The Torah is an Open Book: Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic

by Caryn Broitman

Rediscover the radical vision of an ancient text.

For too long, conservative or literalist voices have used the Bible to exclude, shame, and silence, leading many of us to disregard the text altogether. But the Bible is still speaking to us, if we know where to look. In The Torah Is an Open Book, Rabbi Caryn Broitman offers a powerful a return to the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash--a creative, questioning, and often radical form of interpretation--to show that Scripture isn't meant to be read literally or rigidly. It's meant to be wrestled with.

This book invites readers of all backgrounds--religious, secular, spiritual but not religious--to engage with the Bible as a living conversation. Drawing on centuries of Jewish commentary and her own experience as a congregational rabbi, Broitman shows how even the most difficult or obscure passages can become sources of insight, justice, and connection when read through the lens of midrash.

You don't need to believe every verse or accept a rigid theology to find meaning in Scripture. You just need to bring your full self to the text--your doubts, your values, your lived experience. Because in Judaism, the Torah isn't a closed book handed down from on high. It's an open scroll, still unfolding, and you're invited to be part of the story.

With warmth, clarity, and a fresh look at Jewish tradition, The Torah Is an Open Book reclaims sacred text as a space for dialogue, transformation, and moral courage, where questioning, wrestling, and interpreting are not only allowed--they're sacred.

160 pages, Hardcover

Published August 4, 2026

Reviews

[Richard Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple but heartfelt book that advocates for a creative reading of the bible. Reading the bible as literal truth leads to contradictions and approval of values and behaviors that even most of today's fundamentalists would not fully embrace. Likewise, rejecting the bible as a whole because a literal reading inevitably includes those contradictions, values and behaviors that feel wrong to most of us is a mistake, because there is still much goodness in the rest of it and because it is still possible to accept the bible as a holy book, once you get past the literal words. Rabbi Broitman seeks a middle path to be found in a living, creative interpretation. I'm with her. There is a long tradition in Judaism of creative interpretation of the Torah. We can certainly see it in the Talmud, and it no doubt predated the Talmud, though before the Talmud, much of the "oral" law really was only oral so we no longer have it. The revelation at Sinai was only the beginning of a living, ongoing process. And the bible tells us that the experience of revelation at Sinai was different for each of the people who were there. Stories that are hard to accept as being literally true can be read as parables. Verses that seem inconsistent with our core values can be reinterpreted. The boring parts and the difficult parts have meanings that can speak to us if we look for them. This is all pretty much as I have seen it for a while and has generally been the approach to biblical interpretation that has been followed in the religious groups with which I have been associated, so it's not anything that is really new, but it is nice to read a book that puts it forward in a way that is so sane, reasonable and readable and that is also deeply spiritual and speaks directly from the heart of Rabbi Broitman to the hearts of her readers.

[Miriam Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A deeply moving book-- I appreciate how Rabbi Broitman uses the rich tradition of ancient rabbinic commentary to bridge explicitly modern interpretations with this text that has so often been frozen in superficial, constricted readings. I value the reminder that ethics we sometimes see as uniquely modern are in fact rooted long ago in the tradition we have inherited-- it's an inspiring way to recommit to those values and to the community that we can build around using this complicated, frustrating, and beautiful tradition to fight for a better world.

[Richard Propes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit, first of all, that Rabbi Caryn Broitman's "The Torah Is an Open Book: Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic" wasn't quite what I expected it to be, though I'll also be honest and say I'm not quite sure what I expected.

On a certain level, "The Torah Is an Open Book" is a taking back of the Bible from those who've weaponized it to exclude, shame, and silence so many. For Broitman, and I'm in agreement, the Bible is a living document that can and should be experienced over and over and over again. Rabbi Broitman offers up an alternative - a return to the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash.

Now then, if you're unfamiliar with Judaism, midrash, or even the Bible, then "The Torah Is an Open Book" is likely a book that will require a certain basic fact-finding in order to really appreciate it. At only 160 pages including resources, "The Torah Is an Open Book" doesn't so much set the stage as it dives right in.

If you're a newbie, it may take you a bit to catch up.

Midrash - and this is really a simplification - is a more radical form of reading and experiencing the Bible. It's grounded upon the idea that the Bible isn't meant to be read literally or rigidly - it's meant to be experienced and wrestled with.

This is a book that's accessible to readers from all backgrounds who are willing to engage with the Bible differently. Broitman is a congregational rabbi, and "The Torah Is an Open Book" feels like it's born out of ancient wisdom and congregational discussions and questions.

This is about leaning into those doubts, our own values, our life experiences - in essence, who we are and how that impacts how we engage with the Bible. We don't have to accept rigid theology to find meaning in Scripture - we can bring our full selves to the text.

While Rabbi Broitman does tackle some of the Bible's hotspots as an example, "The Torah Is an Open Book" is more relational than confrontational. Rabbi Broitman holds space for exploring the sacred and engaging in meaningful and courageous dialogue that is so often discouraged these days.

For those wishing to experience the Bible differently, "The Torah Is an Open Book" is a wonderful place to start.

[Jacob Cantor · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her book, Rabbi Caryn Broitman tackles a subject where I have often witnessed intellectual rigor or shallow engagement with the subject matter: how to more “liberally” interpret the Hebrew bible and it’s immense commentary. But in her hands, this topic (reframed as how to return multiplicity to the divine texts) feels whole and grounded. The Torah is an Open Book returns authenticity to the idea that our holy works must be interpreted through a variety of voices and creative methods, rejecting the idea that only a rigid literalism is a legitimate way to interpret these texts. Consequently, this book recenters the generative spiritual and religious work that fundamentalism paves over and diminishes when it enshrines its’ more literal, and indeed morally regressive, reading as the one true way. Her contribution can be summarized in the quote that hit me the hardest:

“Remember, we are the people whose leader took the “original” Torah, tablets written by the finger of God, and smashed them to pieces. When we read the Torah literally, thinking we will find historical or ultimate truth just by reading it on its surface, Torah becomes and idol, and idols need to be smashed.”

We are living in an age of idolatry: bigotry that washes away humanity from migrants and strangers, nationalism that creates a holy cow of militaristic might, and yields unceasing human sacrifices, and technologically fueled greed that recklessly barrels ahead with “new products” that may spell the end of humanity as we know it. These idols are cruel, but fragile, and are maintained merely by the flimsy walls and cages shielding them from brighter truths. For our idols to be smashed, our Torah must create worlds, not merely fortresses. Broitman’s book invites us into this holy work. Now it is up to us.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabbi Caryn Broitman's "The Torah Is an Open Book: Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic" was a profound read. Drawing from the Jewish tradition of "Midrash," Rabbi Broitman addresses the Bible with immense compassion: allowing for complexity and promoting a holistic, non-literal reading of the Bible. I would recommend this book to anyone who has wrestled with complexities in scripture and who is curious about different interpretative frameworks.

[Mara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very accessible, beautifully written book that was meaningful to me even as someone without a Jewish background. A generous musing on the importance of exploring spirituality with an open mind and re examining our traditions in our changing, challenging world. Also— a quick read! I finished it over a weekend.