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A Year with Martin Buber: Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion
2022 Top Ten Book from Academy of Parish Clergy
The teachings of the great twentieth-century Jewish thinker Martin Buber empower us to enter a spiritual dimension that often passes unnoticed in the daily routine. In A Year with Martin Buber, the first Torah commentary to focus on his life’s work, we experience the fifty-four weekly Torah portions and eleven Jewish holidays through Buber’s eyes.
While best known for the spiritual concept of the I-Thou relationship between people, Buber graced us with other fundamentals, including Over Against, Afterglow, Will and Grace, Reification, Inclusion, and Imagine the Real. And his life itself—including his defiance of the Nazis, his call for Jewish-Arab reconciliation, and his protest of Adolf Eichmann’s execution—modeled these teachings in action.
Rabbi Dennis S. Ross demonstrates Buber’s roots in Jewish thought and breaks new ground by explaining the broader scope of Buber’s life and work in a clear, conversational voice. He quotes from the weekly Torah portion; draws lessons from Jewish commentators; and sets Buber’s related words in context with Buber’s remarkable life story, Hasidic tales, and writing. A wide variety of anecdotal illustrations from Buber as well as the author’s life encourages each of us to “hallow the everyday” and seek out spirituality “hiding in plain sight.”
The teachings of the great twentieth-century Jewish thinker Martin Buber empower us to enter a spiritual dimension that often passes unnoticed in the daily routine. In A Year with Martin Buber, the first Torah commentary to focus on his life’s work, we experience the fifty-four weekly Torah portions and eleven Jewish holidays through Buber’s eyes.
While best known for the spiritual concept of the I-Thou relationship between people, Buber graced us with other fundamentals, including Over Against, Afterglow, Will and Grace, Reification, Inclusion, and Imagine the Real. And his life itself—including his defiance of the Nazis, his call for Jewish-Arab reconciliation, and his protest of Adolf Eichmann’s execution—modeled these teachings in action.
Rabbi Dennis S. Ross demonstrates Buber’s roots in Jewish thought and breaks new ground by explaining the broader scope of Buber’s life and work in a clear, conversational voice. He quotes from the weekly Torah portion; draws lessons from Jewish commentators; and sets Buber’s related words in context with Buber’s remarkable life story, Hasidic tales, and writing. A wide variety of anecdotal illustrations from Buber as well as the author’s life encourages each of us to “hallow the everyday” and seek out spirituality “hiding in plain sight.”
- GenresJudaism
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2021
7 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Dennis S. Ross
6 books1 followerRabbi Dennis S. Ross is the author of the newly published Pastor to the Body of the Congregation: A Companion Guide for Congregational Clergy. His previous book, A Year with Martin Buber, was named a Top Ten Book by the Academy of Parish Clergy. He also author of God in Our Relationships: Spirituality between People from the Teachings of Martin Buber, When a Lie is Not a Sin, and All Politics Is Religious.
He has written for the New York Times and the Boston Globe, Forward and other publications. He is an Intentional Interim Rabbi in the New York City area. He has served as an interim program specialist for the Central Conference of American Rabbis and is on the Interim Ministry Network faculty.
He has written for the New York Times and the Boston Globe, Forward and other publications. He is an Intentional Interim Rabbi in the New York City area. He has served as an interim program specialist for the Central Conference of American Rabbis and is on the Interim Ministry Network faculty.
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November 30, 2021
Martin Buber is perhaps best known for his book I and Thou. Although Jewish, Buber has been very influential beyond his own tradition. That is especially true within the Christian community. One need not even know his name to resonate with his contrast between I-Thou and I-It relationships. Buber's wisdom is the foundation for Rabbi Dennis Ross's contribution to a Jewish Publication Society Daily Inspiration series, which offers "Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion." Here we have A Year with Martin Buber.
The author of "A Year with Martin Buber" is Dennis Ross, who serves as an intentional interim rabbi in the Greater New York City area. The series in which the book falls is designed to take readers on a year-long journey through the Torah. Thus, it addresses the Torah portions assigned for each sabbath as well as the Jewish Holidays. For the Sabbath observances, the book offers three commentaries. The first is the "P'shat" or explanation of the reading from the Torah for that week.
