The Jewish Eye
Index - Bible Insights & Bible Studies
Reviews & Book Excerpts
- Accepting the Yoke of Heaven, by Yeshayahu Leibowitz.
Here is a compelling collection of thoughts on the weekly Torah portion by an acclaimed Jewish philosopher. Revealing his radical views on the nature of G-d and His relationship with man, Professor Leibowitz challenges our conceptions of the purpose of prayer and the presence of holiness in the world.
- The Agam Torah: The Five Books of Moses
A Large Print Edition of the Koren Chumash.
- The Bible Code, by Michael Drosnin.
For three thousand years a code in the Bible has remained hidden. Now it has been unlocked by computer -- and it may reveal our future. Or does it?
- Bible Psalms with Jerusalem Commentary, by Amos Hakham.
This three volume set features the Hebrew text in accordance with the Aleppo Codex, an English translation of the text, and an English translation of the famed Da'at Mikrah Hebrew commentary which includes both Talmudic and Midrashic interpretations as well as classic medieval and modern commentaries.
- Biblical Images: Men and Women of the Book, by Adin Steinsaltz.
Although the figures of the Jewish Bible are some of the best known in all of history and literature, they remain among the most elusive and enigmatic. In Biblical Images, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz offers a 25 portraits of Biblical characters.
- Biblical Literacy, by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin.
The Most Important People, Events, and Ideas of the Hebrew Bible.
- The Biblical View of Man, by Leo Adler.
Rabbi Adler argues that the Bible is more about human beings than about G-d, and insists that in the biblical view, what human beings need is not so much wisdom or grace but rather their own free will to fulfill the obligations that a loving G-d has bestowed upon them in order to allow them to prove and improve themselves.
- Bringing the Prophets to Life, by Neil N. Winkler.
Insights on the early Prophets, along with inspirational stories with a message as relevant today as when first written.
- Brisk on Chumash (Chapter 10), by Rabbi Asher Bergman. (Book Excerpt)
Insights on the Parashah from Brisk to Jerusalem.
- Chumash Chorev ha-Menukad.
This five-volume, large print, Hebrew edition contains the complete text of the Chumash, as well as commentaries by Rashi, Targam Onkelos, Ikkar Sifsei, Chachamim, Ba'al HaTurim, and Toldos Aharon.
- Covenant & Conversation: Exodus, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.
This collection makes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks brilliant essays on the weekly Torah portion available in book form for the first time. This volume includes includes several concise essays for each parasha in the book of Exodus.
- Covenant & Conversation: Genesis, by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.
This collection makes Rabbi Jonathan Sacks brilliant essays on the weekly Torah portion available in book form for the first time. This volume includes includes several concise essays for each parasha in the book of Genesis.
- Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought, by Joshua A. Berman.
In this book, Berman answers a question that has bothered Bible readers for centuries - "Why was the Bible written?"
- Creating Space between Peshat and Derash, by Hayyim J. Angel.
In this third collection of his essays on Tanakh, Rabbi Hayyim Angel continues to present his learning methodology and in-depth text studies to a wider readership.
- Crown of Aleppo: The Mystery of the Oldest Bible Codex, by Hayim Tawil & Bernard Schneider.
The incredible story of the survival, against all odds, of the Aleppo Codex - one of the most authoritative and accurate traditional Masoretic texts of the Bible.
- Darash Moshe I (Chapter 1), by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. (Book Excerpt)
A selection of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's choice comments on the Torah.
- Darash Moshe II (Chapter 7), by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. (Book Excerpt)
A selection of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein's choice comments on the Torah.
- Darosh Darash Yosef, by Rabbi Avishai C. David.
Discourses of Rav Yosef Dov Halevi Soloveitchik on the Weekly Parashah.
- Ecclesiastes, by Rabbi Rami Shapiro.
Ecclesiastes is a rational and countercultural guide to living with joy in the midst of uncertainty and insecurity, and Shapiro's translation of, and commentary on Ecclesiastes, restores this ancient text to its timeless placeas a guide to living sanely in an often insane world.
- Entering The Covenant (Chapter 1), by Dr. Mandell I. Ganchrow. (Book Excerpt)
An Anthology of Divrei Torah for Bris Milah and Pidyon Haben.
- Entering Torah: Prefaces to the Weekly Torah Portion, by Reuven Hammer.
For the believing Jew today, no less than for those in the past, the study of the weekly Torah portion is a religious experience. Enter into the Torah text with this insightful companion and experience the full impact of the age-old and totally new weekly portion.
