The Modern Mens Torah Commentary

Reconnect with the power and promise of engagement with Torah—from a modern men's perspective. This major contribution to modern biblical commentary addresses the most important concerns of modern men—issues like relationships, sexuality, ambition, work and career, body image, aging, and life passages—by opening them up to the messages of the Torah. It includes commentaries by some of the most creative and influential rabbis, cantors, journalists, media figures, educators, professors, authors, communal leaders, and musicians in contemporary Jewish life, and represents all denominations in Judaism. Featuring poignant and probing reflections on the weekly Torah portions, this collection shows men how the messages of the Torah intersect with their own lives by focusing on modern men’s issues. Ideal for anyone wanting a new, exciting view of Torah, this rich resource offers perspectives to inspire all of us to gain deeper meaning from the Torah as well as a heightened appreciation of Judaism and its relevance to our lives. Contributors: Rabbi Howard A. Addison • Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson • Doug Barden • Rabbi Tony Bayfield, DD • Ariel Beery • Rabbi Joseph Black • Rabbi Mitchell Chefitz • Dr. Norman J. Cohen • Rabbi Mike Comins • Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, PhD • Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz • Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins • Rabbi Edward Feinstein • Rabbi Mordecai Finley, PhD • Wayne L. Firestone • Rabbi David J. Gelfand • Dr. Sander L. Gilman • Ari L. Goldman • Rabbi Daniel Gordis, PhD • Rabbi Arthur Green • Rabbi Steven Greenberg • Joel Lurie Grishaver • Rabbi Donniel Hartman, PhD • Rabbi Hayim Herring, PhD • Peter Himmelman • Rabbi Walter Homolka, PhD • Rabbi Reuven Kimelman • Rabbi Elliott Kleinman • Cantor Jeff Klepper • Rabbi Peter S. Knobel • Rabbi Harold S. Kushner • Rabbi Daniel Landes • Rabbi Steven Z. Leder • Prof. Julius Lester • Rabbi Robert N. Levine, DD • Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler • Rabbi John Moscowitz • Rabbi Perry Netter • Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky • Rabbi Stephen S. Pearce, PhD • Rabbi Daniel F. Polish • Dennis Prager • Rabbi Jack Riemer • Rabbi Stephen B. Roberts • Rabbi David B. Rosen • Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin • Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, PhD • Rabbi Rami Shapiro • Rabbi Charles Simon • Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz • Craig Taubman • Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman • Rabbi Simkha Y. Weintraub • Rabbi Avraham (Avi) Weiss • Dr. Ron Wolfson • Rabbi David J. Wolpe • Rabbi David Woznica • Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman • Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel

Young people need to be included in the struggle for meaning, for the right questions to ask and the search for useful and relevant answers. This book presents a collection of messages on each Torah portion, specifically for today's teens. It shows them how each Torah portion contains worlds of meaning for them, for what they are going through in their lives and how they can shape their Jewish identity as they enter adulthood.

The groundbreaking volume The Torah: A Women's Commentary, originally published by URJ Press and Women of Reform Judaism, has been awarded the top prize in the oldest Jewish literary award program, the 2008 National Jewish Book Awards. A work of great import, the volume is the result of 14 years of planning, research, and fundraising. THE HISTORY: At the 39th Women of Reform Judaism Assembly in San Francisco, Cantor Sarah Sager challenged Women of Reform Judaism delegates to "imagine women feeling permitted, for the first time, feeling able, feeling legitimate in their study of Torah." WRJ accepted that challenge. The Torah: A Women's Commentary was introduced at the Union for Reform Judaism 69th Biennial Convention in San Diego in December 2007. WRJ has commissioned the work of the world's leading Jewish female Bible scholars, rabbis, historians, philosophers and archaeologists. Their collective efforts resulted in the first comprehensive commentary, authored only by women, on the Five Books of Moses, including individual Torah portions as well as the Hebrew and English translation. The Torah: A Women's Commentary gives dimension to the women's voices in our tradition. Under the skillful leadership of editors Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Rabbi Andrea Weiss, PhD, this commentary provides insight and inspiration for all who study Torah: men and women, Jew and non-Jew. As Dr. Eskenazi has eloquently stated, "we want to bring the women of the Torah from the shadow into the limelight, from their silences into speech, from the margins to which they have often been relegated to the center of the page - for their sake, for our sake and for our children's sake." Published by CCAR Press, a division of the Central Conference of American Rabbis

"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.

For too many Jewish young people, bar/bat mitzvah has been the beginning of the end of their Jewish journeys. When students perceive the Torah as incomprehensible or irrelevant, many form the false impression that Judaism has nothing to say to them. Enter the game-changer: The JPS B nai Mitzvah Torah Commentary shows teens in their own language how Torah addresses the issues in their world. The conversational tone is inviting and dignified, concise and substantial, direct and informative. The narrative summaries, big ideas, model divrei Torah, haftarot commentaries, and discussion questions will engage teens in studying the Torah and haftarot, writing divrei Torah, and continuing to learn Torah throughout their lives making it the book every rabbi, cantor, parent, and tutor will also want to have. Jewish learning for young people and adults will never be the same. "

In the Jewish tradition, reading of the Torah follows a calendar cycle, with a specific portion assigned each week. Following on this ancient tradition, Torah Queeries brings together some of the world's leading rabbis, scholars, and writers to interpret the Torah through a "bent lens." This incredibly rich collection unites the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight-allied writers, including some of the most central figures in contemporary American Judaism. All bring to the table unique methods of reading and interpreting that allow the Torah to speak to modern concerns of sexuality, identity, gender, and LGBT life. Torah Queeries offers cultural critique, social commentary, and a vision of community transformation, all done through biblical interpretation. Written to engage readers, draw them in, and at times provoke them, Torah Queeries charts a future of inclusion and social justice deeply rooted in the Jewish textual tradition. A labor of intellectual rigor, social justice, and personal passions, Torah Queeries is an exciting and important contribution to the project of democratizing Jewish communities, and an essential guide to understanding the intersection of queerness and Jewishness.

JPS is pleased to make available a new, more compact edition of the landmark publication, Etz Hayim: A Torah Commentary. This book, a publication of the Conservative movement, was produced through a joint venture of the Rabbinical Assembly, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and The Jewish Publication Society. This new, smaller edition is a convenient alternative to the standard hardcover edition and is ideal for personal study and travel. It contains all the material in the original, excerpt for the essays. The Bible text, translations, and commentaries as well as the blessings, artwork, maps, glossary and other reference tools for the worshiper and student of Torah reader are included. The sturdy, coated paper cover is designed to stand up well, even with heavy use.