Torah Through Time: Understanding Bible Commentary from the Rabbinic Period to Modern Times"This book provides a highly readable, engaging introduction to Jewish biblical interpretation." - Jewish Book World "Cherry has analyzed the biblical commentary of some of the renowned Jewish scholars of the last 2,000 years. The result is a work of excellent scholarship and imagination." - Booklist ?Cherry shows how the Torah functions as literature that is fluid, compelling, and persistently generative of new meanings.? ? Christian Century Every commentator, from the classical rabbi to the modern-day scholar, has brought his or her own worldview, with all of its assumptions, to bear on the reading of holy text. This relationship between the text itself and the reader's interpretation is the subject of Torah Through Time. Shai Cherry traces the development of Jewish Bible commentary through three pivotal periods in Jewish history: the rabbinic, medieval, and modern periods. The result is a fascinating and accessible guide to how some of the world's leading Jewish commentators read the Bible. Torah Through Time focuses on specific narrative sections of the Torah: the creation of humanity, the rivalry between Cain and Abel, Korah's rebellion, the claim of the daughters of Zelophechad, and legal matters concerning Hebrew slavery. Cherry closely examines several different commentaries for each of these source texts, and in so doing he analyzes how each commentator resolves questions raised by the texts and asks if and how the commentator's own historical frame of reference -- his own time and place -- contributes to the resolution. A chart at the end of each chapter provides a visual summary that helps the reader understand the many different elements at play. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 7 | |
2 The Creation of Humanity | 40 |
3 The Sons of Adam and Eve | 72 |
4 The Hebrew Slave | 101 |
5 Korah and His Gang | 132 |
6 The Daughters of Zelophehad | 161 |
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Torah Through Time: Understanding Bible Commentary from the Rabbinic Period ... Shai Cherry No preview available - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
Abel according Adam ancient animals assumption become beginning biblical blessing brother Cain called century chapter Christian claim commandments commentary commentators concern connection contemporary context continued created creation daughters Decalogue Divine early earth entire example Exod Exodus explains face first Genesis give given God’s halakhah Hasidic Hebrew Bible historical holy human idea inheritance interpretation Israelites issues Jewish Jews Judaism Korah Land of Israel language later literary literature living LORD male master meaning medieval midrash Moses mystical nature Numbers offers period person peshat philosophers Press provides Rabbah Rabbis Rambam Rashi reading reason refer religious response revelation rule says scholars sense serve Sinai single slave slavery speaking story Studies suggests Talmud Tanhuma Temple term thought tion Torah tradition translation understand understood University verse women written York Zelophehad