Order Our Hebrew Chumash Bereshit

It’s easy to forget that Rashi, Rashbam, Ibn Ezra and others drew on what was then the new science of Hebrew grammar and lexicography created by pioneers such as Hasdai ibn Shaprut and Dunash ben Labrat, to generate readings of scripture often at variance with those of the traditional talmudists. Since their time, our knowledge of the past has increased exponentially. Dr. Avi Dentelski’s work is to be welcomed as a challenge to contemporary Jewry to absorb, rather than resolutely ignore, the findings of modern scholarship; traditional Jews should not be afraid to take up the challenge.

This chumash importantly illuminates the meaning of the Torah by showing how it was composed: offering in a clear format textual variants and corrections to the standard text and highlighting in useful graphic form the different sources that are intertwined in it. The combination of these two features—higher and lower criticism—in one place, with the addition of useful short exegetical observations, and helpful appendices, will make this volume a valuable addition for anyone who wants to study the Torah in a serious fashion.

One of the most heartening developments in recent Jewish scholarship is the emergence of works that bring academic insight into conversation with the traditional study of Torah. A noteworthy example is Dr. Avi Dentelski’s chumash, התורה ומקורותיה The Torah and Its Sources, a commentary on Bereishit with a second volume on Shemot forthcoming. This edition presents the Torah text in a colorful format, highlighting the various sources, and includes a wide array of textual variants, interpretations, and critical insights—drawing from both traditional sources and contemporary scholarship—in a format that is both intellectually engaging and accessible. It is a valuable contribution to the ongoing engagement with Torah, one that deepens our appreciation for its richness and complexity.

Reading the Torah meticulously and conscientiously leads unprejudiced seekers to the discovery that the Torah embodies components that were originally discrete, each component possessing its own distinctive vision. This realization obviates the need for many a forced harmonization. It also tends to dissipate cognitive dissonance. Furthermore, the recognition of discrete units facilitates an honest appreciation of the amalgam that forms our single, integrated Torah. However, for some the discovery can be shocking unless they can find expert guidance. Now such guidance is about to be made available with Dr. Avi Dentelski’s new chumash, התורה ומקורותיה, a masterpiece as reverential as it is scholarly.