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Heavenly Torah: As Refracted through the Generations

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This classic work by A. J. Heschel was originally only available in three Hebrew volumes (1962, 1965, Soncino Press, and a post-humous 1992 JTS Press volume.) It is an original and well researched study of classical rabbinic theology, exploring the views of the rabbis in the Mishnah and Talmud about the nature of Torah, the revelation of God to mankind, prophecy, and the ways that Jews have used scriptural exegesis to expand and understand these core Jewish texts.

Heschel sees the ideas of second century sages Rabbis Akiva and Ishmael as paradigms for the two dominant worldviews in Jewish theology. According to professor Or N. Rose, "Akiva is characterized as an esoteric thinker, who believes that every marking in the text of the Torah...is fraught with meaning. Through his imaginative and poetic readings of the Bible, Akiva develops a theology of immanence, believing that God is actively involved in creation and that He longs to be in relationship with human beings, identifying so closely with them that He actually participates in their joy and sorrow (God in Search of Man is the title of Heschel's major work of constructive theology). In contrast, Ishmael is depicted as a more austere rational thinker, who believes that the Torah was written in the "language of human beings," and that one need not engage in fanciful exegetical play to understand its teachings. Theologically, Ishmael speaks of a God of transcendence: a divine being who reigns from above and who requires nothing of His creations. For Ishmael, the notion that God is affected by human action violates his understanding of divine perfection. In his view, Torah is a heavenly gift given to humanity so that they might learn something of God's mysterious ways."

Prof. Rose also writes that "Not only is this English version a lucid and thoughtful reworking of the original text, but Tucker and Levin even manage to introduce into their translation a measure of the poeticism readers have come to expect of Heschel. The various introductions, notes, and other scholarly apparatus are also very helpful in unpacking and contextualizing Heschel's arguments and the many rabbinic sources that serve as the basis for his presentation."

The original "Torah min Hashamayim b'Aspaklaria shel Hadorot" was a Heschel masterpiece; its style of writing was, for lack of a better term, "high-rabbinic-esoteric", and its accessability was therefor somewhat limited. The translator's notes point out many of Heschel's literary tricks which would otherwise be lost to the English reader. Other on-the-page annotations provide excellent background into issues and ideas which Heschel relies upon after assuming that the reader is highly literate in rabbinic scholarship at the "rosh-yeshivah" level. To those who have not yet reached such level, this work is a wonderful addition to a library of basic rabbinic thought. As a scholarly work it proves that Heschel was first and foremost a great rabbi.

I stumbled across Heschel a few years ago, and I'm so glad that I did. As a Gentile, I cannot express enough the importance of Heschel for people of any faith. He shows the depth and beauty of Judaism and of the human spirit. Every book I have read by Heschel has moved me to tears, and this book is no exception.

Heavenly Torah is very long, and at times repetitive, but it is packed with profound insights. Heschel compared two 2nd century schools of thought, the school of Rabbi Akiva and the school of Rabbi Ishmael. So far, the Akivan school has had a larger impact, but Heschel makes the point that the Ishmaelian school has a very important message for the modern world.

Indeed, the two schools of thought are different, but Heschel's main point is that they don't have to fall into a rivalry. They have enough beauty in common that the two schools can build off of each other, challenge each other, and live in harmony with each other. This is a teaching from Heaven that we all need to hear.

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This work is the translation of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel's classical work of Biblical exegesis. It is ably translated from the Hebrew by Gordon Tucker and Leonard Levin. Each section of the work contains a translator's introduction,and there is an overall introduction to the volume by Heschel's daughter Susannah Heschel.Among the subjects debated by Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Ishmael in the work are miracles, beholding the face of God, the Torah that is Heaven, Moses Ascent to Heaven, The Descent of the Divine Glory, Torah from Heaven, the Sectarians,Moses did things on is own authority, Two methos of understanding 'Thus says the Lord', Is it possible that it was on his Own say so, The book of Deuternomy, Is the Prophet a Partner or a Vessel, See how great was Moses power, Moses prophecy, How the Torah was written,Lost books, Renewal of Torah, It is Not in the Heavens, Both these and these are the words of the living God, Against Multiplying Rules, Stringencies and Leniences, et al.
The principle of debate and argument is the moving spirit of the work.
The book is richly annotated .It is filled with telling citations from Gemara and Midrash.
This is a book which all who care for Jewish learning will wish to have in their libraries.

Excellent. Comprehensive. A wealth of information distilled through a knowledgeable perspective. Thoroughly documented for those of us who want citations.

I'm very suprised with the amazing knowledge of Joshua Heschel, and glad to had invested on a very responsible work on Jewish theology.
It's very very recommended.

Amazing Author am now at 58 reading all of his work I can get my hands on.I am not one usually drawn to existential writing but Heschel is the exception.
Without being into existential babble I will say the Book Moral grandeur Spiritual audacity is one of the greatest works of moral and jewish thought I have ever read.You can really see and feel one the greatest minds of this century in reading this compilation of his speaches and writings.
After that I felt ready to delve deeper into this is Torah and Jewish law and philosophy experiment.

Another great work from Heschel! Such knowledge and thought combined into one study is awesome. It is about the two main intellectual approaches taken in order to determine the true meaning of the words and sentences in the Hebrew bible.
A lengthy and indepth study which must be studied over and over in order to obtain a true understanding of what is being stated.
This is one of those rare works that makes religious belief into a living science rather than a mystical tale. A must read !

I have been led to The Heavenly Torah by Heschl's The Sabbath, The Prophets, and God in Search of Man : A Philosophy of Judaism. Although he says little or nothing in those books about Christianity, my own Christian faith has been enriched by reading them. Unfortunately I cannot read The Heavenly Torah with the same expectation; I am in fact illiterate in matters of the Torah and Talmud. I have wandered into an ancient controversy of no apparent relevance to me, but I am interested. (As the Vatican Council said, "Nothing that is human is foreign to the Church.) I intend to explore the Talmud before reading more of The Heavenly Torah.

I am very interested in the text. I read it in conjuction with the Holy Bible Old Testament. I find that the comparative texts are very enlightening when read together.