In a 1927 speech at the inauguration of the Hebrew University’s Institute for Jewish Studies, Dr. Rabbi Felix Perles called on Jewish scholars to be on the forefront of critical Bible study. He compares this effort to how Maimonides, even though he was accused of abrogating the Torah, incorporated philosophical study into Judaism.
Prof.
Marc Zvi Brettler
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Israelite religion developed from a revolutionary idea: monotheism. And religion alone, not external factors, accounted for the remarkable preservation of Jewish national identity and consciousness in exile.
Dr.
Aly Elrefaei
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TheTorah.com engages the Documentary and Supplementary Hypotheses, source, redaction, and textual criticism, and even offers moral critiques of Torah laws and narratives, but what is Steinberg really trying to accomplish?
Dr. Rabbi
Zev Farber
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In the second century C.E., 4 Ezra and Irenaeus tell a story of how the Torah was burned by Nebuchadnezzar and reconstructed by Ezra through divine inspiration. Rabbinic texts know of this tradition, but in their version, Ezra’s contribution is changing the Torah into Aramaic writing, or even Aramaic language.
Prof.
Rebecca Scharbach Wollenberg
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Dismayed by claims of modern scholars that the Book of Daniel’s historical survey of the Seleucid era was written post-facto by a Hellenistic author, Chaim Shvilly (1907–1974) composed a ritual confession that Bible critics would be required to say at Daniel’s grave.
Staff Editors
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At the heart of the life and career of Moshe Greenberg, z”l, was a search for spiritual meaning through the scholarly study of the Bible.
Dr.
Alex Sinclair
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The Hebrew book of Esther was translated into Greek and expanded in the 1st century B.C.E. It was then revised and contracted in two further textual forms. A fourth version preserved only in a late first-millennium Old Georgian translation combines all three Greek texts, using a conservative redaction approach, similar to what scholars posit happened with the Pentateuch.
Dr.
Natia Mirotadze
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The generative relationship between ancient texts and later interpretation can illuminate and revitalize the study of these texts, including the Bible.
Prof.
Hindy Najman
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Reflections on teaching biblical criticism in the classroom; a talk given at the Edah conference (2005).
Rabbi
Eric Grossman
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Decades before Facebook, blogs, and the Internet, at a time Orthodoxy was trying to distinguish itself from the Conservative movement, ten Orthodox thinkers responded to the question of what the divine revelation of the Torah meant in Orthodox Judaism. Did they meet the challenge of Biblical Criticism?
Dr. Rabbi
Lawrence Grossman
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A classic example of source criticism applied to Torah legislation.
Dr. Rabbi
Zev Farber
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An analysis of why the approach taken by TheTorah.com has found such a large audience among the Orthodox at this time.
Prof.
Chaim I. Waxman
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Dr. Hacham
Isaac S. D. Sassoon
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How do they differ? What are their respective goals? And why the two should not be confused.
Dr. Rabbi
Zev Farber
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An introduction to the Diatessaron, and its significance to biblical studies, particularly the Documentary Hypothesis.
Dr.
Naomi Koltun-Fromm
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The works of medieval exegetes such as Maimonides, Rashbam and Ibn Ezra demonstrate that Judaism has a long-standing tradition of studying the Torah critically.
Prof. Rabbi
Marty Lockshin
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Illustrating four aspects of Shavuot from critical and traditional perspectives.
Dr. Rabbi
Jeremy Rosen
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A single semester in college led to a crisis of faith and identity.
Lisa Jacobs
Wishing David a happy birthday. We first connected in February 2010 when he was working as a kiruv (outreach) rabbi with Aish HaTorah.
Kevin Wolf
Walking in the footsteps of Philo, the first biblical commentator, taking Ibn Ezra’s critiques to heart, and paying it forward to the next generation.
Prof.
Ronald Hendel
“The heavens are the heavens for YHWH, and the earth was given to humankind.” — Psalm 115:16. Reflections on the 10-year anniversary of TheTorah.com.
Rabbi
David D. Steinberg
Exposing readers to modern critical scholarship and traditional Jewish commentary, not treating them as mutually exclusive, is one of TheTorah.com’s most significant contributions.
Prof. Rabbi
Marty Lockshin
One of modern Judaism’s primary challenges is the lack of educated Jews. TheTorah.com plays a vital role in addressing this issue and making substantial strides toward a solution.
Prof. Rabbi
Tamara Cohn Eskenazi
Many hundreds of rabbis and clergy use TheTorah.com as a resource. I am committed to help support it. Will you join me?
Rabbi
Ron Stern
On seven years of TheTorah.com
Dr. Rabbi
Norman Solomon
A reflection on the yahrzeit of Samuel Rolles Driver
Prof.
Marc Zvi Brettler
After years of yeshiva education and even Orthodox semicha, encountering biblical criticism was a shock to my system. However, my initial fear and disorientation gave way to a new bottom-line understanding of Torah, and it has become part of the message that I use to inspire my students on campus.
Rabbi
Daniel Levine
A Dati Israeli Blogger’s Perspective
Dr.
Avi Dentelski