Special features make Etz Hayim meaningful for lay and clergy alike: - Essays on key themes by prominent Conservative movement rabbis and scholars - Separate p'shat and d'rash commentary themes, showing two approaches to interpreting the Torah: The p'shat commentary, adapted from the JPS Torah Commentary and edited by Chaim Potok, seeks to explain the basic meaning of the text. The d'rash commentary, edited by Harold Kushner, selects insights from over 2,000 years of Torah study, including passages from the Talmud and Midrash, the teachings of the Sages, comments by Rashi, homiletic and psychological insights by Hasidic teachers, and readings by contemporary rabbis and scholars, including women's voices. - The haftarot commentary, edited by Michael Fishbane and drawn from his JPS Bible Commentary: Haftarot, explains the supplemental readings from the Prophets (Nevi'im), which accompany each weekly Sabbath reading. - Highlights of traditional readings for Sephardic and Ashkenazic communities including the special section halakhah l'ma-aseh, which indicates where Jewish laws are based on biblical passages. Also, blessings for the Torah and haftarot, full-color maps, glossary, timeline of biblical events, and indexes.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Excellent New Edition Of The Torah:
This is literally an ESSENTIAL reference for anyone seriously interested in Biblical studies. (I am speaking as a non-Jew who has worked as a professional musician for a number of Reform and Conservative congregations.) It is a side-by-side bilingual (Hebrew and English) edition with running commentary as footnotes on each page. It also includes a number of stand-alone feature articles on various topics. The traditional Haftorah selections are interspersed within the Torah, so the entire volume comprises... more info
excellent commentary and easy to use:
Etz Hayim is my preferred chumash among those using the "new" JPS English translation. The layout is well-planned so that a lengthy gloss doesn't run past the page that contains the verse(s) being explained. The essays by respected biblical scholars are useful for my own education as well as for teaching b'nai mitzvot students. i also use the maps, glossary and index to teach my students how to navigate the chumash and their own Jewish history. As a Conservative Jew, i find the links to halachah... more info
Etz Hayim is Excellent!!!:
Etz Hayim is an excellent Torah resource. There are several reasons for this. A) English/Hebrew: The English and Hebrew transaltions are side by side and line by line. This makes it easier to do your own translating of the Hebrew text and compare it with the English translation provided. B) Two types of commentaries: Each page has two different types of commentaries underneath the Torah text. One commentary takes the text verse by verse. The other commentary gives a lot of background information and good... more info
Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary:
I am just getting into this book and find it interesting and thought provoking. To read a direct translation from Hebrew with the added commentaries has made for an enlightening journey. It takes a little time to get used to reading the book from back to front, however this adds to the quest.
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Etz Hayim: Study Companion from Jewish Publication Society of America (Paperback) - Usually ships in 24 hours
