Author: Louis Ginzberg
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description

Author: Hayyim Nahman Bialik
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0805241132
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The first complete English translation of the Hebrew classic Sefer Ha-Aggadah brings to the English-speaking world the greatest and best-loved anthology of classical Rabbinic literature ever compiled. First published in Odessa in 1908-11, it was recognized immediately as a masterwork in its own right, and reprinted numerous times in Israel. The Hebrew poet Hayim Nahman Bialik and the renowned editor Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky, the architects of this masterful compendium, selected hundreds of texts from the Talmud and midrashic literature and arranged them thematically, in order to provide their contemporaries with easy access to the national literary heritage of the Jewish people -- the texts of Rabbinic Judaism that remain at the heart of Jewish literacy today. Bialik and Ravnitzky chose Aggadah -- the non-legal portions of the Talmud and Midrash -- for their anthology. Loosely translated as "legends", Aggadah includes the genres of biblical exegesis, stories about biblical characters, the lives of the Talmudic era sages and their contemporary history, parables, proverbs, and folklore. A captivating melange of wisdom and piety, fantasy and satire, Aggadah is the expressive medium of the Jewish creative genius. The arrangement of this compendium reflects the theological concerns of the Rabbinic sages: the role of Israel and the nations; God, good and evil; human relations; the world of nature; and the art of healing. Here, the reader who wants to explore traditional Jewish views on a particular subject is treated to a selection of relevant texts at his fingertips but will soon become immersed in a way of thinking, exploring, and questioning that is the hallmark of Jewish inquiry. "Whatever the imagination can invent is found in the Aggadah," wrote the historian Leopold Zunz, "its purpose always being to teach man the ways of God." The Book of Legends/Sefer Ha-Aggadah, now available in william Braude's superbly annotated translation, enables modern Jews to experience firsthand the richness and excitement of their cultural inheritance.

Author: Yong Zhao
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1491703563
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
Hidden meanings abound in every letter and every word of the Torah. In Midrash Sinim: Hasidic Legend and Commentary on the Torah, author Yong Zhao offers thoughtful commentaries on Jewish beliefs and traditions, including the Torah and the Kabbalah. He answers the following questions in his commentaries as well: - God had respect for Abel and his offering, but not Cain and his offering. Why?- Ham saw the nakedness of his father, Noah, but why did Noah curse Ham's son Canaan and his offspring rather than Ham himself?- How can we understand that the Tree of Life was actually an atonement tree?- How can we deduce from ancient Chinese characters that Adam's fi rst prayer was for Eve and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was actually an apricot tree?- How can we understand that Exodus was an epoch-making event for not only the Jews but also other nations?While many other works on the Scriptures exist solely to relay content to readers, Midrash Sinim: Hasidic Legend and Commentary on the Torah unveils complexities of numerical mysteries, unfolds controversial questions, provides creative legends, and deciphers eternal puzzles. Zhao explores mysterious components of the Torah using a straightforward approach that can inspire you to grasp Torah symbols with a critical eye.Midrash Sinim provides gripping historical, sociological, archeological, and theoretical components of the Torah, through which the profundity of Torah and Jewish traditions shines with even greater brilliance.

Author: Louis Ginzberg
Publisher: Robson Books Limited
ISBN: 9781861054739
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 645

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Book Description
Bible Legends explores the rich crop of legends that occur in the Old Testament, many of which are the key to the richest literary and artistic traditions of the western world. Real people emerge from these familiar (and not so familiar) stories: Adam's ascent into Heaven in a chariot; Abraham's trial by fire; Jonah's adventure in the whale; Solomon as a beggar; the wooing of Rebekah; the life of Moses; David and Goliath; Cain and Abel. In this fascinating book, Louis Ginzberg presents the Bible's spiritual values in new colours and dimensions. This is storytelling with a grain of salt and a lot of wit. These tales sprang from the ancient oral tradition and changed the daily thoughts and deeds of a hundred generations; here, their power and truth is examined

Author: David C. Jacobson
Publisher: State University of New York Press
ISBN: 1438407726
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 235

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Book Description
This book explores a central phenomenon in the development of modern Jewish literature: the retelling of tradtional Jewish narratives by twentieth-century writers. It shows how and toward what ends Biblical stories, legends, and Hasidic tales have been used in shaping modern Hebrew literature. The author's impressive knowledge and careful analysis of both early and modern Hebrew texts reveal the main literary features of the genre, while making an important contribution to current discussions of the relationship between midrash and literature, the relationship between myth (and other traditional narratives) and modern literature, and the concept of intertextuality. The book also provides many fresh insights on the various issues of modern Jewish existence addressed in these works. Among these are: the revival of the Jewish tradition by reinterpreting it in light of new values, the preservation of Jewish identity entering into Western culture, the changing roles of men and women in Jewish culture, challenges to traditional Jewish views of sexuality, attempts to physically destroy the Jewish people, moral and political issues raised by the establishment of the State of Israel, and the conflict between Jews and Arabs.

Author: Judith Plaskow
Publisher: Beacon Press
ISBN: 9780807036235
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 258

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Book Description
This first collection of Judith Plaskow's essays and short writings traces her scholarly and personal journey from her early days as a graduate student through her pioneering contributions to both feminist theology and Jewish feminism to her recent work in sexual ethics. Accessibly organized into four sections, the collection begins with several of Plaskow's foundational essays on feminist theology, including one previously unavailable in English. Section II addresses her nuanced understanding of oppression and includes her important work on anti-Judaism in Christian feminism. Section III contains a variety of short and highly readable pieces that make clear Plaskow's central role in the creation of Jewish feminism, including the essential "Beyond Egalitarianism." Finally, section IV presents her writings on the significance of sexual ethics to the larger project of transforming Judaism. Intelligently edited with the help of Rabbi Donna Berman, and including pieces never before published, The Coming of Lilith is indispensable for religious studies students, fans of Plaskow's work, and those pursuing a Jewish education.

Author: Michael Katz (Rabbi)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780827607309
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
Searching for Meaning in Midrash explores the fascinating body of Jewish literature called Midrash—creative interpretations of the Bible that are designed to reveal hidden or deeper meaning in Scripture. Each of the over 50 midrashim sit next to its corresponding biblical text so that readers can compare them, along with commentary on the times and insights of the Rabbis who wrote each midrash. Readers are given guidance for answering “What does this text mean to me?”

Author: Paul Radin
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781015634206
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Author: Geoffrey H. Hartman
Publisher: New Haven, Conn. : Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300034530
Category : Midrash
Languages : en
Pages : 412

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Book Description
Essays discuss Jewish critical interpretations of the Bible and the influence of these writings on modern literature

Author: Jerry Rabow
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
ISBN: 082761179X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 265

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Book Description
The Lost Matriarch offers a unique response to the sparse and puzzling biblical treatment of the matriarch Leah. Although Leah is a major figure in the book of Genesis, the biblical text allows her only a single word of physical description and two lines of direct dialogue. The Bible tells us little about the effects of her lifelong struggles in an apparently loveless marriage to Jacob, the husband she shares with three other wives, including her beautiful younger sister, Rachel. Fortunately, two thousand years of traditional and modern commentators have produced many fascinating interpretations (midrash) that reveal the far richer story of Leah hidden within the text. Through Jerry Rabow’s weaving of biblical text and midrash, readers learn the lessons of the remarkable Leah, who triumphed over adversity and hardship by living a life of moral heroism. The Lost Matriarch reveals Leah’s full story and invites readers into the delightful, provocative world of creative rabbinic and literary commentary. By experiencing these midrashic insights and techniques for reading “between the lines,” readers are introduced to what for many will be an exciting new method of personal Bible interpretation.