The question I am most frequently asked is, "Where can I find a book on..."
Below is information about some of the resources I have used in compiling the
information on this site.
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There can be no resource more important than a text of the Bible itself.
Although it is best to read it in the original Hebrew, or at least refer to the
original Hebrew to appreciate its nuances, all of the texts below contain
English translations. These English translations, unlike most of the
translations you will find, are prepared by Jews using the Jewish understanding
of the meaning of the scriptures, without the Christian slant you will find in
many non-Jewish translations. Note: "Tanakh" (also spelled "Tanach") is a
Hebrew acronym that refers to the complete Jewish Bible, what non-Jews call the
"Old Testament." "Chumash," on the other hand, includes only the parts of the
Bible that are included in formal Torah readings during services: the Torah
(Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) along with selected
corresponding readings from the prophets.
- Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication
Society
(Hardcover)
(Paperback)
(Kindle)
- Often referred to as the JPS translation, this is an updated version of the
first and most commonly used Jewish translation into English. Unlike the
original JPS translation, this one is written in easy-to-read modern English.
This book contains only English, no Hebrew text.
- The Stone Tanach, Mesorah Publications
(Hardcover)
- First published in 1996, the Stone Tanach quickly became a standard
reference in the Orthodox Jewish community. The
pointed Hebrew text, along with complete
cantillation (musical notation) for the
Torah and Haftarah
readings, is displayed alongside a very readable modern English translation
that effectively conveys the traditional Jewish understanding of the text. The
Stone Tanach also contains a number of useful charts and illustrations, and is
very well indexed. The one down side: the commentary is less extensive than I
would like. Also, be aware that the English is not a strictly literal,
word-for-word translation; the primary goal was to provide a readable English
translation that conveyed the nuances of the Hebrew idiom. Most notably, the
Song of Songs is translated allegorically, removing any trace of eroticism.
- The Pentateuch and Haftorahs, edited by Dr. J.H. Hertz, Soncino
Press
(Hardcover)
- Sometimes referred to as the Soncino Chumash or the Hertz, this book
contains the complete text of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy, along with the haftarot
(corresponding readings from the prophets) that go with each
parshah (weekly Torah reading). Like the Stone
Tanach, the Soncino has pointed,
cantillated Hebrew text along side a Jewish
translation of the text, but unlike the Stone, this book does not contain the
complete Jewish Bible; it is just a chumash. The
primary advantage of this text is its extensive commentary: footnotes routinely
occupy one-third of each page, compiling information from a wide variety of
traditional Jewish commentaries on the Bible, as well as relevant
archaeological findings, and there are lengthy discussions of major topics at
the end of each book. Of course, the book is very old, so many of the "recent"
archaeological and scientific discoveries discussed in the footnotes were from
the 1920s. Nevertheless, until 10 or 20 years ago, this was the book used by
most Orthodox
synagogues, and by many non-Orthodox
synagogues. It has largely been replaced by the Stone Tanakh (above) in
Orthodox synagogues and the Etz Hayim (below) in Conservative synagogues. The
main down side of this publication: the English translation is the original
1917 JPS translation, which appears to be based on the Christian KJV
translation. It is somewhat archaic and occasionally includes some of the
Christian bias that is found in the KJV. Editor Hertz responds to the Christian
bias in his annotations, but why not just fix the translation?
- Etz Hayim, Jewish Publication Society
(Hardcover)
- This book, first published in 2003, has rapidly overtaken the Hertz as the
chumash of choice for
Conservative
synagogues. Like the Hertz, it is only a
chumash, containing only the Torah (Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) along with the
Haftarot (corresponding readings from the
prophets), with both Hebrew and English, and extensive commentaries. The
commentaries in this chumash often lean toward the fashionable
skeptical/critical approach, highlighting supposed contradictions and errors in
the Torah without giving much consideration to well-established traditional
responses to these apparent problems. However, the commentaries also include a
wealth of information about recent archaeological findings ("recent" in this
case being 1990s, rather than the "recent" 1920s of the Hertz) that shed light
on what we see in the Torah, making this chumash a worthwhile read even if you
prefer a more traditional interpretation of the material.
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Note: The links below will take you to several Jewish publishers and
booksellers with sites on the Web. Many of these sources sell materials that
are not Orthodox. Sites are listed in alphabetical order.
- Judaism.com
- An mail order service offering a wide variety of Judaic materials.
- Artscroll/Mesorah
Publications
- Without a doubt the finest publisher of Orthodox Jewish materials. Their
materials are suitable for readers at all levels, because they are designed for
"baalei t'shuvot," Jews who were not raised observant but became observant
later in life.
- Feldheim Publishers
- One of the oldest publishers of Jewish books in the U.S. There is a lot of
good material here, covering all movements of Judaism.
- KTAV Publishing House
- This is another of the oldest Jewish book publishers in the US. Your
grandfather probably learned Hebrew from one of their books. KTAV specializes
in Jewish religious objects, scholarly books and textbooks for Hebrew schools.
- Jewish
Publishers on Yahoo!
- This is a list of sites that Yahoo! has classified as Jewish publishers.
The list looks fine to me today, but be aware that Yahoo! has a history of
failing to distinguish between real Judaism and Evangelical Christian activity
targeted at Jews.
- Amazon.com
- Of course, Amazon.com is not specifically a Jewish bookseller, but they
have an excellent selection of Jewish books. Unfortunately, I have found that
the top titles in their
Jewish
Religion and Spirituality section are often not very Jewish.