The second commentary, the "D'rash" brings into the conversation the wisdom of earlier writers/ sages. In this case, it is Martin Buber. The word "D'rash" means interpretation. Ross writes that in this section the interpretation draws on Buber's work. Ross writes that "Buiber teaches that Jewish spirituality is as much about what we do as it is about how we think, so we best approach Buber by appreciating how he lived his life" (p. xxi). Thus, Ross not only draws on Buber's writings but his life as well.
The third commentary or "D'rash" brings into the conversation Ross's personal interpretation. In this section, Ross reflects on the theme as introduced by Buber. Thus, one commentary is more descriptive, while the second is more testimony.
The book begins with an introduction that introduces us to Buber's life and thought, as well as to the series. From there we move through the Jewish liturgical year, beginning with Genesis and ending with Deuteronomy. As with the lectionary many Christians use to define the liturgical year, the same is true here. Each sabbath has a traditional identifier. Thus, any Jewish reader will know exactly what is expected for that day, at least in terms of the Torah portion. From there the commentary will take the reader deeper into the text.
For a person like me, who is not Jewish, the introduction though brief centers the conversation. Reading from the perspective of a Christian minister who uses the Revised Common Lectionary, I can resonate with the structure. Though I'm sure that Rabbis might draw on this for their sermon and teaching preparation, it is written in a way that would be accessible to the general reader. My assumption is that this is the intended audience of the series. I had read through an earlier contribution to the series, Rabbi Reuven Hammer's A Year with the Sages: Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion, so I was familiar with the structure. While Hammer's book drew from a wider set of sources, it was designed to do the same thing. I had a similar experience with Ross's book as with Hammers.
While this is written for a Jewish audience, I believe it could have a much wider appeal. At least in my Christian circles, this would be a welcome contribution to our spiritual/devotional life.
The author of "A Year with Martin Buber" is Dennis Ross, who serves as an intentional interim rabbi in the Greater New York City area. The series in which the book falls is designed to take readers on a year-long journey through the Torah. Thus, it addresses the Torah portions assigned for each sabbath as well as the Jewish Holidays. For the Sabbath observances, the book offers three commentaries. The first is the "P'shat" or explanation of the reading from the Torah for that week.
The second commentary, the "D'rash" brings into the conversation the wisdom of earlier writers/ sages. In this case, it is Martin Buber. The word "D'rash" means interpretation. Ross writes that in this section the interpretation draws on Buber's work. Ross writes that "Buiber teaches that Jewish spirituality is as much about what we do as it is about how we think, so we best approach Buber by appreciating how he lived his life" (p. xxi). Thus, Ross not only draws on Buber's writings but his life as well.
The third commentary or "D'rash" brings into the conversation Ross's personal interpretation. In this section, Ross reflects on the theme as introduced by Buber. Thus, one commentary is more descriptive, while the second is more testimony.
The book begins with an introduction that introduces us to Buber's life and thought, as well as to the series. From there we move through the Jewish liturgical year, beginning with Genesis and ending with Deuteronomy. As with the lectionary many Christians use to define the liturgical year, the same is true here. Each sabbath has a traditional identifier. Thus, any Jewish reader will know exactly what is expected for that day, at least in terms of the Torah portion. From there the commentary will take the reader deeper into the text.
For a person like me, who is not Jewish, the introduction though brief centers the conversation. Reading from the perspective of a Christian minister who uses the Revised Common Lectionary, I can resonate with the structure. Though I'm sure that Rabbis might draw on this for their sermon and teaching preparation, it is written in a way that would be accessible to the general reader. My assumption is that this is the intended audience of the series. I had read through an earlier contribution to the series, Rabbi Reuven Hammer's A Year with the Sages: Wisdom on the Weekly Torah Portion, so I was familiar with the structure. While Hammer's book drew from a wider set of sources, it was designed to do the same thing. I had a similar experience with Ross's book as with Hammers.
While this is written for a Jewish audience, I believe it could have a much wider appeal. At least in my Christian circles, this would be a welcome contribution to our spiritual/devotional life.
Displaying 1 of 1 review