Customer Reviews

Commentary on the Torah

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In days of yore, Bible commentary was not done by the person who did the translation. Thus, both the Hertz and Plaut commentaries used the translation of another. Recently, some scholars have done both, and Commentary on the Torah (Richard Elliot Friedman, HarperCollins, 2000) is a splendid example. It covers the entire Humash (5 Books of Moses).
Those of you familiar with him as the author of Who Wrote the Bible? may be surprised that, with rare exceptions, the question of the origins of the Bible does not arise. He is solely concerned with what the text means. Indeed, he repeatedly views the Humash as a unified whole, tracing the development of themes across books, and emphasizing how language in one book is meant to reflect language used in another. His gaze is so fixed on the text itself that midrashic elaboration (seen frequently in Plaut) and defenses of the text (seen so much in Hertz) are largely absent. He wants the text understood in its own terms, as seen, for example, by his repeated efforts to show how the Bible distinguishes between offenses in the sacred and non-sacred zones.
This is in one sense a personal commentary. While his views are informed by much scholarship, he clearly speaks in his own voice; you seldom see "Tradition says..." or "Rashi explains ... " (and even then, it's done generally to distinguish his views from earlier ones). Indeed, sometimes he uses the first person "I", which is uncommon in serious Torah commentary. This is also reflected in what he chooses to write about. Not as full a commentary as Hertz; sometimes dozens of verses can go by without comment. But when he has points to make, (e.g. in the first three verses of Deuteronomy) then he takes the space needed.
This commentary isn't really designed for beginners; the short introductions and scene-setting remarks that Hertz does so well are largely absent. And it doesn't have the depth that some scholars would want. But in the midrange --- where so many of us are --- this book really sparkles. Again and again there are remarkable insights, often drawn from literary analysis, close attention to detail, points raised of the I-never-noticed-that-before type. There's a fine theory about why Moses was not allowed into the promised land, a startling and comprehensive explanation of Sotah, a good discussion of "impure" and "pure", a convincing critique of some proposed explanations of the dietary laws, a careful explanation of his translation choices for Genesis 1: 1-2, an intriguing explanation as to why the ban on homosexual conduct is written just for males (including a rare bit of editorializing), and many more gems. Further, his writing is marked by a combination of clarity and precision that is a pleasure to read and adds to its engaging character.
The book has a few essays, my favorites being a vigorous defense of the unity of Numbers (as opposed to the standard view of it being a "hodgepodge") and a discussion of the decisions that a translator must make. Alas: no index. For example, there's an informative discussion of the evolution of the control of miracles at Numbers 20:11, but how would you ever find this? The Hebrew text seems easier to read than the Plaut or Hertz.
This book is essential to anyone who seeks new insights into the meaning of the 5 Books of Moses.

Having been brought up on a number of Christian translations of the Bible, and being frequently frustrated by the inherent biases, the composite nature, and the weight of the King James Bible that hangs over every subsequent English version, I turned to Richard Elliot Friedman to get a better idea of what the Hebrew text says. I had been particularly struck by the straightforwardness of his "Hidden Book in the Bible", and the virtues of this approach are apparent in this Torah.

The commentary is interesting and insightful, although it frequently only whets my appetite for more. And the mere presence of the Hebrew text has caused me to start learning Hebrew to experience the sound relations among the words. It has rapidly become clear, even in my limited state of comprehension, that the text is composed like music, and much more is going on there than merely telling stories and listing regulations.

I'm sure there can be no definitive translation or commentary on this, the most heavily worked over text in history, but this is a fine place to start.

I agree with both the positive and negative reviewers of this book.

On the positive side: Friedman is often more original, more insightful, and more interesting than the "Chumashes by committee" that most congregations use (by which I mean the Orthodox Artscroll, the Conservative Etz Chaim, as well as Plaut's Reform Chumash). On the average, IFriedman made one or two points per Torah portion that made me say "Wow!" to myself.

On the negative side: this book is simply not comprehensive enough to substitute for the committee Chumashes. The committee Chumashes tend to be almost line-by-line (at least compared to Friedman's book). Friedman's depth is gained at the sacrifice of breadth: he covers only the topics that really interest him.

And of course, he doesn't cover Haftorot at all.

This book is a fine supplement to the committee Chumashes (or to Hertz, who is also more comprehensive than Friedman) - but not a substitute.

