Moses: A Human Life

by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg

From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an unprecedented portrait of Moses's inner world and perplexing character, by a distinguished biblical scholar

"Bringing together copious, diverse and sometimes dissonant references (spanning Hasidic masters, George Eliot, Zizek and Beckett, among others), Zornberg gives a new tour of the life of Moses."—Clemence Boulouque, New York Times Book Review

“For those wishing to engage the legacy of Moses more deeply, this is a must-read.”— Publishers Weekly, S tarred Review

No figure looms larger in Jewish culture than Moses, and few have stories more enigmatic. Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, acclaimed for her many books on Jewish thought, turns her attention to Moses in this remarkably rich, evocative book.
 
Drawing on a broad range of sources—literary as well as psychoanalytic, a wealth of classical Jewish texts alongside George Eliot, W. G. Sebald, and Werner Herzog—Zornberg offers a vivid and original portrait of the biblical Moses. Moses's vexing personality, his uncertain origins, and his turbulent relations with his own people are acutely explored by Zornberg, who sees this story, told and retold, as crucial not only to the biblical past but also to the future of Jewish history.

About Jewish  

Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.

In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.

More praise for Jewish

"Excellent." –New York Times

"Exemplary." –Wall Street Journal

"Distinguished." –New Yorker

"Superb." –The Guardian

Genres: Judaism, Biography, Jewish, Religion, History, Judaica, Biblical Studies

240 pages, Hardcover

Published November 22, 2016

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways, one could look at the Torah as an intellectual biography of Moses. In Genesis, we have the introduction, the background of his story, leading up to the settlement of the Jewish people in Egypt.

And then in Exodus, we learn of their bondage and his birth. That book devotes just ten verses (of the second chapter) to that birth and his childhood, an additional five to what he witnesses as a young adult, the balance about his flight into Midian, marriage to Zipporah and the birth of his first son.

In the next chapter, God speaks to him through the Burning Bush.

In this biography, Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg cites not only the Torah, Talmud and other rabbinic works, but also modern literature and psychoanalytic essays. She tries to get at the inner Moses.

Zornberg is at her best when working directly with the text itself and more traditional interpretations, but not as strong with the more contemporary material.

Strikingly, she barely mentions Moses' marriage to and his relationship with Zipporah. That great woman merits only four references in the index, one to a footnote. And yet God did not speak to him until he married her.

Surely, a biography of Moses should consider that relationship.

All that said, there are passages in this book that do help us understand the great man and his message. Zornberg's discussion of the three woman in Moses's infancy (his birth mother, his adoptive mother and Miriam) offers insight into the role women play in a boy's life. And she does a great job of exploring how Moses embodies feminine as well as masculine qualities.

I also enjoyed her reflection on Korach's uprising and the rock of Meriva.

I just wish she had spent a little more time trying to understand Moses's marriage....

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another deep and thoughtful book from Dr Gottlieb Zornberg that will have you dwelling on the subject long after you close the cover. I read the book over the course of months, because there was so much to absorb and think about that I couldn't do it in one or two sittings. I was especially impressed by the author's writing on the role of women in Moses' life, from before he's born until late into the wanderings in the wilderness. It's said in Judaism that the Exodus from Egypt came about because of the women who took action, and Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg brings that to life in her book.

Highly recommended for a serious reading of the life of the man most revered in Judaism.

[Joe Boenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I heard about the series "Jewish Lives", I really looked forward to reading this book. I was not disappointed. Author Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg works methodically through the life of Moses using biblical and extra-biblical texts to delve into the human story of the one who spoke "face-to-face" with the Almighty. The telling of Moses' life here is nuanced, sympathetic and shocking to a certain point. She points out that Moses is born into a violent world, "a world of genocide" where children "grow up in fear". This applies to Moses as well as his contemporaries. She dwells on Moses' difficulties in speaking -- something I tended to forget as I considered his mystical conversations with the G_d who speaks in the burning bush and on the mountain top. The phrase is "heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue." He makes the claim when he begins his mission, but it is his reality from childhood to old age. And what does that imply?

The author is an expert in Torah studies and adult education. She is able to allow us to see a living Moses who is beset by fear, difficulties, personality blocks - and yet carries out what is asked of him for the rescue of slave and the salvation of his people and their descendants for generations.

