Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
92 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent introduction to classic texts, March 17, 2002
"Back to the Sources" provides a superb introduction to the classic Jewish texts: the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, medieval Bible commentaries (legal codes are discussed in the chapter on Talmud), medieval philosophical works, Zohar and other kabbalistic works, Hasidic teachings, and the prayer book. Each chapter is written by a different scholar, who is an expert in the text or texts at hand. All of the authors write clearly for non-experts and provide superb guidance, whether you are planning to start reading the texts or simply want to know more about them. Each chapter ends with helpful suggestions for further reading (although these are now somewhat out of date, since the book was published in 1984).There is an interesting divide half way through the book: the first four chapters (on Bible, Talmud, Midrash and commentaries) focus on the literary characteristics of those texts: how they are organized, how style contributes to meaning, what knowledge they assume, how to read them, and so on. Each chapter does an excellent job of walking you through an extended passage of the text under consideration. Other than these analyses of particular passages, however, there is no systematic attempt to discuss or summarize the content of the work, much less consider its meaning or impact. The last four chapters, on the other hand (covering philosophy, kabbala, Hasidic teaching and the Siddur), are much more focused on content, on what the texts are saying and what impact that has had in the development of Judaism. These chapters still include close-reading of significant passages of text, but they also provide extraordinarily helpful overviews of what these texts, as a whole, are trying to accomplish. The chapters on medieval philosophy and kabbala are particularly good -- even if I never get around to studying these texts, I now feel like I have a reasonably good grasp of what they are about. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in these texts or in Jewish intellectual history, even if you have no plans to study the texts themselves.
|
|
|
60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Text study for the INTELLIGENT beginner!, January 18, 2001
What's the difference between "Mishna" and "Midrash"? Is "Talmud" the same as "Gemara"? What's a "Tanach"?If you're just getting started in Judaism, it's easy to get bogged down with terminology. There are lots of books on each of these subjects, but very few that cover ALL the classic Jewish sources. This book provides an excellent introduction, not only to WHAT the texts are, but HOW they are used and studied. Holtz takes us on a step by step journey through a sample section of each text, demonstrating, in a beginner-friendly way, the ways that scholars derive modern meaning from ancient wisdom. Holtz never condescends -- he makes the rare assumption that the reader is highly intelligent, well-read in other areas and has become interested in learning more about Judaism. Very much recommended before delving deeper into any one Jewish text.
|
|
|
53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful introduction to rabbinic literature and Judaism, May 23, 1999
This work presents chapters on all areas of Jewish and rabbinic literature, by ten experts in Jewish rabbinic works. They are not just knowledgeable, but they are also good writers.It presents a readable explanation and overview of all the basic Jewish texts, including the Torah, the Tanakh (Bible), the Mishna and both Talmuds. That's right, there are two Talmuds: The Bavli, from Babylon, and the Yerushalmi, from Israel. This book also covers Jewish philosophical writings, Kabbalah [Jewish mysticism], Hasidic writings and the Siddur [prayerbook].
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Abraham Joshua Heschel
by Adin Steinsaltz
See all 100 books this book cites
