revealing encounter no one should miss.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Deserves to be the most widely read book on the Bible in years, perhaps decades.”
—Jewish Exponent
 
“Not only is Zornberg’s book leagues removed from popular trivializations, it also does what all successful midrash is meant to do: open up new perspectives on ancient texts.”
 —Commonweal
 
“A sinewy, powerful, and hauntingly beautiful reanimation of the ancient text of early Israel and of their heroes and heroines.”
—Publishers Weekly
 
“Spectacular readings . . . A beautiful and arresting exercise in biblical literary criticism; highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
 
“Zornberg brings a brilliant mastery of psychology, literature, and Judaismto bear on the Bible . . . This is an extraordinary book.”
—The Jerusalem Report

From the Publisher

Turn the Scriptures over to Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg and what do you get? A unique blend of brilliant literary insights and theological wisdom, derived from a lifelong immersion in rabbinic traditions and lore. With amazing literary sensitivity, Zornberg ingeniously breathes new life into Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Rachel, and Joseph. The author's vibrant spirit, charming personality, and infectious enthusiasm for the Bible draw the reader into the search for meaning where real life and the biblical story intersect. The Beginning Of Desire imaginatively interweaves biblical, rabbinic, and literary sources into a colorful tapestry that is both intellectually stimulating and personally uplifting.

One of the Jewish biblical scholars scheduled to appear on the Bill Moyers PBS special on Genesis, Avivah Zornberg employs an amazing repertoire of literary sources to engage the audience and illuminate the text. Delivering her erudition in a pleasantly lyrical style, the author shares her experience of God with the world. It is an intimate, personal, and revealing encounter no one should miss.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Image (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385483376
• ISBN-13: 978-0385483377
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.3 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #385,843 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars literary and traditional theological theory meet, May 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beginning of Desire (Paperback)

Zornberg's "dialectical" approach to discussing the weekly readings of Genesis marries the secular approaches of literature and philosophy and traditional Jewish "learning" in an exciting and thought-provoking way. She uses rabbinic exegesis smartly and sensitively to explore the layers of the text's meaning in a way that will appeal to rather than repel scholars of modern literature who are also theologically inclined. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in Hebrew Bible scholarship.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Aviva Zornberg: An Eclectic Biblical Commentary, January 20, 2001

By 

Richard Borah (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Beginning of Desire (Paperback)

Aviva Zornberg's , Genesis, The Beginning of Desire, is a deep analysis of the first book of the Bible which utilizes insights from the full gamut of philosophers and authors to illuminate the commentary of Rashi, the most central of the classical medieval Jewish commentaries on the Bible. She is a treasure and her insights are illuminating and occasionally open up an area in ways never before explored. I reccommend it highly for all who are dedicated to seeing the world of the Bible in all its depth and compexity.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deep and beautiful commentary, November 4, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Beginning of Desire (Paperback)

Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg is one of the remarkable Torah teachers of her generation. All who have attended her lectures in Jerusalem can attest to her great learning, her poetic and intuitive interpretative skill, her effort to read the Biblical text through combining the traditional sources with insights derived from sociological, anthropological and psychological literature. Her radiant and magnetic personality provide a dimension to her lectures inspirationally which the page does, and sometimes does not capture. But her commentary for any one who will take the time and effort to read it carefully yields new insights into the Biblical texts. And again her readings are ones which almost invariably lead us into deeper understanding of the human relationships involved in Tannach.
This commentary should be a part of the library of all those who love the Biblical text.