Why Are Laws for Priests Included in the Torah?
The Torah’s program to democratize knowledge and create an educated laity.
Prof. Rabbi Jeffrey Tigay
University of Pennsylvania
Prof. Rabbi Jeffrey Tigay is Emeritus Ellis Professor of Hebrew and Semitic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pennsylvania. He has his Ph.D. from Yale, and his M.H.L and ordination from JTS. He is the author of the Jewish Study Bible commentary on Exodus and the JPS commentary on Deuteronomy, a revised Hebrew edition of which will be published in the Mikra LeYisrael series. He is currently writing a commentary on Exodus for the same series.
Last Updated: November 10, 2026
Books by the Author
The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy
Empirical Models for Biblical Criticism
The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic
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Articles by Author
Preserving Multiple Opinions
From Judges to Tefillin, the Hagaddah to Kol Nidrei – Jewish Tradition has preserved or harmonized different opinions: An idea reflected in Torah as understood by the Documentary Hypothesis
