Customer Reviews

The Torah: A Women's Commentary

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Almost 15 years in the creation, "The Torah: A Women's Commentary" is a scholarly commentary on the Five Books of Moses, including post-biblical interpretations and contemporary reflections. It is structured in a "user-friendly" way to enable the reader to access the richness of the Jewish Text. It is a beautifully designed, scholarly work that will be, I'm sure, a source for study and learning for many years to come.

This awesome labor of love combines Torah text, commentary, contemporary reflections, poetry (and more.) Because it focuses on the role of women (or their absence) in Torah, it provides a long needed pathway for women to enter into the biblical world and the teachings of a text that has played so great a part in shaping our views of our relationship with the Divine, and each other. Inside it is beautiful in every sense. It deserved a cover more commensurate with that beauty, but why quibble.

Buy it for every Jewish woman and girl you love. (What an extraordinary Bat Mitzvah present!)

Ardent feminists will love this book. Moderate ones may think it goes too far in emphasizing the significance of women in the Torah. The commentaries and the literary entries are excellent and the format is easily accessible. I would not recommend reading this commentary alone, without a less egalitarian version at one's side. Comparisons are always valid. I especially like the non-gendered usage, which doesn't hammer the reader over the head but makes its point nicely.

After I mentioned just a little bit about a couple of comments this book made about the third chapter in Genesis, I had three people wanting to borrow it. This is a serious study. I appreciate that much of the commentary relates to a direct literal study of the Hebrew (even though it has poetic interpretations in the same book). Well worth the money.

Wow! This is such a beautiful commentary on Judaism's holiest text. I love the symphony of voices that flow through this book. Not only are comments meaningful and well written but the general oranization of the book is wonderful. I am man who loves Torah and all of the commentaries that it produces. This volume will sit proudly on my bookself next Rashi, Hirsch, Sforno, Ramban, etc. I am recommending this commentary to every Rabbi I know regardless of affiliation. Even if the price is a stretch for you, buy this book because you won't be sorry.

Definitely more "politically correct", touchy-feely and egalitarian than I am- but having said that, I have used this Torah commentary for the past year and it is much better than I thought it would be. What I liked best: lots of use of historical/archaelogical insights, much more than in more traditional commentaries- really puts the Torah in its historical context.

Finally! For those interested in a traditional Torah - but with commentary from a woman's perspective - this is the Torah to add to your collection.

Each Hebrew/English portion is expounded upon by five distinct elements: a Central Commentary, Another View, Post-biblical Interpretations, Contemporary Reflection, and Voices.

This would make an excellent gift - from bar/bat Mitvah age on.

Libraries and synagogues would also benefit from having this Torah on their shelves.

The book itself fits comfortably next to other hardcover Torahs. It is 7.5" x 10" and beautifully bound.

The Torah: A Women's Commentary is a compilation of the most recent Torah scholarship that also includes a woman's perspective. Introductory essays by Carol Meyers, Judith R. Baskin and Ellen Umansky are outstanding in orienting the reader to the world of Torah history and post biblical analysis. Alterative perspectives enrich this multi-dimential effort. This volume produced by the Women of Reform Judaism makes me proud to be a scholar and a Jew.

If you are interested in studying the Old Testament from a unique perspective, this book is for you. The editors and many contributors have done an excellent job in creating a commentary that has excellent biblical scholarship as well as contemporary application. The poetry makes you think about the woman of the Bible in a very different way, they come alive. I have only begun reading this commentary but was so impressed I bought another one for a friend who loves to study the Bible. Kudos to the women who put this incredible work together!

I bought this for my wife, a theology major. She has been very excited about the book, finding it scholarly, well researched and a new approach to the Torah from women's point of view. There are many significant insights to be gained from this work.