I have been using this version of Torah and commentary for a few years now and just bought this copy for my son. Friedman's commentary is well thought out and very insightful- though not as detailed as I would like. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants an easy to read but deep commentary that doesn't always agree with the rest.

This is a valuable resource for Christian as well as Jewish Biblical Scholars and Teachers alike.

It is well organized, according to the Tanakh organization of the scriptures, not like the Christian Bible. It is great to get a Jewish perspective on these familiar Texts.

I highly recommend this as a resource for Bible Study.

This commentary on the Torah is provides the Bible student with the opportunity to see what certain verses really mean, according to Rabbinic traditional interpretations. The first book, Genesis, is a classic example because here, it goes into detail of most of the verses on what, for example, the word "firmament" in Genesis 1 really means. This book does the same throughout the rest of the books of the Torah. Some pages are filled with diagrams and illustrations, making it easier to understand and to visualize the ideas expressed within. The format of this book makes it easily accessible. You have the Hebrew text on the right with the English translation on the left and at the bottom contains the commentaries keyed to specific chapters and verses. For those thinking about purchasing this title, I would also recommend THE STONE EDITION OF THE TANACH by Mesorah publications. The Stone Edition is similar to this Torah Commentary but the Tanach has the Torah (first five books of the Bible), Nevim (early and later prophets) and Kethuvim, (the writings such as Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes etc.) all in one volume with commentary also. Keep in mind though, the Tanach is basically an anthology of commentaries by various Rabbi's throughout the century and doesn't go into as much detail as this Torah Commentary. All in all, both are awesome, indispensable tools for drawing closer to God and his word. Even as a devout and convinced Christian, this book has illuminated the meaning of the Torah, and now I can see how the New Testament makes even more sense!!! Afterall, the New Testament is also a Jewish work (well, maybe with the exception of Luke). Take care and God Bless and happy reading!!! I wholly recommend this to any avid student God's word.

When I got this book, I was impressed by it. I went out and brought a second copy to give to my Mom and a third copy to a friend. As an introduction, this is a good book. It shows the Hebrew and English on the same page, the problem is you can not equivalent the two languages.

His insight and commentary are good, his translation differs from many others and thus, create a new dynamic when reading the bible. Instead of reading "The tree of Good and Evil" he translate it "The Tree of Good and Bad".

This may not be a book that is for everyone, this is good for someone who is interested in the Torah and wants to have a different perspective on the books. Also one who is interested in Hebrew. This is, as I said before, a good introduction to those who want to go further into the text. One must already be a student of the bible and have a good foundation to understand this book.

I am no Biblical scholar, but I am able to recognize an excellent study resource. This book doesn't overwhelm the reader with long, complex, theological treatises. It gives a new translation of the text and limits its brief comments to those verses that have a fuller meaning, or are best interpreted using a Jewish idiom, or that may need additional historical/cultural info given to fully understand it. It seemed that 80% of the verses I had questions on were addressed by the author. But the surprising part for me was that it wasn't the same ole, same ole info that has been rehashed since Clarke/Henry/Barnes did their commentaries. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the Torah.

I was happy to add this work to my bible library though a bit disappointed that that it does not contain more commentary n addition to the translation. A great piece of work with some interesting insights

Friedman's work provides an elementary level commentary on the Torah, and gives explanation of many Hebrew words, but I found it wanting in providing the insight I was expecting from a Hebrew commentary on passages I was studying. I am currently using it as a companion reference for my OT study and I am just finishing Levitcus. I am going page by page and would report that after 430 pages, I do find the commentary particularly helpful because many passages are purposely skipped, and many comments are one liners or minimalized. I also do not like the way he rationalizes Scriptural authority with personal opinion, being influenced by a more contemporary mindset, ie. "In my own view, the present understanding of the nature of homosexuality indicates that it is not an offensive sinm, [also translated abominatiion] as described in this vers. The Hebrew term for "offensive thing" is to be understood as a relative term. ... In light of the evidence at present, homosexuality cannot be said to be unnatural...,,,and the period in which this commandment was binding has come to an end.p 377.378, so the reader must be aware of Friedman's personal views as he substitutes his views for that which other scholars render clearly/ There are passages when he says we do not know what this means and in those passages he is honest as are other biblical commentaries. But this is one man's opinion but he speaks as if representing a whole culture. I will finish my bible study with this and would recommend the Old Testament Commentary Survey by Tremper Longman III. However, I would not recommend this book to those who really want to know more of the Hebrew mindset and culture and would not recommend it as I can find much of the same information on Wikipedia