ainment

Literary Light from page 119

. on the Road
the Torah, Talmud
their interests in The
and Mishnah and
Rabbi Ste -IT/Sal -CZ Contemporary Torah:
how they explain the
A Gender-Sensitive
human condition. His
Adaptation of the JPS
ultimate goal is to
Translation (Jewish
help people go beyond
Publication Society;
limitations they set
$28.) David Stein, revis-
for themselves.
ing editor working with
There are different
consultants, references
ways to approach the
God in gender-neutral
Bible, according to
language and offers a
a Brandeis profes-
translation that reflects
ticklligs. 1 tt Per+onss.
- Guitic to Judaism
sor, and he presents
social gender roles, as
them in How to Read
they would have been
the Bible (Jewish
understood in ancient
Publication Society;
times. The methods used
$35). Marc Zvi
in this approach are
Brettler, a professor
explained in table format
of biblical literature
and endnotes.
and chair of the
James Kugel brings
Department of Near Eastern and
drama to biblical studies
Judaic Studies, uses archaeol-
with The Ladder of Jacob:
ogy and modern scholarship to
Ancient Interpretations of
explain the culture that produced the Biblical Story of Jacob
the Bible. Brettler demonstrates
and His Children (Princeton
how the text speaks in many
University Press; $24.95). The
voices on profound issues.
author, exploring problems from
Readers sensitive to gender
thievery to adultery, outlines
references in religious texts
how interpreters worked in bibli-
find a format that relates to
cal analysis. Kugel, who taught

-

Hebrew literature at
Harvard, went on to
become director of the
Institute for the History
of the Jewish Bible at
Bar-Ilan University in
Israel and brings his
scholarly techniques to
this analysis.
*Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz,
known for applying les-
sons from Jewish texts
to everyday situations,
conies to life through his
driver in On the Road

with Rabbi Steinsaltz:
25 Years of Pre-Dawn
Car Trips, Mind-
Blowing Encounters
and Inspiring
Conversations with a Man of
Wisdom (Jossey Bass; $24.95).
Author Arthur Kurzweil, a writer
and editor, tells stories about the
rabbi and his interactions with
all sorts of people, including
celebrities. The rabbi's outlook
covers a range of topics, from
marijuana to Madonna.
The Jewish outlook on moral-

ity is explored in To
Heal a Fractured
World: The Ethics
of Responsibility
(Schocken Books;
$25) by Jonathan
Sacks, chief rabbi of
the United Hebrew
Congregations of .
Great Britain and the
Commonwealth. The
narrative mixes Jewish
laws and interpreta-
tions with secular
philosophy and history
to address the issues
he believes need more
focus. Interacting with
others is at the core of
his text.
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin has
written A Code of Jewish Ethics
and introduces it with Volume 1:
You Shall Be Holy (Bell Tower;
$29.95). The rabbi probes ideas
of integrity and personal char-
acter. Subjects include judging
people fairly, practicing humility,
forgiving and restraining nega-
tive impulses.

Bestselling fiction and non-
fiction writer Anne Roiphe has
turned her attention to women
from the Bible and has written

Water from the Well: Sarah,
Rebekah, Rachel and Leah
(William Morrow; $24.95).
Roiphe addresses the impact of
these women on all religions, and
she probes the lessons that apply
to contemporary women.
Joel Hoffman, who teaches
Hebrew and its translation at
Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion in New
York City, demystifies the lan-
guage with In the Beginning:
A Short History of the Hebrew
Language (New York University
Press; $18.95). Hoffman attempts
to explore the sounds of the
ancient language and shows its
continuing impact. Hebrew, the
first language to use vowels, is
presented as the means by which
the Greeks and Romans acquired
their alphabets.
In Gonzo Judaism: A Bold
Path for Renewing an Ancient
Faith (St. Martin's Press; $22.95),

High Holiday Themes

The book is the companion volume
to last year's Yom Kippur Readings,
also published by Jewish Lights and
edited by Rabbi Elkins, the rabbi emer-
itus of the Jewish Center of Princeton,
N.J., an educator and lecturer, and the
author of 35 books.
Morton I. Teicher
The selections from Rosh Hashanah
Special to the Jewish News
Readings include a wide variety of
Jewish and non-Jewish authors and
his weekend, Jews all over
have been arranged into 17 sections,
the world will
generally coinciding with parts
observe Rosh
of the Rosh Hashanah service.
Hashanah, the beginning
Each section of both books
of the Jewish New Year.
is introduced by an appropriate
The High Holidays begin
selection from These Are the
with Rosh Hashanah and
Words, by Rabbi Arthur Green,
„-lxRe- Adings
conclude with Yom Kippur.
a professor at Hebrew College,
INSI*11{
ICIN
IN1 -014 41.rt
More Jews will attend syna-
Boston.
( ON I 1. - N,11'1 ‘114)N
'41, RAW
gogue than at any other
The authors who are cited
time of the year.
in Rosh Hashanah Readings
For both those who wor-
are mostly contemporary and
ship regularly and those who appear
mostly rabbis. However, there are also
in temple only for the High Holidays,
writers drawn from social work, psy-
the newly published Rosh Hashanah
chotherapy, education, the arts, jour-
Readings (Jewish Lights; $24.99),
nalism and medicine.
edited by Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins, is
Contributors who are no longer
a timely collection of writings that
alive include Shlomo Carlebach,
will give added meaning to the holiday
Moses deLeon, Viktor Frankl,
experience.
Abraham Joshua Heschel, Louis

Rabbi edits
anthologies of
commentaries.

T

H,fsharrati

tk, Pct.. 1-349.

■

122

September 21 . 2006

Jacobs, Mordecai M. Kaplan, Rudyard
Kipling, Abraham Isaac Kook, Joshua
Loth Liebman, Marshall T Meyer,
Rabindranath Tagore and Isaac
Bashevis Singer.
The material comes from Chasidic
tales and teachings, Midrash, Talmud
and Torah. Prayers, such as the

Amidah, Avinu Malkenu, U'netaneh
Tokef, V'khol Ma'aminim and Alenu,

are explored, as is the blowing of the
shofar.
The readings, prayers and
insights in the Yom Kippur
volume focus on sin, forgive-
ness, repentance, spiritual
growth, and being at one
with self, family, community
and God.
The Torah readings for
Rosh Hashanah are among
the most troublesome pas-
sages in the Bible. On the first day,
we read the story of how Abraham
expelled Hagar and Ishmael into the
wilderness, and on the second day, we
read about the akedah, the binding of
Isaac. In a sense, both accounts deal
with child sacrifice.
The commentators selected for

inclusion here join an almost endless
stream of interpreters who have tried
to help us come to grips with these
vexing stories. Some readers will
reluctantly conclude that they are no
more successful than their predeces-
sors. Nevertheless, the interpretations
offered here amplify our understanding
of these two biblical chapters, Genesis:
21-22.
In the final section of Rosh
Hashanah Readings, Rabbi
Elkins deals with far less con-
troversial questions by focus-
ing on Rosh Hashanah rituals
and customs such as tashlich,
the casting away of sins, and
dipping apples into honey.
He thus rounds out what is
a useful anthology that will
enhance our Rosh Hashanah
worship whether we are con-
fused by the prayers and traditions or
know them well.
Observance of these crucial days in
the Jewish calendar will be enriched
for all Jews who use this stellar collec-
tion of valuable readings. ___.