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Torah Wrestling: Embracing the Marginalized in Jewish Sacred Scripture and Discovering Moral Wisdom for Today
In Torah Wrestling, Rabbi Roy Furman invites readers into an engaging and transformative exploration of the most challenging and inspiring stories in the Bible’s first five books. With intellectual rigor, deep ethical sensitivity, and a storyteller’s grace, Rabbi Furman breathes new life into stories both familiar and unfamiliar. This book is an ideal book for Jews, Christians and Muslims who wrestle with the moral dilemmas of our time while drawing wisdom from the Torah’s timeless teachings.
In a “Foreword from a Christian Perspective,” Reformed Journal Editor Jeffrey Munroe “I wished I had been a member of one of Rabbi Furman’s congregations. He explores the Bible, in particular difficult passages of the Bible, with life-giving, refreshing freedom.” Then, in an Afterword from a Muslim Perspective, Wayne State University scholar Saeed Khan reminds readers that these timeless texts are “some of the greatest stories in the human experience.”
Rabbi Furman’s interpretations often challenge traditional understandings while remaining deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and a profound love for Torah, and his Jewish colleagues agree. Torah Wrestling can bring people together across religious and cultural lines to talk about how these Bible stories can be “a mirror for our world today,” writes Rabbi Allan Kensky in his Preface to the book.
Even if you “are coming to Torah for the first time, Rabbi Furman’s innovative insights will intrigue and empower you,” writes Rabbi Laura Geller.
That’s because Rabbi Furman confronts the complexities of sacred scripture with honesty and courage, grappling with issues of patriarchy, intolerance, divine justice, and human suffering. He encourages readers to embrace the struggle, offering fresh insights that empower readers to find relevance and inspiration in ancient texts.
Perfect for individual reflection or group study. Rabbi Furman offers readers a free, downloadable discussion guide to help spark spirited conversations.
Torah Wrestling bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary challenges, inviting all readers to discover the vibrant, transformative power of Torah.
In a “Foreword from a Christian Perspective,” Reformed Journal Editor Jeffrey Munroe “I wished I had been a member of one of Rabbi Furman’s congregations. He explores the Bible, in particular difficult passages of the Bible, with life-giving, refreshing freedom.” Then, in an Afterword from a Muslim Perspective, Wayne State University scholar Saeed Khan reminds readers that these timeless texts are “some of the greatest stories in the human experience.”
Rabbi Furman’s interpretations often challenge traditional understandings while remaining deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and a profound love for Torah, and his Jewish colleagues agree. Torah Wrestling can bring people together across religious and cultural lines to talk about how these Bible stories can be “a mirror for our world today,” writes Rabbi Allan Kensky in his Preface to the book.
Even if you “are coming to Torah for the first time, Rabbi Furman’s innovative insights will intrigue and empower you,” writes Rabbi Laura Geller.
That’s because Rabbi Furman confronts the complexities of sacred scripture with honesty and courage, grappling with issues of patriarchy, intolerance, divine justice, and human suffering. He encourages readers to embrace the struggle, offering fresh insights that empower readers to find relevance and inspiration in ancient texts.
Perfect for individual reflection or group study. Rabbi Furman offers readers a free, downloadable discussion guide to help spark spirited conversations.
Torah Wrestling bridges ancient wisdom and contemporary challenges, inviting all readers to discover the vibrant, transformative power of Torah.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2025
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July 23, 2025
As a Christian, I understand Torah and the other books that make up the Bible of Judaism (Tanakh), to be part of Christian scripture. It provides a foundation for the Christian faith as taught and embodied by Jesus, Paul, and the other early Christian writers. As a Christian I view these texts Christians understand to be the Old Testament through a lens that features Jesus. That being said, Jews view these same texts, which they consider sacred scripture, through a very different lens or set of lenses. It is not inappropriate to read these Jewish scriptures through the lens Jesus provides, but Christians would be wise to listen to what Jewish interpreters have to say about their own scriptures, texts that we have appropriated without their permission.
With that preface, I offer up this review of Rabbi Roy Furman's "Torah Wrestling: Embracing the Marginalized in Jewish Sacred Scripture and Discovering Moral Wisdom for Today." Furman addresses the Jewish community as he unpacks Torah portions that he engages with as a rabbi. As he does so, he keeps in mind his Christian and Muslim readers. The publisher invited Jeffrey Munroe, the editor in chief of ReformedJournal.com, a Christian, and Saeed Kahn, a professor at Wayne State University and a Muslim, to provide a foreword (Munroe) and an Afterword (Kahn). Thus, Christians and Muslims are invited to listen in as a rabbi unpacks stories that we all hold in common, even if we might interpret them or use them differently.
As Furman engages with these stories that begin with "Eve's Courageous Bite" and end with a chapter titled "Will You Forgive Me?," which provides us with a sermon preached on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). What Furman does in these twenty chapters is engage with these stories critically, but what I mean he is willing to argue with them when he disagrees with traditional interpretation or usage. He lifts up figures that often get set aside, such as Hagar and Dinah (Jacob's only daughter). He has a chapter that asks, "Was That Golden Calf So Bad?" In asking that question, he notes that the texts that describe this event can contradict each other, or at least provide the possibility of an alternative interpretation.