[Ted Morgan]

Remarkable modern midrash on a primary character of the Bible.

[A James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not feel that it was appropriate for Dr Zornberg to undertake an exegesis of the Torah, to liberally interpret passages of the text, and manufacture a meaning. I don't know why she chose to structure her book in this way. Assembled is a series of fragments from the Torah, coupled with a few arbitrarily chosen midrashim, and linked to a handful of literary icons and their quotes. What comes across is a nebulous interpretation of key passages, a series of flowery phrases, and an even more fragmented depiction of Israel's greatest prophet. I think she is an extremely talented writer and Jewish thinker, but in this case, completely misses the mark.

[Kevin Haar · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intense and close reading of the historical and biblical Moses through the Midrash tradition. Lots of very interesting and valuable insights, but this book is also full of such heady and obscure references, that I had to skip whole sections. Not being someone of the Jewish faith or tradition, some of the philosophical ideas and accepted stories went over my head. Still, it is clear how tremendous of a scholarly work this is. There is so much depth and analysis in this work; it is truly remarkable. I wish I was equipped with the background and capacity to enjoy it more and understand it better.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very challenging extended midrash on Moses. This isn’t my typical reading genre, and I was thrown back into graduate school literary criticism for the duration of the 200 pages. Still, I found the text and subject thought provoking and relevant to leadership and the challenge of going the higher, more difficult route. I’m glad I’m not out in the wilderness for forty years. But talking with God? That would be helpful!

[Mich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A close reading of Moses as a "human". It emphasizes Moses' examining own his identity- is he an Egyptian (brought up by Pharaoh"s daughter) or an Israelite, given to his real mother to wean. He does identify with the Israelite being beaten by one of Pharaoh's men and separates two of his "brothers" who are fighting. He is unsure of himself- questioning his ability to speak ("uncircumscribed lips") and for others to listen- both Pharaoh as well as the Israelite nation. Aaron takes over in addressing Pharaoh. He is part of a family consisting of a brother, Aaron who becomes the high priest, a role that Moses might have assumed, and his sister who looked after him when he was a child. He is always unsure of himself ("they will not believe me"). He is hidden from his people when he goes to Mt. Sinai for the tablet and unveils himself when he returns. His sin of hitting the rock to bring out water is a reflection of his inability to speak to it and as a result he was not to actually enter the land of Israel but was able to view it from on high. He was entrusted to deliver the Torah to his people and was its author.
Aviva Zornberg brings in every relevant and some somewhat less references to attempt to describe what Moses was all about- especially when it comes to the issue of identity. Some of the references are superfluous and would have been better left out.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extensive, though short, study of the life of Moses. For me-- extraordinary in its discussion of Moses as poet, in its thinking about the poet's utterances and silences: the poet’s complex voice. I had to flat out stop reading and retrace my steps a number of times to reread, a little stunned, frankly rapt, by Zornberg’s mind which is so inside the text, one feels her thoughts. Zornberg’s mind/heart is a thing of beauty.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

A struggle to get through. Hard to follow. If you’re looking for a translation and discussion of Hebrew words then this is the book for you. But if you’re looking for the story of Moses and an interpretation on the meaning of his life and his relationship with God, avoid this book at all costs. Hugely disappointing.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful analysis of the story of Moses that leans heavily on a combination of psychoanalytic interpretation and Talmudic commentary. Zornberg's complex and exhilarating analysis allowed me to see Moses in a new light.

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars... I think. My experience of this book was all over the map.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this book. Hard to get through. Did not want to finish it. As you can see it took 2 1/2 months because I rarely picked it up.

[Yente Austerlitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avivah gets how words ought to be used, and Moses is no exception :)

[Barbara Seward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Dara]

She's an excellent scholar, but I had trouble with her style. Might be a book I come back to when I'm in a different frame of mind.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry Nilson's 'Me and My Shadow'
Sing along with: 'I am who I am'
Moses, his theme song;
with 600,001 fandom' s
Joshua on security detail,
Older brother Aaron PR & spokesperson
& Older sister Miriam gossip columnist & fashion coordinator for Moses...
Maybe in Mel Brooks treatment of the Moses Story--

Avivah has written a wonderful eye opening story,
from a cast of scribes & prophets~~