My Most Recent Post
Review: Torat Ahava - Loving Torah
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Torat Ahava - Loving Torah by Rabbi Avi Weiss
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a five (5) volume work covering the Jewish Torah (aka The Pentateuch or the first five(5) books of the Christian Old Testament). Right off the bat you recognize that this is an ambitious effort that eventually runs well over 658 pages. Each volume is dedicated to one of the five (5) books and within each volume, the chapters basically cover a specific story within that book, which is further divided into brief commentaries on specific elements within the story. As I come from a different tradition than what can be extracted from these commentaries, I can’t really evaluate how faithfully that represent concepts within the Jewish tradition; however, I can say that I found them to be very thought provoking and enjoyable. Most Christian analysis of these books tend to focus on extracting understanding and support for the message presented about Jesus in their New Testament and in many cases have ignored how our cousins in faith have interpreted their own scriptures … and I think we have lost something there. Mostly, however, what I gained from these book is the idea that there are many different ways to interpret, understand and apply the ideals and concepts presented in scripture and they can all be useful for the spiritual pilgrim.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#ToratAhava #LibraryThing
View all my reviews
This is a five (5) volume work covering the Jewish Torah (aka The Pentateuch or the first five(5) books of the Christian Old Testament). Right off the bat you recognize that this is an ambitious effort that eventually runs well over 658 pages. Each volume is dedicated to one of the five (5) books and within each volume, the chapters basically cover a specific story within that book, which is further divided into brief commentaries on specific elements within the story. As I come from a different tradition than what can be extracted from these commentaries, I can’t really evaluate how faithfully that represent concepts within the Jewish tradition; however, I can say that I found them to be very thought provoking and enjoyable. Most Christian analysis of these books tend to focus on extracting understanding and support for the message presented about Jesus in their New Testament and in many cases have ignored how our cousins in faith have interpreted their own scriptures … and I think we have lost something there. Mostly, however, what I gained from these book is the idea that there are many different ways to interpret, understand and apply the ideals and concepts presented in scripture and they can all be useful for the spiritual pilgrim.
The Book of Genesis
- Chapter 1: Bereishit
- Chapter 2: Noach
- Chapter 3: Lech Lecha
- Chapter 4: Vayera
- Chapter 5: Chayei Sarah
- Chapter 6: Toldot
- Chapter 7: Vayetzei
- Chapter 8: Vayishlach
- Chapter 9: Vayeshev
- Chapter 10: Miketz
- Chapter 11: Vayechi
The Book of Exodus
- Chapter 1: Shemot
- Chapter 2: Va’era
- Chapter 3: Bo
- Chapter 4: Bechalach
- Chapter 5: Yitro
- Chapter 6: Mishpatim
- Chapter 7: Terumah
- Chapter 8: Tetzaveh
- Chapter 9: Ki Tisa
- Chapter 10: Vayakhel
- Chapter 11: Pekudei
The Book of Leviticus
- Chapter 1: Vayikra
- Chapter 2: Tzav
- Chapter 3: Shemini
- Chapter 4: Tazria
- Chapter 5: Metzora
- Chapter 6: Acharei Mot
- Chapter 7: Kedoshim
- Chapter 8: Emor
- Chapter 9: Behar
- Chapter 10: Bechukotai
The Book of Numbers
- Chapter 1: Banidbar
- Chapter 2: Naso
- Chapter 3: Beha’alotcha
- Chapter 4: Shelach
- Chapter 5: Korach
- Chapter 6: Chukat
- Chapter 7: Balak
- Chapter 8: Pinchas
- Chapter 9: Mattot
- Chapter 10: Masei
The Book of Deuteronomy
- Chapter 1: Devarim
- Chapter 2: Va’etchanan
- Chapter 3: Ekev
- Chapter 4: Re’eh
- Chapter 5: Shoftim
- Chapter 6: Ki Tetzei
- Chapter 7: Ki Tavo
- Chapter 8: Nitzavim
- Chapter 9: Vayelech
- Chapter 10: Ha’azinu
- Chapter 11: V’zot Haberachah
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#ToratAhava #LibraryThing
View all my reviews
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Popular posts from this blog
Dominican Inquirer
Technically speaking, this is really more of an independent, unstructured, investigation of a particular Lay Dominican Fraternity, where you can attend meetings as a guest with no particular commitment ... sort of a "try it before you buy it" approach to see if you and the fraternity members are even remotely compatible. Given some of the conflict within the American Church today ... this might not be a given. As might be expected, there can be strong personalities and intense beliefs about how to approach the faith within the fraternities that can reflect the same divisions that are seen in the Church at large. However, there are also some additional questions to contemplate to see if you might be a fit for the Dominican Family in general. Each of the Major Orders that have tertiaries (third orders) share their specific charisms (gifts) with their lay members, so in addition to a general desire for a deeper spiritual devotion to the faith, there are elem...
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector Lectionary: 150 Reading 1 - Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18 [sic] Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23 Reading 2 - 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 Alleluia - 2 Corinthians 5:19 Gospel - Luke 18:9-14 '... for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.' In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents us with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. This story is closely connected to the one which comes just before it about the persistent widow who secures a just decision from a dishonest judge. While the first encourages us to pray and never give up. The second reminds us how, and in what manner, we ought to pray. However, to fully understand the example Jesus gives us, we should look more closely at first the century audience that He initially spoke to. A faithful Jew at that time would have assumed two things: That the Pharisee was a very holy and devout man. And that...
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)
Word of God Sunday Lectionary: 67 Reading 1 - Isaiah 8:23—9:3 Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14 Reading 2 - 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17 Alleluia - Matthew 4:23 Gospel - Matthew 4:12-23 The Promise of Salvation Under a New Davidic King. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light … In the first act of creation, God created light and “saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:4) … However, light and darkness are more than just opposites; they are symbols, metaphors, and emotional currents that have shaped our understanding of the world around us for centuries. Within the stories we tell each other, we find a natural contrast between what is seen and what is hidden, between safety and the unknown, between clarity and mystery. This duality of light and dark exists because of one’s relationship to the other … and our experiences of the two. For those of us who have spent any time on the w...
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)
Lazarus and the Rich Man (Dives) Lectionary: 138 Reading 1 - Amos 6:1a, 4-7 Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10 Reading 2 - 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Alleluia - Cf. 2 Corinthians 8:9 Gospel - Luke 16:19-31 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.' Justice, both socially and spiritually, is at the heart of today’s readings. Social Justice is about seeing the “unseen”… remembering the “forgotten” in our society. It’s about the men, women and children who only want a better life in a world that God has given to all of us, just not a select few. In our first reading from the Hebrew Scriptures, we hear from Amos, the prophet of social justice. God called him to speak to the rich of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. The country was about to be destroyed by the Assyrians while the wealthy “lie on beds of ivory” and “drink wine from bowls,” confident that “the ruin of Joseph” ...
Comments
Post a Comment