What do you think?
Rate this book
Essential Torah: A Complete Guide to the Five Books of Moses
Whether you are studying the Bible for the first time or you're simply curious about its history and contents, you will find everything you need in this "accessible, well-written handbook to Jewish belief as set forth in the Torah" ( The Jerusalem Post).
George Robinson, author of the acclaimed Essential Judaism , begins by recounting the various theories of the origins of the Torah and goes on to explain its importance as the core element in Jewish belief and practice. He discusses the basics of Jewish theology and Jewish history as they are derived from the Torah, and he outlines how the Dead Sea Scrolls and other archaeological discoveries have enhanced our understanding of the Bible. He introduces us to the vast literature of biblical commentary, chronicles the evolution of the Torah’s place in the synagogue service, offers an illuminating discussion of women and the Bible, and provides a study guide as a companion for individual or group Bible study. In the book’s centerpiece, Robinson summarizes all fifty-four portions that make up the Torah and gives us a brilliant distillation of two thousand years of biblical commentaries—from the rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud to medieval commentators such as Rashi, Maimonides, and ibn Ezra to contemporary scholars such as Nahum Sarna, Nechama Leibowitz, Robert Alter, and Everett Fox.
This extraordinary volume—which includes a listing of the Torah reading cycles, a Bible time line, glossaries of terms and biblical commentators, and a bibliography—will stand as the essential sourcebook on the Torah for years to come.
George Robinson, author of the acclaimed Essential Judaism , begins by recounting the various theories of the origins of the Torah and goes on to explain its importance as the core element in Jewish belief and practice. He discusses the basics of Jewish theology and Jewish history as they are derived from the Torah, and he outlines how the Dead Sea Scrolls and other archaeological discoveries have enhanced our understanding of the Bible. He introduces us to the vast literature of biblical commentary, chronicles the evolution of the Torah’s place in the synagogue service, offers an illuminating discussion of women and the Bible, and provides a study guide as a companion for individual or group Bible study. In the book’s centerpiece, Robinson summarizes all fifty-four portions that make up the Torah and gives us a brilliant distillation of two thousand years of biblical commentaries—from the rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud to medieval commentators such as Rashi, Maimonides, and ibn Ezra to contemporary scholars such as Nahum Sarna, Nechama Leibowitz, Robert Alter, and Everett Fox.
This extraordinary volume—which includes a listing of the Torah reading cycles, a Bible time line, glossaries of terms and biblical commentators, and a bibliography—will stand as the essential sourcebook on the Torah for years to come.
624 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2006
13 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
George Robinson
2 books3 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 6, 2015
Robinson brings his considerable desire to learn and explore in this digestible (albeit enormous) breakdown of the major themes of the Torah. Robinson manages to walk the line between overview and insight beautifully, offering wonderful synthesis of ancient and modern thought and occasionally, with humility, his own interpretations and reasoning. A great, great book to spur conversation, study, and a desire to dive into the Torah.
September 5, 2024
Very good one-stop start for figuring out this formidable source. Robinson starts with the physical scroll itself, and you learn about gallants providing the ink, for instance, and purity requirements for the hides, quills, and scribe himself (traditionally) who undertakes this lengthy inscription with remarkable scrutiny to the text, and to ancient prescriptions needed to carry out this task with all due reverence. He narrates next how the Torah was compiled roughly between 539-337 BCE, and how its seemingly random at times arrangements do and don't make "commonsense" for various reasons. He's insistent that even the medieval experts didn't assume necessarily that Moses penned it all before he died, and Robinson from an informed Reform perspective makes his case sensibly for multiple perspectives given the inconsistencies internally in the writings and in historical evidence.
Then it's on to the Wellhausen documentary thesis, and the source and form criticism of the last nearly two centuries that's argued four distinct authors for the Pentateuch/ Chumash. This didn't excite me as much as it did the author, but he tells the scholarly quest well, as he does every aspect that follows, including how to approach the study of Torah (wish I had a study partner, as that's the best way; nobody I've asked has taken me up), basics of Hebrew alphabet, and pointers from both Robinson's female havurah readers and rabbinical experts, on which translations and commentaries best suit the beginner. His advice on the range from Orthodox (Artscroll, Matsurah, Soncino but not Hirsch per se?) to literal (JPS, Plaut, Etz Hayim) to more free-ranging (Fox, Friedman) renderings of the Hebrew makes sense, and he offers in addition hyperlinks (ca. 2004) for intelligent resources.