- The Five Books of Moses, by Everett Fox.
This new translation of the Hebrew Scriptures reveals the full force of the Bible's original rhetoric and poetry - the rhythm, nuances, and stylistic devices that are particular to Hebrew and essential to the Bible's true message and to the spiritual and aesthetic power of its art.
- The Five Books of Moses, by Robert Alter.
Alter's majestic translation of the Five Books of Moses recovers the mesmerizing effect of these ancient stories — the profound and haunting enigmas, the ambiguities of motive and image, and the distinctive cadences and lovely precision of the Hebrew text.
- From Within the Tent: The Haftarot, Edited by Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman & Stuart W. Halpern.
Mitokh Ha-Ohel: Ha-Haftorot - Essays on the Weekly Haftarah Readings from the Rabbis & Professors of Yeshiva University.
- G-d Shall Reign For Eternity: The Divine Code, by Moshe Phillips.
A Commentary on Parashat Beshalach - Did the Rabbis of old who authored the classic Jewish daily liturgy still used today embed certain messages in the prayers that were specifically intended to draw attention to authentic concepts and central themes in Judaism?
- G-d's Problem, by Bart D. Ehrman.
In times of questioning and despair, people often quote the Bible to provide answers. Surprisingly, though, the Bible does not have one answer but many "answers" that often contradict one another. This book looks at the various answers provided by the Bible, and 'How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer'.
- Great Torah Lights from Great Torah Minds, by Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Goodman.
In this five-volume set, Rabbi Goodman has incorporated the teachings and wisdom of some of the greatest Torah scholars of all times, including HaRav Pinchas Friedman of Belz, in this innovative and highly accessible commentary on the Chumash.
- The Hidden Book in the Bible: The Discovery of the First Prose Masterpiece, by Richard Elliott Friedman.
Renowned biblical sleuth and scholar Richard Elliot Friedman reveals the first work of prose literature in the world - a 3000-year-old epic hidden within the books of the Hebrew Bible.
- How to Read the Bible, by James L. Kugel.
Harvard professor James Kugel leads the reader chapter by chapter through the "quiet revolution" of recent biblical scholarship, showing time and again how radically the interpretations of today's researchers differ from what people have always thought.
- Jacob's Family Dynamics, by Gad Dishi.
Why doesn't Jacob divorce Leah and demand justice upon discovering Leah in the morning? Why doesn't Esau chase Jacob to Haran? Why is Jacob silent during the Dinah crisis?Gad Dishi revives familiar terrain with a fresh perspective as Jacob's emotional odyssey...
- Joseph ibn Kaspi's Gevia Kesef: A Study in Medieval Jewish Philosophic Bible Commentary, by Basil Herring.
Herring makes a significant contribution to the rational understanding of the Bible by in his extensive introduction to the thoughts of Joseph ibn Kaspi and his English translation of one of his writings.
- Joyous Torah Treasures, by Sam Friedman, M.D..
This two volume set contains a 'Collection of Rabbinic Insights and Practical Advice for Daily Living'.
- Judges for Our Time: Contemporary Lessons from the Book of Shoftim, by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky.
This book examines the Book of Shoftim (Book of Judges), both as an historical record and as a guidebook providing guidance on how Jews should live today.
- The Kids' Cartoon Bible, by Chaya M. Burstein.
This is a very unique children's Bible - it is presented in comic strip format, complete with lively illustrations and thought bubbles that retells the main events in the Hebrew Bible. It is an ideal read-aloud book for pre-readers and a read-alone book for young readers.
- Kohelet: A Modern Commentary on Ecclesiastes, by Leonard S. Kravitz and Kerry M. Olitzky.
This book features a line-by-line translation of Ecclesiastes, coupled with the original text and commentary.
- Kol Dodi On Torah (Chapter 1), by Rabbi David Feinstein. (Book Excerpt)
Comments, insights and ideas on the weekly sidrah, adapted from the shiurim of Rabbi David Feinstein.
- The Koren Illustrated Five Megillot
Ruth, Naomi, Esther, Mordechai and the other figures of the five Megillot are brought to life in this special Illustrated Five Megillot with more than thirty vivid, watercolor illustrations. Texts in Koren Tanakh Font include Shir Hashirim, Ruth, Ekha, Kohelet and Esther.
- Koren Large Type Torah
The Koren Large Type Torah is a clear, large type edition of the Five Books of Moses. Featuring the famous Koren Tanakh Font, the text is particularly well suited for students in the early stages of learning Hebrew and studying the Torah, and for those needing large type.
- Learning to Read Midrash, by Simi Peters.
Presenting a systematic approach to the study of midrash. The goal of the book is to convey a sensitivity to the language and meanings of the Bible, and to develop an appreciation for the language and teachings of the Jewish sages.
- Let My Nation Live (Chapter 1), by Yosef Deutsch. (Book Excerpt)
The Story of the Jewish Deliverance in the Days of Mordechai and Esther - Based on Talmudic and Midrashic Sources
- The Lion Cub of Prague: Thought, Kabbala, Hashkafa from Gur Arye, The Maharal of Prague - Genesis, by Moshe David Kuhr.
The Gur Arye is full of surprises, brimming with unique thoughts and diversions into rarely discussed Torah ideas. Kabbala is seamlessly woven into his text, and his work delves into such issues as What was G-d Thinking at the Moment of Creation, The Genesis of Evil, The Secret of Burial, The Navel of the Earth, and Man at the Catalyst of Harmony in the Universe.
- A Literary Bible, by David Rosenberg.
Rosenberg presents a synthesis of the literary aspect of the Hebrew Bible — showing how, when, and by whom the various books of the Bible were written, and allowing the reader to experience each book in discrete and contemporary idiom.
- Living Each Week (Chapter 37), by Rabbi Abraham J. Twerski. (Book Excerpt)
- Mishneh Torah, by Moses Maimonides.
Featuring a modern English translation and a commentary that presents a digest of the centuries of Torah scholarship which have been devoted to the study of the Mishneh Torah by Maimonides.
- Mekhilta De-Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, translated by W. David Nelson.
The Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai is a collection of classical midrashic interpretation of the biblical Book of Exodus.
- Mitokh Ha-Ohel, edited by Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman & Stuart W. Halpern.
The rabbis and professors of Yeshiva University, the flagship institution of modern Orthodoxy, have come together in Mitokh Ha-Ohel (Within the Tent) to present scholarly and insightful essays on the weekly Torah portion.
- A New English Translation of the Septuagint, by Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright.
Translated from the Hebrew between the third and first centuries B.C., the Septuagint became the Bible for Greek-speaking Jews and was widely cited by early Christians. Now, at long last, it has been made available in an accurate modern translation for English readers.
- Onkelos on the Torah: Exodus, by Israel Drazin and Stanely M. Wagner.
Understanding the Bible Text: The text of Sefer Shemos in English and Hebrew, along with the text of Targum Onkelos and Rashi's commentaries, and extensive commentaries from a variety of ancient and modern sources.
- Onkelos on the Torah: Genesis, by Israel Drazin and Stanely M. Wagner.
Understanding the Bible Text: The text of Sefer Bereishis in English and Hebrew, along with the text of Targum Onkelos and Rashi's commentaries, and extensive commentaries from a variety of ancient and modern sources.
- Onkelos on the Torah: Leviticus, by Israel Drazin and Stanely M. Wagner.
Understanding the Bible Text: The text of Sefer Vayikra in English and Hebrew, along with the text of Targum Onkelos and Rashi's commentaries and extensive commentaries from a variety of ancient and modern sources.
- Onkelos on the Torah: Numbers, by Israel Drazin and Stanely M. Wagner.
Understanding the Bible Text: The text of Sefer Bemidbar in English and Hebrew, along with the text of Targum Onkelos and Rashi's commentaries, and extensive commentaries from a variety of ancient and modern sources.
- The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus, by Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg.
In this, the sequel to The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis, Zornberg provides unique insights into the Book of Exodus.
- The Path of Torah, by Harav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin.
This work, consisting of three sections, strives to demonstrate how the true path of Torah becomes realized through the proper application of analysis and the development of the proper character and attitude for discovering G-d's truth.
- Pathways of the Prophets, by Rabbi Yisroel Reisman.
A Treasury of Torah Thought and Law - Looking at Ourselves Through the Lens of the Prophets. This collection of Shiurim that will inspire you to greater heights, in all aspects of your life.
- Peninim of the Torah, by Rabbi A. L. Scheimbaum.
An Anthology of Thought Provoking Ideas and Practical Insights on the Weekly Parsha.
- Pirkei Torah (Chapter 1), by Rabbi Mordechai Gifter. (Book Excerpt)
Insights and discourses on the Chumash.
- The Poetry of Prayer: Tehillim in Tefillah, by Rabbi Avi Baumol.
Often we find it difficult to concentrate on the prayers we recite, due partly to a lack of understanding of the biblical poetry in the tefillot. This book aims to unlock the mystery of the various psalms which comprise the tefillah.
- A Prophet for Today: Contemporary Lessons from the Book of Yehoshua, by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky.
Rabbi Pruzansky's goal in this, and its companions volume, Judges for Our Time, is to demonstrate how the biblical books of Joshua and Judges, which he calls by their original Hebrew titles, have useful relevance for people today.
- Rabbi Frand On the Parashah, by Rabbi Yissocher Frand. (Book Excerpt)
Insights, stories and observations by Rabbi Yissocher Frand on the weekly Torah reading.
- Ramban: Commentary on the Torah - Bereishis / Genesis, Volume 1, by Rabbi Yaakov Blinder in collaboration with Rabbi Yoseph Kamenetsky.
Volume one in a seven-volume set that presents Ramban's commentaries in both Hebrew and English, and which makes his commentaries accessible to both laymen and scholars by providing copious notes and explanatory materials that helps to explain Ramban's words.
- The Rav Thinking Aloud, transcribed and supplemented by David Holzer.
This book showcases a collection of shiurim by Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik lectured on Chumash that span 30 years. This book features verbatim transcriptions of his shiurim, to provide the reader with a full appreciation of the Rav's style. Added to this are transcripts of personal discussions that provide insight into the way the Rav analyzed Chumash.
- Revealed Texts, Hidden Meanings: Finding the Religious Significance in Tanakh, by Hayyim J. Angel.
This is the second collection of essays on Tanakh, by Rabbi Hayyim Angel, and it contains four articles exploring the principles of learning methodology, followed by sixteen text studies that apply those principles.
- The Rubin Edition of The Prophets, by Rabbi Nosson Scherman.
A three-volume matched set of the Early Prophets, with Commentary Anthologized from the Rabbinic Writings.
- The Sages - Volume 1: The Second Temple Period, by Rabbi Binyamin Lau.
The Sages is the first book to appear in English by the charismatic Jerusalem rabbi, Binyamin Lau. It offers fresh perspectives on the individual characters of the Jewish sages (Chazal), the historical contexts in which they lived, and the creativity they brought to the pursuit of Jewish wisdom.
- Sapirstein Edition of Rashi, by Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg.
A full size, 5 volume, slipcased set of the Torah with Rashi's commentaries translated, annotated, and elucidated.
- Schottenstein Edition Interlinear Chumash: Shemos/Exodus, edited by Rabbi Menachem Davis.
This volume on Shemos/Exodus features the Hebrew text of the Chumash, Targum Onkelos, and Rashi's commentary, along with an interlinear English translation of the Chumash text. Commentaries, in English, are also included, as are interlinear versions of the corresponding Haftaros for Shemos, as well as the Megillas Esther.
- Sefer Shoftim, by Rabbi Ilan Ginian.
The words of Sefer Shoftim, the Book of Judges, come alive in this fascinating and astonishing work, combining midrashim and an array of other sources to explain the ideas expressed in the navi.
- Sforno: Commentary on Pirkei Avos, by Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz.
Although Sforno was one of the great halachic authorities of Italy, his fame rests primarily on his commentaries to many books of the Scripture. However, he wrote extensively on other areas of the Torah as well, and his commentary on Pirkei Avos/Ethics of the Fathers is one of his little known gems.
- Sforno: Commentary on the Torah, by Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz.
This is a classic Bible commentary by the fifteenth century Italian Jewish scholar, Sforno, who generally prefers to combine traditional, philosophical and scientific ideas. This volume includes the entire Chumash text and translation as well as the most accurate version of Sforno.
- Shabbos Delights (Chapter 1), by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Lopiansky. (Book Excerpt)
A collection of enlightening and stimulating comments on the parasha.
- The Song of Songs: A Woman in Love, by Benjamin J. Segal.
A new translation and commentary on The Song of Songs that reveals a picture of ideal love so appealing that it became the monotheistic model of human-divine attachment.
- The Stone Edition of the Chumash, edited by Rabbi Nosson Scherman.
The Torah, Haftaros and Five Megillos with a Commentary Anthologized From the Rabbinic Writings.
- The Stone Edition of the Tanach, edited By Rabbi Nosson Scherman.
This single volume edition of the Tanach contains all 24 books of the Bible (Chumash, Neviim, and Kesuvim) in Hebrew, with an English translation on the facing page.
- Studies in Rashi: Bereishit, by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
Studies in Rashi, contains 12 complete essays on Chumash Bereishit. The essays are presented, for the first time, in a bi-lingual Hebrew/English format.
