Customer Reviews

A Torah Commentary for Our Times

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My wife and I recently decided we'd like to give our young children a more explicit introduction to moral values and figured that the torah would be an excellent vehicle (plus it would introduce the kids to torah). The problem was that neither my wife nore I is by any means a torah scholar - I'm a reform Jew and hadn't really done any bible study since hebrew school many, many years ago. I don't know enough to interpret the biblical texts myself and the full Talmud is far more than I was looking for. So, I went looking, in vain I feared, for a volume that would provide an accessible introduction to the bible.

Well, I'm happy to report that Fields' book met and exceeded my requirements. Each chapter contains a summary of the torah portion, an identification of key themes, summaries of select classical and modern commentary and a list of thought-provoking questions - perhaps 5-7 pages in all per parsha.

I've only had the book for a couple of weeks but already feel I've gotten my money's worth. I can in a brief time review the week's torah reading and then discuss it with my kids (who are too young to read the book themselves). They're learning and I am too.

Serious scholars may find this "Cliff's Notes" approach too superficial, but for a beginner like me, it's just right.

This is one of the best Torah Commentaries for use by people who do not have access to the original Hebrew. It includes a summary of each weekly reading and in depth examination of a few important themes using traditional and modern commentaries. I recommend this book for the beginner and intermediate student to gain access to methods of commentary and the advanced student who wants ideas and new ways of looking at the text.

You can be an instant Torah scholar with this fantastic commentary series! Each chapter is laid out as follows: 1. a very brief summary of the parsha; 2. a more in depth overview of the parsha; 3. a synopsis of commentary from the world's most famous Torah scholars, both ancient and modern; 4. major themes of the parsha; 5. compelling questions at the end of the chapter regarding the parsha and commentary.
The beauty and the power of this series is that it gives you the context; i.e., the prism, through which the parsha has been analyzed through the exgesis of famous scholars, and in doing so, it gives you ground on which to develop your own exgesis. Furthermore, with the summaries, written in plain English, in both an extremely short form and then in a more detailed form, you will be well suited for a quick discussion at the Shabbos table or a more in depth discussion from the bimah. You'll be able to quote the most famous and respected scholars; you'll be instantly privy to the insights that yeshiva students probably spend hours trying to unearth. It's a great series for all ages and for all levels of observance. Kol HaKavod to the author! Well done!

This set was marketed for young people but is appropriate for the adult student of Torah. Different viewpoints of various scholars are presented.

As a bar/bat mitzvah tutor, I have found this book set incredibly helpful. It helps in the kids writing d'var torah's, and in understanding different points of view of each parsha.