His chapter on feminist approaches is excellent; he convinces you that such demand attention, and he devotes welcome depth to exploring hermeneutics of suspicion, desire, and indetermination in turn. He praises Avivah Gottleib Zornberg's views on Moses which integrate psychoanalytical and literary criticism into her study, and colleagues male and female with similarly sophisticated takes.
But that's only halfway. The rest takes the parshaniyot/ weekly portions read in synagogue, and for each, he offers a few pages of commentary, as well as the order of who's called to the bimah and the sections and also the haftorah additional scripture, so one can use this to prepare if that great honor arises. While these elaborations of the Torah parts can't go that much into the details, they reiterate and expand whenever possible his remarks earlier in this book. Hefty as it is, Robinson coming later in life to the study of Torah, and from a film critic background (he makes some nice analogies here and there to story structure and to apt quotes from the movies; I was surprised his parallel career as a sportswriter wasn't an equally enriching field for comparisons), he's geared towards 21c mindsets.
He offers straightforward explanations (incorporating erudition but not showing off), contemporary sensibilities without coming across as too self-centered, or a prisoner of his outlook, from a Manhattan milieu. But I wish he'd footnoted the books and articles he used at the end of his chapters. He offers a great list of the sources he's drawn on, but this lacks particular pages for the references he puts into the text, more often than not, and this makes tracking down his quotes and the passages originally that he consulted not easy. It's probably an editorial decision to keep the look and flow of this accessible for a wider audience, and that shortcoming aside, it rewards well.
I confess at first I gave this a pass, thinking (I should talk) that due to his name, the author wasn't Jewish, and that it might be from an evangelical or messianic Christian bias. Glad to find myself in error, as peeking at the preview on the A-store site, it enticed me to check it out and read it all in one day. Not that I'd recommend that for the casual inquirer, but the pace and tone reward quiet and attention. They invite immersion into the subject, and for that motivation, this book succeeds.
Then it's on to the Wellhausen documentary thesis, and the source and form criticism of the last nearly two centuries that's argued four distinct authors for the Pentateuch/ Chumash. This didn't excite me as much as it did the author, but he tells the scholarly quest well, as he does every aspect that follows, including how to approach the study of Torah (wish I had a study partner, as that's the best way; nobody I've asked has taken me up), basics of Hebrew alphabet, and pointers from both Robinson's female havurah readers and rabbinical experts, on which translations and commentaries best suit the beginner. His advice on the range from Orthodox (Artscroll, Matsurah, Soncino but not Hirsch per se?) to literal (JPS, Plaut, Etz Hayim) to more free-ranging (Fox, Friedman) renderings of the Hebrew makes sense, and he offers in addition hyperlinks (ca. 2004) for intelligent resources.
His chapter on feminist approaches is excellent; he convinces you that such demand attention, and he devotes welcome depth to exploring hermeneutics of suspicion, desire, and indetermination in turn. He praises Avivah Gottleib Zornberg's views on Moses which integrate psychoanalytical and literary criticism into her study, and colleagues male and female with similarly sophisticated takes.
But that's only halfway. The rest takes the parshaniyot/ weekly portions read in synagogue, and for each, he offers a few pages of commentary, as well as the order of who's called to the bimah and the sections and also the haftorah additional scripture, so one can use this to prepare if that great honor arises. While these elaborations of the Torah parts can't go that much into the details, they reiterate and expand whenever possible his remarks earlier in this book. Hefty as it is, Robinson coming later in life to the study of Torah, and from a film critic background (he makes some nice analogies here and there to story structure and to apt quotes from the movies; I was surprised his parallel career as a sportswriter wasn't an equally enriching field for comparisons), he's geared towards 21c mindsets.
He offers straightforward explanations (incorporating erudition but not showing off), contemporary sensibilities without coming across as too self-centered, or a prisoner of his outlook, from a Manhattan milieu. But I wish he'd footnoted the books and articles he used at the end of his chapters. He offers a great list of the sources he's drawn on, but this lacks particular pages for the references he puts into the text, more often than not, and this makes tracking down his quotes and the passages originally that he consulted not easy. It's probably an editorial decision to keep the look and flow of this accessible for a wider audience, and that shortcoming aside, it rewards well.
I confess at first I gave this a pass, thinking (I should talk) that due to his name, the author wasn't Jewish, and that it might be from an evangelical or messianic Christian bias. Glad to find myself in error, as peeking at the preview on the A-store site, it enticed me to check it out and read it all in one day. Not that I'd recommend that for the casual inquirer, but the pace and tone reward quiet and attention. They invite immersion into the subject, and for that motivation, this book succeeds.
August 26, 2021
Robinson’s earlier “Judaism: A Complete Guide to Beliefs…” really should be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in the history, traditions, or beliefs of Judaism – it is, as the title promises, a complete guide to everything Jewish. “Essential Torah,” on the other hand, is for a narrower audience. I read it in order to get a more detailed view of how modern Judaism views the written Torah, its origin, nature, and uses, and as such, this book served me well. It was very detailed and well laid out, and helped me understand a different way to look at these ancient writings. That being said, I did skip over the final (and longest) section, “Every Week, Fifty-four [sic] Weeks a Year,” which is a guide to how to study Torah, as I was not reading this in order to either become, or become a better, Jew. So, I recommend Essential to those who, who want to better understand the writings of the Tanakh. And especially to Jews, social or religious, who are searching for a deeper understanding of their own culture or beliefs, I really highly recommend both of Robinson’s extremely well-researched and heart-felt guide books. Taken together, a tremendous achievement – thank you Mr. Robinson.
January 15, 2017
A journalist writing on an academic area is an unusual endeavor. Nevertheless, Robinson does a fine job as he writes about Torah and explains documentary hypothesis in simple terms. His flow is easy to follow and, before one knows it, one wants to explore Torah under the guidance of rabbis. Beside documentary hypothesis, Robinson touches on the topics of composition, interpretation, roles of minorities, and ways to start reading Torah. This book thus becomes an easy introduction to reading a complicated text such as Torah. Its simplicity may become a weak point as one is left hungry for more, but there are plenty of suggested resources and a yearly plan with commentaries. Anyone interested in Judaism or Torah will benefit from using this book as a starting point.
August 10, 2016
I thought all the grade school Bible reading was sufficient, but i began looking for guides to help me understand that monster quickly into my current endeavor to read it cover to cover. The Interpreter's Bible seemed a godsend (harrharr) but it added a lot of time and effort. Additionally, it felt wrong: volume 1 is a decidedly Christian vision of a decidedly Jewish text that frequently hinted at an underlying anti-Semitism. So i found Robinson's book by scanning the Oak Park (MI) public library shelves.
I enjoyed it from the start. I almost could not restrain myself from jumping ahead to the mini-Midrash. Patience was a virtue in this situation, so i recommend that you not skip ahead. This book provides much more than a Jewish exposition of Bible verses.
I see Robinson as someone smitten by Judaism yet level-headed enough to realize it cannot be the same thing to every person. (How do i know he's in love with Torah? He lauds the narrative perfection of Leviticus. Nuff said.) He conveys his devotion with the conviction of a star-crossed lover and the pragmatism of a dedicated skeptic (though he certainly isn't a skeptic in the sense that he innately rebels against the existence of god or the value of Religion). All i'm trying to say is that he portrays his faith honestly and without the hyper-gushiness of the secretly uncertain (even to himself) proselytiser (cf. my opinions re: Every Person's Guide to Judaism).
Oddly enough, one of the book's greatest strengths is the backmatter: helpful glossaries of terms and Torah commentators, a juicy bibliography that makes me want to cry like Burgess Meredith's character at the end of the Twighlight Zone episode, "Time Enough at Last", and a brief essay about the non-inclusion of a chapter about Torah's historicism. Go to Amazon.com, find the hardcover version, search for "purport to describe," click on the link that takes you to pg 549, and read the last paragraph. If you can dig that, i think you'll like this book.
I wish i could remember enough of each chapter's contents to give you a taste of their strengths and weaknesses, but i read too hastily and noted only a few things.
