The Commentators' Bible (Exodus): The JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Exodus [Hardcover]

Michael A. Carasik PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005 | Series: Commentators' Bible

Thanks to these generous donors for making the publication of this book possible: The Friedman French Foundation.

First published 500 years ago as the “Rabbinic Bible,” the biblical commentaries known as the Miqra’ot Gedolot have inspired and educated generations of Hebrew readers. With this edition, the voices of Rashi, Ibn Ezra, Nachmanides, Rashbam, and other medieval commentators come alive once more, speaking in a contemporary English translation annotated and explicated for lay readers.

Each page of The Commentators’ Bible contains several Hebrew verses from the book of Exodus, surrounded by both the 1917 and 1985 JPS translations and new English translations of the major commentators. This large-format volume is beautifully designed for ease of navigation among the many elements on each page, including explanatory notes and selected additional comments from the works of Bekhor Shor, Hizkuni, Abarbanel, Sforno, Gersonides, and others. JPS is pleased to make available for group study and teaching purposes individual parshiyot (weekly Torah readings) from The Commentators’ Bible.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Anyone who is unfamiliar with medieval commentary, or who is unable to study the commentators in the original Hebrew, will find The Commentators'' Bible a worthy addition to their book shelves. Carasik has done a real service making this material available."—The Reporter

(The Reporter )

"The importance of this volume cannot be overestimated—for the first time, we have a responsible translation of the miqra''ot gedolot . . . that is accessible to those without great facility in Hebrew."—Jbooks.com

(Jbooks.com )

From the Publisher

As the November 2005 issue of the Reporter notes: "Anyone who is unfamiliar with medieval commentary, or who is unable to study the commentators in the original Hebrew, will find 'The Commentators' Bible' a worthy addition to their book shelves. Carasik has done a real service making this material available."

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society; Bilingual edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827608128
• ISBN-13: 978-0827608122
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let It Go Medieval On You, February 5, 2006

By 

Larry Mark "editor of MyJewishBooks.com" (nyc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Commentators' Bible (Exodus): The JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Exodus (Hardcover)

Compiled by Michael Carasik, a teacher of Bible at the University of Pennsylvania, Miqra'ot Gedolot (or "large format bible") is now available in an understandable English edition. It was first published 500 years ago (the second edition was published in 1525 by Rabbi Yakov ben Hayyim) as the "Rabbinic Bible." The format is a Hebrew text from the bible in the middle of the page. On top of this Hebrew box is a Targum, or translation(s) in English; surrounding the passage are medieval commentaries from Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo ben Yitzhak, 1040-1105, Northern France), Rashbam (RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, 1085-1174, grandson of Rashi, Northern France) , Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra, 1089-c1164, Muslim Spain/Italy/France/England), and Nachmanides / RambaN (RAbbi Moshe Ben Nahman, 1195-c1260, Spain/Israel) in new, more understandable, English translations. Other commentators are included when appropriate, including "Masorah (or c1000 traditions)", Bekhor Shor (12th Century France), Rabbi David Kimhi (RaDaK, c1160-c1235, Provence), Hizkuni, Gersonides/Ralbag, Abarbanel (15th Century Inquisition/Spain/Portugal, Italy), and Sforno (Italy, 1470-1550). Abarbanel provides the main question. The biblical passage is translated using BOTH the 1917 (Old JPS) and 1985 (New JPS) JPS English translations, since great scholars wrote them in each period, and nuggets of insight can be derived from each one, even if they are not parallel. The beauty of reading medieval commentaries on Exodus is that they find connections and contradictions that lay readers in English may miss from the more modern bibles. Also, since the commentators lived at different times in different circumstances, the reader can see how the biblical passage spoke to various scholars over time. It also is more raw than the Hertz bibles' (U.K. Chief Rabbi J. H. Hertz), that were used in many synagogues, and written to gloss over "primitive" Hebrew practices. The editor recommends that you follow one particular commentator through an entire story; compare different commentators; compare the two differing English translations and try to understand why they differ; read an entire chapter in the Old JPS translatoin and then in the New JPS translation and see what insights you can find; and/or ponder whether the questions you ask on the text are the same questions that Abarbanel and others felt were the glaring issue. Go and Learn.

47 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars False advertising?, July 19, 2006

By 

Berel Dov Lerner (Western Galilee College, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Commentators' Bible (Exodus): The JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Exodus (Hardcover)

When I first read about this "translation" of Mikra'ot Gedolot, I thought to myself: it can't be true. Chavel's English translation of RaMBaN's (Nachmanides) commentary on Shemot (Exodus) alone contains 626 pages of text. How in the world could all of that plus the other classical commentaries plus the original biblical text in Hebrew plus two translations of the biblical text all fit into a 349 page volume? The answer is that they don't. Just by checking the sample page available on the JPS website, I immediately saw that much of Ibn Ezra was missing. For all I know, this may be a very useful volume. However, if you think that it really offers translations of all the materials that appear in a real Mikra'ot Gedolot - think again.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finding Your Way Through Exodus Was Never So Easy, March 9, 2006

By 

E. C. Lader (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Commentators' Bible (Exodus): The JPS Miqra'ot Gedolot: Exodus (Hardcover)

This new translation of Miqra'ot Gedolot - Exodus is wonderful. The format is easy to read, the translations are very accessible, and the page of commentaries comes alive for those who are (yet) unable to read the original in Hebrew. This translation opens up a whole new world for the student of Torah and Bible - hearing the voices of the commentators respond to each other... and now the reader is invited to join the conversation. Looking forward to all five books of Torah.. and beyond.