Fantastic asset for understanding and appreciating the Bible

books:


	• The Jewish Study Bible: featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation Oxford University Press, USA, 2004 - 2208 pages average customer review:based on 50 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Fantastic asset for understanding and appreciating the Bible

I've been finding this volume a real joy to read. In the past, I've always found the Bible to be maddeningly dull and primitive (and yes, I am an Orthodox Jew). Partly, this is becuase of the endless repetition and repeated contradictions in the text. Partly, it's becuase of the obsessive attention the Bible gives to agricultural and tribal concerns that are far removed from those of the modern world, and from our much more pluralistic worldview. And partly it's becuase there are passages in the Bible that just don't seem to make any sense, any way you cut them.

But the commentary in the JPS Study Bible really adds new dimensions to bring the text alive. Yes, it appeals to critical theories to explain redundancies and contradictions. Does that bother you? Just suck it up already. Like Ralbag says, our religion doesn't require us to believe things that violate common sense. So compare the critical explanations to the hermeneutic explanations, and then use your common sense.

But the really nice thing is that the Study Bible is not obsessively critical. It offers the critical analyses in cases where they seem to provide the greatest insight into textual problems. In many other cases, it offers the classical rabbinical opinions, and gives them equal weight. For myself, I don't know why Rashi should be considered an authority on ancient Near Eastern social mores, but the Study Bible will cite his opinions and those of the other major commentators in order to illuminate the text. There are really wonderful comparisons to other Near Eastern literary productions, and many fascinating inter-biblical cross references.

You also get a nice set of ancient maps (or rather, maps of the ancient world), and a set of very interesting essays at the end. It's a lot of bang for the buck, great Shabbos reading for the whole year, and a source for endless further exploration. I recommend it highly.

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Illuminating

I have been studying the Word of God for 6 years and I felt a hunger for more. I purchased this Tanakh (Jewish Study Bible) and found it difficult to put down! It is so clear and understandable to a layman in the Torah ,Prophets and Writings. This book draws me closer to God! ; and I am so ever thankful.

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Studying the Five Books

Berlin, Adele, Bettler, Marc Zvi and Michael Fishbane, editors. "The Jewish Study Bible", Oxford, 2004.

Studying the Five Books

Amos Lassen

Looking at the Bible section at any bookstore is an overwhelming experience. There are Bibles for every taste, religion and personality. "The Jewish Study Bible" is wonderful for the serious study of the Old Testament, the Five Books of Moses. This edition uses the translation of the Jewish Publication Society (and it is important to note that every translation is a commentary in its own right). In addition to the Five Books, also included are the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the other writings (Ketuvim) and each book is introduced by a Biblical scholar and contains a sidebar commentary. There are also twenty-four essays on various aspects of Biblical interpretation. Here is a very serious and affordable way to study the holy books.
Of the essays included there are those on the Jewish interpretation of the Bible, the place of the Bible in Jewish life and thought and on backgrounds for reading the Bible. The book is loaded with modern scholarship and stays within the traditional Masoretic text. There are also suggestions for further and alternative readings.
This is a Bible for study and not for liturgical use and is intended for both the scholar and the lay reader. It is a great way to look at the historical perspective as well as an overview of how the Jews read the Bible. Of course there are flaws here but, by and large, this is a wonderful way to study the Scriptures.

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The Word of God

The Jewish Study Bible: featuring The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation is a superb edition of the Holy Bible. As a dedicated Christian, I have a desire to learn more and more about the Word of God. God used the Jewish people to provide humanity with His Word and His Son; therefore, their point of view is valuable to me in my quest for a deeper walk with Him. Although the vast majority of Jews do not yet accept Jesus as their Messiah, The Jewish Study Bible, an easily read English translation written by Jewish scholars, is full of prophetic scriptures pointing to Him (obvious to the Christian) and confirming His exalted position in God the Father's kingdom. Historical explanations of "Old Testament" Tanakh time periods are fascinatingly inserted throughout this Bible as side notes and essays. Linguistic helps also appear to provide greater understanding of individual words and phrases commonly used in the Near Eastern languages of that day. Cultural insights abound. From time to time, this wonderful translation also provides side notes and commentaries that are purposefully inserted explaining Christian principles, beliefs, and teachings from the Jewish point of view. I highly recommend this translation of the Word of God to all who are willing to learn, grow, and be surprised by our Heavenly Father's wisdom, knowledge, and will for our lives. If you do not yet own a copy of this translation, you have no idea how much revelation you are missing!

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

The Jewish Study Bible presents the center of gravity of the Scriptures where Jews experience it--in Torah. It offers readers the fruits of various schools of Jewish traditions of biblical exegesis (rabbinic, medieval, mystical, etc.) and provides them with a wealth of ancillary materials that aid in bringing the ancient text to life. The nearly forty contributors to the work represent the cream of Jewish biblical scholarship from the world over. No knowledge of Hebrew is required for one to make use of this unique volume.
The JSB uses The Jewish Publication Society TANAKH Translation, whose name is an acronym formed from the Hebrew initials of the three sections into which the Hebrew Bible is traditionally divided (Torah, Instruction; Nevi'im, Prophets; and Kethubim, Writings). A committee of esteemed biblical scholars and rabbis from the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism movements produced this modern translation, which dates from 1985.
Anyone interested in acquiring a fuller understanding of the riches of the Bible will profit from reading The Jewish Study Bible.

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