I must ask the ladies to forgive me yet again: my latent anti-feminism made me prejudge the chapter on the silencing of women's voices as a snoozer. Robinson does not sweep the chauvinism under the rug. He doesn't attempt to explain it away. The words of prominent female Torah scholars speak for themselves and argue the case for equal value of women within Judaism even though the Bible typically gives them short shrift. It was lively. And it probably enlightened my benighted soul.
The equally good "Troubling Texts" chapter, which i could probably talk about for hours, follows right on the heels of feminism's chapter. In it, Robinson stands bravely on the assertion that he probably will never know how to assimilate some Torah horror stories with the Jewish ethos that centers on the sanctity of life. Yet its most foundational text includes the well-known (i think) tale of god blithely ordering Abraham to use his son in a blood sacrifice (aka, the Aleikah). It also contains decrees requiring the death penalty for infractions clearly unworthy of such a harsh punishment, homosexuality (male only, by the way) being the most cited and publicized. (i'm planning a soapbox speech on this topic as part of my review of the Bible, but don't hold your breath)
I'd already read Bereishit/Genesis and Shemot/Exodus before picking up Robinson's book. So i started reading the parashiyot in Vayikra/Leviticus according to his list. Then i'd read his exposition, often making notes in my Bible. Then i'd quickly go through the whole parashiyot again. (A parashah, by the way, is a "Prescribed weekly section of biblical Torah (Pentateuch) read in synagogue liturgy on an annual cycle"; plural = parashiyot.)
After only a couple parashiyot i felt disappointed because Robinson's explanatory text was ... nothing like The Interpreter's Bible. His were so much less academic, less elaborate. Ah, but isn't that what i was looking for? Didn't i say i'd prefer not to spend an entire year reading "The Book" plus a dozen 1000-page volumes of commentary, especially if that commentary entailed subliminally Jew-hating Protestants sussurating in my ear about books to which Christians should just relinquish all claims already? Okay, so i am at peace with "Jewish but (almost insufficiently) brief." Far preferable to "Christian but (exhaustingly) complete."
And that's all i got. Except i can't resist.
sidebar
Is Hollywood bastardizing the Abraham/Isaac story (the Aleikah) yet? Maybe 4 or 5 shorts, each by a different director & writer working from a different Midrash, but with the same actors? Just spitballin here.
I enjoyed it from the start. I almost could not restrain myself from jumping ahead to the mini-Midrash. Patience was a virtue in this situation, so i recommend that you not skip ahead. This book provides much more than a Jewish exposition of Bible verses.
I see Robinson as someone smitten by Judaism yet level-headed enough to realize it cannot be the same thing to every person. (How do i know he's in love with Torah? He lauds the narrative perfection of Leviticus. Nuff said.) He conveys his devotion with the conviction of a star-crossed lover and the pragmatism of a dedicated skeptic (though he certainly isn't a skeptic in the sense that he innately rebels against the existence of god or the value of Religion). All i'm trying to say is that he portrays his faith honestly and without the hyper-gushiness of the secretly uncertain (even to himself) proselytiser (cf. my opinions re: Every Person's Guide to Judaism).
Oddly enough, one of the book's greatest strengths is the backmatter: helpful glossaries of terms and Torah commentators, a juicy bibliography that makes me want to cry like Burgess Meredith's character at the end of the Twighlight Zone episode, "Time Enough at Last", and a brief essay about the non-inclusion of a chapter about Torah's historicism. Go to Amazon.com, find the hardcover version, search for "purport to describe," click on the link that takes you to pg 549, and read the last paragraph. If you can dig that, i think you'll like this book.
I wish i could remember enough of each chapter's contents to give you a taste of their strengths and weaknesses, but i read too hastily and noted only a few things.
I must ask the ladies to forgive me yet again: my latent anti-feminism made me prejudge the chapter on the silencing of women's voices as a snoozer. Robinson does not sweep the chauvinism under the rug. He doesn't attempt to explain it away. The words of prominent female Torah scholars speak for themselves and argue the case for equal value of women within Judaism even though the Bible typically gives them short shrift. It was lively. And it probably enlightened my benighted soul.