In his introduction, Furman provides a clue as to the way he offers these reflections on the Torah portions. He writes that "As a rabbi, a Jew, and a student of Torah, I find myself drawn to those biblical men, women, and even children who we tend to marginalize as we reflect on Torah portions throughout the year." (p. xxiv). Thus, for example, he offers a reflection that focuses on Hagar rather than Sarah. I especially appreciated the commentary regarding the role the Amalekites played in the scriptural accounts, such that they were to be wiped out, but kept on appearing, only to be wiped out again. While Furman doesn't mention this, it is appropriate to note that Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the Gazans as Amalekites, ones whom Jews are to wipe out. Furman is uncomfortable with the violent portions, especially those in which God is supposed to authorize genocide. These stories are not, in his view, authoritative. With this, I would agree.
This is the kind of book that preachers will want to consult as they engage with texts Christians share with Jews. He invites us to walk along with him, as he engages with these texts in conversation with the rabbis who went before him. Except for the final chapter, these are not sermons. He doesn't directly apply these stories, leaving that up to the reader. So, with that in mind, he takes a rather difficult path in that he takes up some of the more difficult stories in scripture. He writes of this that he "will be drawing our attention toward texts that many people find troubling and those that might provide a moral counterbalance." (p. xxvi). If only the Revised Common Lectionary took us to more such passages.
As I ponder the messages that Rabbi Furman offers us, as he explores difficult texts, I appreciate this word from Saeed Kahn, writing from a Muslim perspective. "Religion was never intended to be an abastract concept, and scripture was never meant to be a collection of esoteric principles, out of reach or applicability tby its intended audience. Rabbi Furman shows us that both religion and scripture are addressing those who may be striving for perfection, knowing full well that such a pursuit is presumed unattainable" (p. 126).
With that preface, I offer up this review of Rabbi Roy Furman's "Torah Wrestling: Embracing the Marginalized in Jewish Sacred Scripture and Discovering Moral Wisdom for Today." Furman addresses the Jewish community as he unpacks Torah portions that he engages with as a rabbi. As he does so, he keeps in mind his Christian and Muslim readers. The publisher invited Jeffrey Munroe, the editor in chief of ReformedJournal.com, a Christian, and Saeed Kahn, a professor at Wayne State University and a Muslim, to provide a foreword (Munroe) and an Afterword (Kahn). Thus, Christians and Muslims are invited to listen in as a rabbi unpacks stories that we all hold in common, even if we might interpret them or use them differently.
As Furman engages with these stories that begin with "Eve's Courageous Bite" and end with a chapter titled "Will You Forgive Me?," which provides us with a sermon preached on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). What Furman does in these twenty chapters is engage with these stories critically, but what I mean he is willing to argue with them when he disagrees with traditional interpretation or usage. He lifts up figures that often get set aside, such as Hagar and Dinah (Jacob's only daughter). He has a chapter that asks, "Was That Golden Calf So Bad?" In asking that question, he notes that the texts that describe this event can contradict each other, or at least provide the possibility of an alternative interpretation.
In his introduction, Furman provides a clue as to the way he offers these reflections on the Torah portions. He writes that "As a rabbi, a Jew, and a student of Torah, I find myself drawn to those biblical men, women, and even children who we tend to marginalize as we reflect on Torah portions throughout the year." (p. xxiv). Thus, for example, he offers a reflection that focuses on Hagar rather than Sarah. I especially appreciated the commentary regarding the role the Amalekites played in the scriptural accounts, such that they were to be wiped out, but kept on appearing, only to be wiped out again. While Furman doesn't mention this, it is appropriate to note that Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of the Gazans as Amalekites, ones whom Jews are to wipe out. Furman is uncomfortable with the violent portions, especially those in which God is supposed to authorize genocide. These stories are not, in his view, authoritative. With this, I would agree.
This is the kind of book that preachers will want to consult as they engage with texts Christians share with Jews. He invites us to walk along with him, as he engages with these texts in conversation with the rabbis who went before him. Except for the final chapter, these are not sermons. He doesn't directly apply these stories, leaving that up to the reader. So, with that in mind, he takes a rather difficult path in that he takes up some of the more difficult stories in scripture. He writes of this that he "will be drawing our attention toward texts that many people find troubling and those that might provide a moral counterbalance." (p. xxvi). If only the Revised Common Lectionary took us to more such passages.
As I ponder the messages that Rabbi Furman offers us, as he explores difficult texts, I appreciate this word from Saeed Kahn, writing from a Muslim perspective. "Religion was never intended to be an abastract concept, and scripture was never meant to be a collection of esoteric principles, out of reach or applicability tby its intended audience. Rabbi Furman shows us that both religion and scripture are addressing those who may be striving for perfection, knowing full well that such a pursuit is presumed unattainable" (p. 126).
Displaying 1 of 1 review