What do you think?
Rate this book
The Steinsaltz Humash
The long-awaited English version of Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz's pioneering translation and commentary on the Torah. Like his monumental translation and commentary of the entire Talmud, the new Steinsaltz Humash includes a treasure trove of information to make the text clear, fascinating, and relevant to users of all backgrounds. Here, Rabbi Steinsaltz's commentary seeks to connect the reader directly to the peshat, the plain reading of the text. He includes references to many commentaries, while he aims to remove any 'barriers' to the text, connecting us directly to the 'voice of the Torah'. This brand-new volume features several innovative elements -Hebrew verses in clear Koren font, with vowels and punctuation -Accessible English translation that reflects Rabbi Steinsaltz's understanding of the text -Parshiyot divided thematically with introductory explanations -Color photos that identify biblical objects and illustrate complicated concepts -Notes and photos of modern archaeological and scientific findings -Maps, illustrations, and charts to clarify locations and concepts -Supplemental background materials, cross-references to the Torah
- GenresJudaism
1311 pages, Hardcover
Published October 3, 2018
5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 30, 2021
This Humash, like any Humash, includes the text of the Five Books of Moses along with commentary. It is definitely more "modern Orthodox" than Artscroll, the Orthodox market leader in this category. Steinsaltz is more willing to put the Torah in historical context, and is less likely to take absurd-sounding midrashim (that is, ancient Jewish legends interpreting the Torah in creative ways) literally.
On the other hand, compared to the Hertz (the 1930s modern Orthodox Humash), the Steinsaltz Humash doesn't try to be a cheerleader for Judaism; its authors seem to assume that if you need to be persuaded that Judaism is good, you are probably not reading their book. I think Steinsaltz is to the right of Hertz in the sense that Hertz seems to cite non-Jewish and non-Orthodox commentators more frequently. Also, Steinsaltz feels like a more collective, corporate work than Hertz - perhaps because it is a work of translation, or perhaps because Steinsaltz's writing style was a bit less distinctive.
On the other hand, compared to the Hertz (the 1930s modern Orthodox Humash), the Steinsaltz Humash doesn't try to be a cheerleader for Judaism; its authors seem to assume that if you need to be persuaded that Judaism is good, you are probably not reading their book. I think Steinsaltz is to the right of Hertz in the sense that Hertz seems to cite non-Jewish and non-Orthodox commentators more frequently. Also, Steinsaltz feels like a more collective, corporate work than Hertz - perhaps because it is a work of translation, or perhaps because Steinsaltz's writing style was a bit less distinctive.
August 28, 2019
This is an essential book for every synagogue, school and Jewish home.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews