Customer Reviews

Onkelos on the Torah: Understanding the Bible Text Leviticus

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This book represents the third in a five-part series rendering the Targum Onkelos in English. The book is designed both to fulfill the rabbinic requirement to read a the weekly Torah section in the Targum and to provide scholars with an accessible work that explains much of the complexity of Leviticus and the Targum Onkelos of Leviticus.

To this end, the work provides the Hebrew text of Leviticus with the commentary of Rashi underneath (both vocalized), along with both the Aramaic of Targum Onkelos (vocalized) and an English translation. The haphtarah readings in the prophets are also provided, both for each section of Leviticus and for special days. These haphtarah readings are based on the Aramaic, not the Hebrew, and the authors provide introductions to each that explain both the text and the various changes the translator made.

The running commentary on the text is quite helpful, providing both linguistic information about the Hebrew original and the Aramaic translation along with the various ways in which the text was understood in rabbinic and scholarly schools from the halakhic Sifra all the way through modern times. The authors are not afraid to point out times when the rabbinic interpretations seem to deviate from the basic meaning of the text.

The work is designed to be accessible to more than just scholars; introductions are provided explaining the purposes of the authors, the relationship of Saadiah Gaon to the Targum Onkelos, the disputation within Judaism regarding the need for sacrifices, and the main differences between Targum Onkelos and the original Hebrew text. The commentary also attempts to provide similar explanations so that a person who has no knowledge of Aramaic can still see many of the differences between the Targum and the original Hebrew. The authors make the argument that the translator of the Targum Onkelos does his work around 400 CE, and that he strives to provide an accurate rendering of the text, and is not prone to inserting halakhic understandings or expansions within the text. Comparisons are often made to the two other Targums-- Neophyti and Pseudo-Jonathan-- and how they differ.

Each chapter concludes with a "Onkelos highlights" section that emphasizes a certain point made previously in the commentary. Many chapters are followed with "Beyond the Text" questions that are purely directed for a Jewish audience, and which are a bit alienating to a non-Jewish reader.

The work is quite magisterial, and the expertise of the authors is evident throughout. I would have liked for more of the introductory material that is alluded to from the previous two volumes (Genesis and Exodus) to be present in this volume, and some of the arguments that the authors seek to make could have been made without dominating the material at times. Nevertheless, this handsome edition will benefit both layman and scholar alike who seek to better understand the Targum Onkelos and the history of interpretation of the book of Leviticus.

Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Kahn
Haim Bajayo St. 10/1
Jerusalem 93145, ISRAEL

Tel: (02) 5619585
Tel & FAX: (02) 5631366
E-Mail: paulkahn@netvision.net.il



ONKELOS
On the Torah
Understanding the Bible Text

By
Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner

Customer Comments

From the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile, for perhaps one thousand years, the language of the Jews was Aramaic. It soon became evident that a translation of the Bible into Aramaic for a non Hebrew speaking population was necessary. Approximately 1600 years ago, such a translation known as Targum Onkelos was written. It became to be recognized as the prime literal translation of the scriptural text, par excellence. Moreover, its philosophically based opposition to corporal description of the deity was noted and approved by Maimonides.

Drazin & Wagner have done us a great favor by writing an English translation of Onkelos, scholarly yet very readable. The first four volumes-- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers--have been published by Gefen Publishing House, and the fifth, and final volume, Deuteronomy, is scheduled for publication in 2010. Not stopping at just translating this eminent work, they have added a running explanation of what Onkelos has done, and then expanded it to include a broader view for bible study. They then proceed to present a discussion of significant issues, offering a meaningful "Understanding of the Bible Text". All this, in a beautifully bound set, provides a proud acquisition for any library.

Submitted:

Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Kahn

This translation will help you appreciated the Scriptures like never before. The commentary is indeed rich and valuable. Highly recommended.

This review is from the perspective of a Christian who loves studying the Old Testament.

The book itself appears to be very well made, as is appropriate for a Bible. It has a fancy, textured cover, sewn binding, and thick cream colored paper. It also has a bookmark, which is extremely helpful for people like me who must make their way slowly through this book.

If you are not familiar with Onkelos, as I was not, it would be helpful to read more about him ([..]) before proceeding. (He is also known by his Greek name Aquila).

This is the first volume published in a series on Onkelos' Aramaic translation of the five books of the Law of Moses. The volumes on the other four books are yet to be published. Each will apparently contain the Hebrew Massoretic text, Onkelos' translation in Aramaic, Rashi's translation in Aramaic, an English translation of Onkelos' Aramaic translation, and a Commentary.

Another stumbling block (at first) for those less familiar with Semitic languages is the layout. Obviously, the book reads from right to left. At first, this feels a bit awkward when reading the English sections. In the Introduction, you must jump from the lower right corner of one page, to the upper left corner of the next page. Furthermore, In the body of the text, it took me a while to determine what the various blocks of text on each page was. After familiarizing myself with the layout, it became one of the aspects of this book that I appreciated most.

The largest text at the top of the right-hand page is the text of Leviticus in Hebrew. Immediately below that is the text of Rashi, which was all but unreadable to me because I have no prior experience with it. At the upper-right of the left-hand page is a block of Aramaic text, which is Onkelos' translation. Next to (and sometimes under) it, at the upper left of the left-hand page is the English translation of Onkelos. Both the right-hand and left-hand pages have a horizontal line running across the middle of them. Below this line is the commentary, which primarily deals with Onkelos' translation technique and exegetical decisions. The commentary is keyed to the English text by means of bold type. Whatever words are dealt with in the commentary are also bold in the English text above.

For me, there was a large learning curve before I could profit from reading this book. However, the effort was well worth it. The commentary is especially helpful as it approaches the text from a different perspective than I am accustomed to. Additionally, having the primary sources on the same page for immediate reference makes this volume very, very useful. I recommend it, even those who don't know Hebrew or Aramaic. The English translation and commentary by themselves are definitely well worth the read.