Onkelos on the Torah
By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin and Rabbi Dr. Stanley M. Wagner

Gefen Publishing House has produced a remarkable series on Targum Onkelos by two outstanding biblical scholars. The five volumes set has been completed after ten years of work. The fifth volume will be released this summer. The Orthodox Union (OU) places selections from these five volumes in its discussions on the weekly Torah portion and Targum Onkelos on www.ouradio.org.

Targum Onkelos is the most popular translation of the Pentateuch in Jewish history. All Bible commentators refer to this ancient translation. It is the only book that the talmudic sages and all of the codes of Jewish law tell Jews they are obligated to read. There is no obligation to read the Talmuds and Midrashim. The rabbis require Jews to read it together with the Torah portion every week.

The Drazin-Wagner series has received praise from many sources as being very interesting and accessible to scholars and non-scholars. The Jewish Star extolled it as "the finest in Torah scholarship in the English language." The Church and Synagogue Library Review recommended that it be used in all synagogues and churches.

The Drazin-Wagner Targum Onkelos series is unique in that it contains:

• The Hebrew Torah
• A vocalized Aramaic Targum Onkelos text
• A vocalized Rashi text
• An English translation of Onkelos with the differences between Onkelos and the Hebrew words highlighted
• An introduction in each volume containing an explanation of the Targum to the particular book of the Torah
• Explanations of the thousands of differences between the Aramaic translation of Onkelos and the original biblical Hebrew
• Views of the primary traditional Jewish Bible commentators on the Torah passages
• Onkelos highlights at the conclusion of every chapter
• The weekly Haphtarot (readings from the Prophets) with a translation in English of the targumic (not original Hebrew) version of the Haphtarot
• A introduction to each Haphtarah explaining both the Haphtarah itself and the way the targumist interpreted it
• Beyond the Text, a series of questions that prompt the reader to ponder further on the Torah

Each of the five volumes contains appendices that provide additional explanations of the Torah and of Onkelos. For example, in the Deuteronomy volume there are dozens of brief discussions on subject raised by Deuteronomy that will interest readers. Some of these discussions are:

* What is sin?

* What differences did the rabbis see between the Hebrew Deuteronomy and the Greek Septuagint translation of this biblical book?

* What is the origin of the practice of saying barukh sheim khevod malkhuto l'olom va'ed immediately after the first sentence of the shema?

* Did the medieval Bible commentator Abraham ibn Ezra consider the Israelites' forty-year desert travel a time filled with miracles?

* Does God test people?

* What is the Jewish view about reward and punishment?

* How does Maimonides interpret "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk?

* What is Maimonides' view of an "eye for an eye"?

* Why does the Torah require Jews to spill out animal blood?

* Does Deuteronomy 18:15 speak about the messiah?

* What are some examples of clever but mistaken misreading of Onkelos?

Now for the first time, Jews will be able to fulfill the rabbinical mandate to read Targum Onkelos weekly with ease and interest and non-Jews will be introduced to the rabbinically authorized translation of the Torah.

• Targum Onkelos, by Israel Drazin.
  This article presents an overview and history of the Targum Onkelos.
  
  
• 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.