- Subversive Sequels in the Bible, by Judy Klitsner.
With her fresh, original readings of familiar narratives, Klitsner illustrates the dynamic nature of bibical attitudes regarding issues of ongoing relevance, such as the self, gender relations, and relations between Jews and non-Jews.
- Table Talk (Chapter 1), by Rabbi Raphael Pelcovitz. (Book Excerpt)
Shabbos and Yom Tov Divrei Torah.
- Teachings, by Rabbi Asher Brander.
TEACHINGS offers in-depth reflections on the Parashah. It draws on a variety of sources, and it offers as fresh, fascinating, and relevant discourse on the Torah text.
- Through an Opaque Lens, by Rabbi Hayyim J. Angel.
This volume contains twenty well-written intelligent essays on the Bible. The first five discuss how the Bible should be read by offering many examples from many scholars, and in the remaining fifteen essays, Rabbi Angel demonstrates the broadness and depth of the biblical tales, by offering the views of some four dozen highly respected Bible commentators.
- Torah - Chumash Bereishis, with commentaries by Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.
A new English translation of Chumash Bereishis, according to Rashi, along with commentaries and insights based upon the works and teaching of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. It is ideal for use by adults new to the study of the Torah.
- Torah for Your Table, compiled by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis.
A collection of essays by Rabbi Yisroel and Rabbi Osher Anshel Jungreis that expand upon the weekly Torah readings, and which illustrate how you can use the wisdom of the sages to improve your own life.
- Torah Lights: Bereshit - Confronting Life, Love and Family, by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin.
Volume one - In this highly acclaimed, five-volume series of weekly biblical commentary, Rabbi Riskin helps each reader extract deeply personal, contemporary lessons from the traditional biblical accounts.
- Torah Lights: Shemot - Defining a Nation, by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin.
Volume two - In this highly acclaimed, five-volume series of weekly biblical commentary, Rabbi Riskin helps each reader extract deeply personal, contemporary lessons from the traditional biblical accounts.
- Torah Lights: Vayikra - Sacrifice, Sanctity, and Silence, by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin.
Volume 3 - In this highly acclaimed, five-volume series of weekly biblical commentary, Rabbi Riskin helps each reader extract deeply personal, contemporary lessons from the traditional biblical accounts.
- Torah MiEtzion: New Readings in Tanach - Bereishit, edited by Rabbis E. Bick and Y. Beasley.
This Har Etzion book contains four dozen essays by eighteen rabbis and one female scholar. The authors' approach is to avoid studying midrash and commentators, and to study the Bible through the Bible itself.
- Torah of the Mothers, edited by Ora Wiskind Elper and Susan Handelman.
Contemporary Jewish Women Read Classical Jewish Texts. The volume contains twenty-three essays, all written by women who also happen to be Torah scholars, which look at various Jewish texts and issues from a female, Orthodox perspective.
- The Torah Revolution, by Rabbi Reuven Hammer.
In this book, Hammer presents fourteen radical ideas found in Torah, explains their original intentions, and shows how understanding these "truths" can help you better understand the narrative and laws of Judaism.
- Torah Tapestries, by Shira Smiles.
Words of Wisdom Woven from the Weekly Parashah: Bereishis.
- Torah: Through a Zionist Vision, by Rabbi Avraham H. Feder.
This two-volume set provides insightful commentaries and analysis on the weekly Torah portion as seen through the prism of Zionism.
- Truths Desired by G-d, by Dr. Meir Tamari.
An excursion into the weekly Haftarah that offers original insights and brins together commentators from the span of Jewish history.
- Unlocking the Torah Text: Bereishit, by Shmuel Goldin.
Unlocking the Torah Text provides an in-depth journey into the Torah portion through a series of studies on each parsha.
- Unlocking the Torah Text: Shmot, by Rabbi Shmuel Goldin.
An In-depth Journey into the Weekly Parsha.
- Unlocking the Torah Text: Vayika, by Shmuel Goldin.
Unlocking the Torah Text provides an in-depth journey into the Torah portion through a series of studies on each parsha.
- Vision & Valor, by Rabbi Berel Wein.
An illustrated history of the Talmud and its creators, the Amoraim of the Land of Israel and Babylonia.
- Windows to the Soul - Bereishis and Shemos (Chapter 7), by Rabbi Michael Bernstein M.D.. (Book Excerpt)
A psychiatrist finds a wealth of ideas in the weekly parashah.
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