The equally good "Troubling Texts" chapter, which i could probably talk about for hours, follows right on the heels of feminism's chapter. In it, Robinson stands bravely on the assertion that he probably will never know how to assimilate some Torah horror stories with the Jewish ethos that centers on the sanctity of life. Yet its most foundational text includes the well-known (i think) tale of god blithely ordering Abraham to use his son in a blood sacrifice (aka, the Aleikah). It also contains decrees requiring the death penalty for infractions clearly unworthy of such a harsh punishment, homosexuality (male only, by the way) being the most cited and publicized. (i'm planning a soapbox speech on this topic as part of my review of the Bible, but don't hold your breath)
I'd already read Bereishit/Genesis and Shemot/Exodus before picking up Robinson's book. So i started reading the parashiyot in Vayikra/Leviticus according to his list. Then i'd read his exposition, often making notes in my Bible. Then i'd quickly go through the whole parashiyot again. (A parashah, by the way, is a "Prescribed weekly section of biblical Torah (Pentateuch) read in synagogue liturgy on an annual cycle"; plural = parashiyot.)
After only a couple parashiyot i felt disappointed because Robinson's explanatory text was ... nothing like The Interpreter's Bible. His were so much less academic, less elaborate. Ah, but isn't that what i was looking for? Didn't i say i'd prefer not to spend an entire year reading "The Book" plus a dozen 1000-page volumes of commentary, especially if that commentary entailed subliminally Jew-hating Protestants sussurating in my ear about books to which Christians should just relinquish all claims already? Okay, so i am at peace with "Jewish but (almost insufficiently) brief." Far preferable to "Christian but (exhaustingly) complete."
And that's all i got. Except i can't resist.
sidebar
Is Hollywood bastardizing the Abraham/Isaac story (the Aleikah) yet? Maybe 4 or 5 shorts, each by a different director & writer working from a different Midrash, but with the same actors? Just spitballin here.
September 6, 2008
Still have a little ways to go on this (it's dense), but it's definitely fascinating. It's intended as a reference, but the author was trained as a film and literary critic, so it reads very well. I was pretty daunted by all the Hebrew at first, especially since I was pretty much limited to "Torah," "seder," and "shalom, y'all," before starting it. The glossary is comprehensive, and I use it about 5 times every page. It's much easier to understand and visualize the poetry of the names and excerpts by reading them in the Hebrew, so it's worth the trouble for someone as inexperienced as myself.
The author is careful to distinguish between the practices and beliefs of different groups of Jews within each topic he discusses. Though he spends a somewhat unbalanced amount of time and space on a few specific issues (particularly modern Jewish feminism), he clearly explains that these are his personal "pet topics" and does a fantastic job of sharing his enthusiasm for them. He is also explicitly clear about what a brief overview he is providing and includes wonderful, accessible sources for further Torah study relating to each subject he covers.
The author is careful to distinguish between the practices and beliefs of different groups of Jews within each topic he discusses. Though he spends a somewhat unbalanced amount of time and space on a few specific issues (particularly modern Jewish feminism), he clearly explains that these are his personal "pet topics" and does a fantastic job of sharing his enthusiasm for them. He is also explicitly clear about what a brief overview he is providing and includes wonderful, accessible sources for further Torah study relating to each subject he covers.
November 8, 2015
I do not read Essential Judaism (yet) but the title of this book really meant what it says. It covers Torah in a perspective to see the essential Torah = what Torah is all about. If you are an avid reader of religious books, especially about Judeo-Christianity, you will find more about terms used in Torah or Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible such as Bereishit, Vayikra, B'midbar and you will find yourself a headstart of learning Hebrew if you want to know a lot more about this original language (and Aramaic, of course) of Bible for Christians.
This book is well-written by George Robinson! Thumbs up!
This book is well-written by George Robinson! Thumbs up!
January 4, 2025
A well organized guide for studying the Torah. Explains how it is studied by different people and how it is examined in the yearly cycle. Also introduces leading theories of its authorship as well traditional practices surrounding it and ideas about it within Judaism's long history.
Read
September 23, 2010Essential Torah: A Complete Guide to the Five Books of Moses by George Robinson (2006)
April 13, 2015
Stunning comprehensive exposition of Torah. Absolutely brilliant exposition of the Five books of Moses. I wish I had read it years ago. I am in awe of his scholarship and breadth of knowledge.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews