Editorial Review

Even well-versed Biblical scholars might be perplexed if asked about Jabez, a little-known man listed in 1 Chronicles, chapter 4. Yet his simple petition is the cornerstone of Read more

Reviews (546)

"A bit shallow compared to other books on prayer..."
I can't add much to previous reviews except to say that if you're looking for a solid, detailed instruction on how to pray effectively, this may not be it.
Worst interpretation ever
I read this book years ago.My first impression was, "this seems like a lot to pull from such a small passage."I really felt that there was something wrong with it. A few months later, I read a textbook on Biblical Interpretation, and suddenly I could articulate what bothered me so much about this book.
There needs to be a Zero star rating for books like this
I wonder what Bruce Wilkinson was thinking when he wrote this book. There is no way a top-notch theologian could squeeze 96 pages out of one verse and keep it focused solely on Scripture. Well, Wilkinson wrote that much, but he threw in so many examples from life that it totally took away the meaning of the verse.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Meditations - Old Testament    3. Bible Commentary    4. Bible.    5. Christianity    6. Chronicles, 1st, IV, 10    7. Devotional    8. General    9. History and criticism    10. O.T    11. O.T.    12. Prayer    13. Prayers    14. Religion    15. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    16. Spiritual    17. Worship    18. CHRISTIAN LIVING / SPIRITUAL GROWTH / PRAYER    19. Christian prayerbooks    20. Christian worship    21. Jabez    22. Religion / Christian Life   

Reviews (1)

A Must-Have!
This book is for everyone, regardless of what stage you are in your relationship.It really gets to the core of what sex and life is all about.If you are looking for answers on how to genuinely enrich your relationship, this book holds the key elements that we have all been missing out on. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Health & Fitness    2. Health/Fitness    3. Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism    4. Love / Sex / Marriage    5. Sexuality    6. Health & Fitness / Sexuality    7. Religion: general   

Reviews (2)

Good Common-Sense Approach To Adversity
Rabbi Kushner's new book, "Overcoming Life's Disappointments" is a good friend to have if you've got some adversity in your life.He takes Moses, who spent 40 years wandering in the desert with his people and then was forbidden to enter the promised land with them, as his model on how a good person copes with trials.His advice is that life continues to have good things in store for us even after our dreams are shattered, if we don't let ourselves become hardened and embittered but keep our minds and hearts open.This sounds obvious enough, but it's easier said than done.Rabbi Kushner provides many stories from his long career to explain how we can cope.As a self-confessed admirer of Sigmund Freud, he's not big on the mystical or intuitive aspects of religion.He's more of a "duty is its own reward" kind of guy.But he is a preacher of what C.S. Lewis called "the Tao": the basic "way" that most religions have in common.If you are looking for essential answers, Rabbi Kushner is a good place to start.

Rabbi Kushner gives a few pointers in resiliency
One of the hardest things for anyone to learn, no matter where you are in life, or how much money you have, is coping with times when things don't turn out as you expect. Some people never recover, while others seem to sail past a disaster with hardly a break in stride. The trick isn't in what the disaster is, but how they've handled it.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Adaptation, Psychological    2. Bible - Stories - Old Testament    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Inspirational    5. Inspirational - General    6. Jewish Law    7. Judaism - General    8. Life skills    9. Old Testament Commentary    10. Personal Satisfaction    11. Religion    12. Religion / Inspirational   

Reviews (5)

"Starting with Moses & all the prophets......
I own four JPS Torah commentaries; Genesis, exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Whilst written by Jewish scholars, they are a huge help to the Christian preacher and Bible study scholar. In depth knowledge of the language, and traditions offer fascinating, whilst sad insights to the Jewish interpretation of the Torah. I would recommend these books very highly to anyone with a strong faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They, even unknowingly clearly point to him as the Saviour of the world.
Be Advised, Speciality is Key
Because of the degree of specialty of each of the writers (each are specialists on the Law), a decent (at least some) amount of Hebrew knowledge is key, to allow the reader to evaluate decisions made by the authors.It is also key to remember that these commentaries (following after the aims of JPS) are thoroughly Jewish and track the development of understanding for the passages discussed, though not necessarily to the detriment of the series.A great work, worth the shelf space of any Rabbi, Preacher, or Scholar.rq ladonai kvd

Thorough and thought provoking
Of the five commentaries in the JPS series on the first five books of the Bible, Milgrom's is the best. Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - Old Testament    2. Judaism - History    3. Judaism - Sacred Writings    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Biblical concordances & commentaries    7. Books of the Old Testament    8. Judaism   

Reviews (30)

Intentional mistranslated words
.
poor binding
the downfall to this version is the binding.The first day I flipped through the book pages started falling out.

From a gentil perspective
Honestly, I bought this book with the intention to learn Hebrew... I never made it, but now I use the translation and commentaries as a reference for my studies and I do recommend this book, nicely printed and easy to read.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Study - Old Testament    2. Bibles    3. Bibles - Hebrew    4. Judaism - General    5. Judaism - Sacred Writings    6. Religion    7. Judaism    8. Old Testament   

Subjects:  1. Bible - Stories - General    2. Bible - Study - Old Testament    3. Christianity    4. General    5. Islam    6. Islam - General    7. Judaism    8. Judaism - General    9. Religion    10. Religion - Biblical Studies    11. Religion - Contemporary Issues    12. Cultural studies    13. Religion / General   

Reviews (26)

Good for a quick review of the Chumash
When using a book, you need to understand the reason it was written or edited.In this case the purpose of the Stone Chumash is to be read weekly in shul while the Torah is read from the Bima.
Finally Torah availability
If you want to have the slightest notion of what the Pentateuch is about, you need the Jewish version of the story, in the commentary of this incredible translation on the five Books of Moses you will begin to understand everything from temple offerings to phylactery. Regardless of your believes, if they include the Bible, this is a serious study you should undertake, at least as a departure point, then there is always the Artscroll Talmud series... In this Book you get the best English Translation, The Original Hebrew, and a very complete commentary based on all the Jewish Sources.

A New Torah Student
I have recently joined a Beit Midrash. After several months of borrowing Chumash, I decided to purchase my own. This one was a gift "In Memory of___" but unfortunately it looks as though it was not read. I purchased it used but it is in 'like new' condition. I read it daily. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibles    2. Judaism - Sacred Writings   

Reviews (32)

something old, something new
Picture a handsome leather-bound volume with a column of attractively-set Hebrew text on the right side of each page and a superb English translation in very readable typeset on the left side. This is what you get in the two leather-bound versions of the 1999 Hebrew-English Bible published by the Jewish Publication Society. I own the large version for reading at home and a handly but vision-challenging small version for the road. I travel a lot and it goes with me on many of those trips.
The Tanakh as a textbook...
The JPS version of the Tanakh is one of my favorites.The style and translation make it easy to relate to and read without simplification or misinterpretation.I purchased this one due to the size of it and that the pages would lie flat when placed on a table.The paper is the fine tissue-like you would expect and the font is easy to read without being that huge large-print which makes it good for studying.That is why I would call this edition more of a textbook.I have a smaller version that I use outside the home also by JPS in a leather cover with tabs.

First Jewish Translation in a long time.
This is one of the only translations of the Old Testament that gets the '70 weeks' spoken about in the Book of Daniel correctly translated.There are also many parts of this Old Testament Bible that clarifies things.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bibles - Hebrew    2. Judaism - Sacred Writings    3. Old Testament    4. Religion    5. Religion - Judaism    6. Hebrew    7. Judaism    8. Sacred texts    9. The Bible   

Reviews (8)

Once I Got Past The Arrogant Title...
I found this an enjoyable and thoughtful book. I would label much of it "educated speculation" but the emphasis on historical setting, the events that were contemporaneous to the Biblical authors, the historicity, the entomology, the fact that we can only guess at the literal meaning of certain colloquialisms used in the sacred texts, all that was priceless. One is not required to agree with Marc Z. Brettler's conclusions to read this book. Whether it serves to educate, enlighten, convince, or merely stimulate a good sound argument, this is a book worthy of the time it requires to read. Brettler may or may not be wrong but he cannot be accused of ignorance when it comes to his subject matter. Too often books about the Bible lean too far toward timidity in the author's reverence for the subject matter, or else the writer is an iconoclast intend on dismantling and disproving the Bible itself, and it was good to have the balance between those polarities that the more objective Brettler found. After reading this I was glad I took the occasion to consider western civilization's most revered texts from this purely scholarly perspective.

A Glaring Error
I am a proponent of the historical-metaphorical (critical) method of Bible study, and I found Brettler's interpretation of the Hebrew Bible to be fascinating and easy to read. But I cannot agree with his position that David did not kill Goliath.
How to Read the Bible
This is a really interesting book that takes a look at the Hebrew Bible using an historical-critical method.It is very accessable and readable, while still being a valuable scholarly work.Very, very interesting.You'll learn things you never heard about in Sunday School. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - Old Testament    3. Bible - General    4. Bible.    5. Bibles - Hebrew    6. Criticism, interpretation, etc    7. General    8. Judaism - Sacred Writings    9. O.T    10. O.T.    11. Religion    12. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    13. Religion - Judaism    14. Biblical studies, criticism & exegesis    15. Hebrew   

Reviews (5)

Lewis gets to the heart of the matter
Thankfully this is not one of those books on the Psalms that will tell you that this or that Psalm is a lament or a cultic liturgy or an ode to someone bent on the succession of the Davidic monarchy. Lewis gets to the heart of matters, raising and answering questions that concern intelligent believers. For instance, what are we as Christians to make of imprecatory Psalms? Lewis considers not only those who write such Psalms, but also what has happened to them in life to get them to that point. Why so much talk about God's judgment? Lewis corrects the erroneous impression that judgment in the Psalms refers to God's punishment of evil doers. The primary sense is of a plaintiff pleading with God (the Judge) to pass judgment in their favor. What of the apparent self-righteousness of some of the Psalmists? Lewis says that all the talk about the Law is no Pharisaism but a the delight in Order: "The Order of the Divine mind, embodied in the Divine Law is beautiful." (53) Lewis' favorite is Psalm 19 and his writes about it in such a way as to make it come alive. The searching cleansing sun, is the searching cleansing Law. He identifies the key phrase as "there is nothing hid from the heat thereof" (19.6) That, for Lewis, describes the Law: :"luminous, severe, disinfectant, exultant (57).Finally, I must mention the surprising chapter on the subject of praise. Lewis writes that praise is not a matter of telling God how wonderful he is, but a way of expressing gratitude for what we care deeply about. Praise is something all human beings naturally do: we praise things and people that we value. When we praise them we complete our enjoyment of them through our words: "praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment" (81). Despite the fact that Lewis was not a theologian, he had a keener grasp of comparative religion, and Hebraic concepts than many biblical scholars. This is a book written by someone who has spent years praying the Psalms, not by someone who treats the Psalms as if they were an insect under a microscope.

Meditative
Bonhoeffer really drives you into appreciating the spiritual depth of the Psalms and their Christ centred significance. I found the book difficult to put down. A great spiritual read.
The Sensitivity of a Poet and the Honesty of a Scholar
With the sensitivity of a poet and the honesty of a scholar, C.S. Lewis delves into the Psalms. In doing so, he is not afraid to raise uncomfortable questions, such as how to understand the apparent self-righteousness and gleefulness of many psalmists; or the question whether God is an egocentric monarch who demands people to praise Him as if He needed such praise. Other issues Lewis deals with are the concept of Judgment in the Psalms, as well as their portrayals of death, nature, and the beauty of God. He also devotes two chapters to understanding the prophecies, or second meanings, in the Psalms
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Meditations - Old Testament    3. Bible - Study - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Criticism, interpretation, etc    6. Devotional    7. Inspirational - General    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Psalms    11. Religion    12. Religion - Biblical Studies    13. Religion - Inspirational/Spirituality    14. Religion / Christianity   

Reviews (9)

A GREAT REFERENCE
This little book is a handy reference; I keep it where I study and have given away several; it's a great gift for someone who is needing to find particular scripture and isn't sure where to look~or even has a need but doesn't know what scripture would apply~or just to thumb through for inspiration; well worth it's price!

Power in His Word
This is an excellent resource; one of Joyce's best books.In understanding how much power God's Word possesses and also how much power we have in speaking His Word out loud, we become grounded and centered in the promises of the Lord.This book also helps to understand our role in our relationship with Him; read His Word, meditate on His Word, believe His Word, speak His Word, Obey His Word.

LIFE CHANGING!
I am a Christian and have been most of my life.I have read the Bible off and on but ever since I have picked up this book I have been encouraged to pick up the Bible much more often!I have had this book for 8 days and I am amazed at the changes in myself and my family because of reading the Word outloud.It's a great springboard to start reading the Bible if you've not seen changes before.I more than highly recommend it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Meditations - Old Testament    3. Bible - Study - General    4. Christianity    5. Christianity - Discipleship    6. Christianity - Evangelism    7. Christianity - Evangelism - Personal Witnessing    8. Devotional use    9. Old Testament    10. Oral communication    11. Prayer    12. Religion    13. Religion - Christian Life    14. Religious aspects    15. Religion / Inspirational   

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Study - Old Testament    3. Bible.    4. Customs and practices    5. Judaism    6. Judaism - General    7. Miscellanea    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Pentateuch    11. Religion    12. Religion - Biblical Studies    13. Tradition (Judaism)   

Editorial Review

At a time when conflicts among three of the world's majorreligions--Islam, Judaism, and Christianity--are in the global spotlight, Bruce Feiler offers a stunning biography of the one man who unites all three religions: Abraham. "The most mesmerizing story of Abraham's life--his offering a son to God--plays a pivotal role in the holiest week of the Christian year, at Easter," writes Feiler. "The story is recited at the start of the holiest fortnight in Judaism, on Rosh Hashanah. The episode inspires the holiest day in Islam, 'Read more

Reviews (75)

An interesting quick read
How do you write a 226-page book covering someone whom we have very little historical knowledge about?Put a lot of space between the lines, and fill in the gaps with long, superfluous descriptions of what the weather was like the day you were doing your research, and you can stretch it out to 226 pages.Yes, the content of this book is quite thin, stretched out to needless length.But fortunately, it's an easy read, so it goes fast even though you do have to wade through some of those verbose setting-the-mood descriptions.
Interesting Read
As a Christian I am interested in the phenomenon of Abraham as the progenitor of three of the main religions on earth. Of particular interest was the portrayal of this character through the lenses of the two other belief systems that I am not so familiar with. In an easy to read format this is at once a book for the curious without the need for serious scholarship,and will therefore be appealing to a wide readership. Coupled with this is the current apetite throughout the world to understand better the problems of the middle-east and also the clarion-call for religious tolerance and reconciliation. All of this may be found in this book which will therefore guarantee its success as a money spinner.
A WONDERFUL BOOK... VERY INSPIRING... REMARKABLE... AMAZING
REMARKABLE... AMAZING... INSPIRING... INTRIGUING...
Read more

Subjects:  1. (Biblical patriarch)    2. Abraham    3. Bible - Biography - Old Testament    4. Bible - Study - Old Testament    5. Comparative Religion    6. History    7. Religion    8. Religion - World Religions    9. Religion / History    10. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (20)

A modern Torah
I am very impressed with this Torah overall.While I would have never myself spent $60 on a Torah, I am very pleased that my mom did so just before she dropped out of Torah study class,
A Missed opportunity
The original 1981 edition of the Plaut commentary on the Torah marked a dramatic improvement over the fundamentalist Hertz Torah commentary (The Pentateuch and Haftorahs: Hebrew Text English Translation and Commentary by Joseph H. Hertz) which it replaced in Reform Jewish congregations. It attempted to give both a traditional Jewish and a modern historical view of the text. In this connection, the frequent references to the widely recognized sources (J, E, D, P) is particularly welcomed in a Jewish study Pentateuch.However, it did have a number of weaknesses only some of which have been addressed in this new edition. These weaknesses included:
An Example of Good Biblical Scholarship
The eidtors of THE TORAH: A MODERN COMMENTARY, REVISED EDITION did a credible job in producing this Torah commentary.This reviewer was skeptical due to concerns of "political correctness" vs. accuracy precision.When perusing this book, this reviewer was pleasantly surprised that changes were made in favor of accuracy.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible - Commentaries - Old Testament    2. Bible - Study - Old Testament    3. Bible.    4. Commentaries    5. Haftarot    6. O.T.    7. Pentateuch    8. Religion    9. Religion - Biblical Studies   

Editorial Review

It's been 50 years since a Bedouin youth named Muhammed edh-Dhub went looking for a stray sheep and instead found the Dead Sea Scrolls. In the intervening decades, the scrolls have been enveloped in a storm of controversy and bitter conflict: the scholars entrusted with translating and editing the texts sat on many of them instead, creating suspicions that escalated to conspiracy theories about supposed cover-ups of sensitive, even damaging material. Geza Vermes, a former professor of Jewish studies at Oxford and a noted authority on the scrolls, marks the 50th anniversary of Muhammed edh-Dhub's find with his book Read more

Reviews (15)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English
Unfortunately I have not had the time to really read through this book, but I needed it for a 2-week early Judaism course.What I have been able to read has been beneficial to my education regarding the history of the Jewish people and Jewish religion.

Rifts In Interpretation
Dissertations that devote themselves almost wholly and completely to discussing the Nag Hammadi and Gnostic Gospels, or the New Testament should probably be dismissed out of hand, as they are only marginally related to the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls have nothing in common with any Gospels or New Testament works, except that the DSS are antecedent to them. The Gospels were to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Biblewhat New Age is to Quantum Physics. The Dead Sea Scrolls ended very close in time to when the first Gospels or New Testament works began to appear. Perhaps Jesus knew or visited the Essenes; perhaps He was a card carrying member. He certainly was a contemporary to Qumran's final few decades, minus about 30 years. But, the Essenes were not Christians.There are a good many DSS fragments that are antagonistic to men who proclaimed themselves to be the Sons of God, as it was conservative Jewish thinking then, and remains so today. Also, Vermes does not make any connection whatsoever between the Teacher of Righteousness, a completely different personality who lived somewhere earlier than about 130 B.C.E., to Jesus. Reviews that go on at length about that so-called connection are an indication that the reviewer has not read "The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls In English".
Literary Armageddon
Nearly all knowledgeable Biblical scholars realize there have been a wide range of writings attributed to Jesus and his Apostles..... and that some of these were selected for compilation into the book that became known as the Bible.....and that some books have been removed from some versions of the Bible and others have been re-discovered in modern times.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Antiquities & Archaeology    2. Bible - CriticismInterpretation - General    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Judaism - Sacred Writings    6. Literary    7. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    8. Religion - Judaism    9. Judaism    10. Religion / Judaism / Sacred Writings    11. Sacred texts   

Editorial Review

At first glance, Read more

Reviews (31)

Do you always want to have a good day and great life?
What if you can prosper, be safe, be loved, meet your soulmate, or have a soulmate relationship with your current partner or not ever head for the bad things to get rid of stress?What if you create world peace? What if you are excited about your life everyday, no matter what happens? What if you have no chaos in your life?Read the Power of Kabbalah by Yehuda Berg and work hard for the joyous, amazing, life transforming unbelievable awesome makes you write it down life!Every answer you need is here -

MustRead
This book is good...it stops and makes you think....it helps you understand... how you can make your life better...just by understanding the cause and effects of what you do.This books opens your mind...

A wonderful book!!!

Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternate Spirituality    2. Cabala    3. Inspiration & Personal Growth    4. Judaism    5. Judaism - Kabbalah & Mysticism    6. Mysticism    7. Religion    8. Spiritual life    9. Spirituality - General    10. Body, Mind & Spirit / Spirituality / General    11. Mind, Body, Spirit   

Reviews (3)

False advertising?
When I first read about this "translation" of Mikra'ot Gedolot, I thought to myself: it can't be true.Chavel's English translation of RaMBaN's (Nachmanides) commentary on Shemot (Exodus) alone contains 626 pages of text. How in the world could all of that plus the other classical commentaries plus the original biblical text in Hebrew plus two translations of the biblical text all fit into a 349 page volume? The answer is that they don't.Just by checking the sample page available on the JPS website, I immediately saw that much of Ibn Ezra was missing.For all I know, this may be a very useful volume. However, if you think that it really offers translations of all the materials that appear in a real Mikra'ot Gedolot - think again.

Finding Your Way Through Exodus Was Never So Easy
This new translation of Miqra'ot Gedolot - Exodus is wonderful.The format is easy to read, the translations are very accessible, and the page of commentaries comes alive for those who are (yet) unable to read the original in Hebrew.This translation opens up a whole new world for the student of Torah and Bible - hearing the voices of the commentators respond to each other... and now the reader is invited to join the conversation.Looking forward to all five books of Torah.. and beyond.

Let It Go Medieval On You
Compiled by Michael Carasik, a teacher of Bible at the University of Pennsylvania, Miqra'ot Gedolot (or "large format bible") is now available in an understandable English edition.It was first published 500 years ago (the second edition was published in 1525 by Rabbi Yakov ben Hayyim) as the "Rabbinic Bible." The format is a Hebrew text from the bible in the middle of the page.On top of this Hebrew box is a Targum, or translation(s) in English; surrounding the passage are medieval commentaries from Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo ben Yitzhak, 1040-1105, Northern France), Rashbam (RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, 1085-1174, grandson of Rashi, Northern France) , Ibn Ezra (Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra, 1089-c1164, Muslim Spain/Italy/France/England), and Nachmanides / RambaN (RAbbi Moshe BenNahman, 1195-c1260, Spain/Israel) in new, more understandable, English translations.Other commentators are included when appropriate, including "Masorah (or c1000 traditions)", Bekhor Shor (12th Century France), Rabbi David Kimhi (RaDaK, c1160-c1235, Provence),Hizkuni, Gersonides/Ralbag, Abarbanel (15th Century Inquisition/Spain/Portugal, Italy),and Sforno (Italy, 1470-1550).Abarbanel provides the main question.The biblical passage is translated using BOTH the 1917 (Old JPS) and 1985 (New JPS) JPS English translations, since great scholars wrote them in each period, and nuggets of insight can be derived from each one, even if they are not parallel. The beauty of reading medieval commentaries on Exodus is that they find connections and contradictions that lay readers in English may miss from the more modern bibles.Also, since the commentators lived at different times in different circumstances, the reader can see how the biblical passage spoke to various scholars over time.It also is more raw than the Hertz bibles' (U.K. Chief Rabbi J. H. Hertz), that were used in many synagogues, and written to gloss over "primitive" Hebrew practices.The editor recommends that you follow one particular commentator through an entire story; compare different commentators; compare the two differing English translations and try to understand why they differ;read an entire chapter in the Old JPS translatoin and then in the New JPS translation and see what insights you can find; and/or ponder whether the questions you ask on the text are the same questions that Abarbanel and others felt were the glaring issue.Go and Learn. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Commentaries - General    3. Bible - Commentaries - Old Testament    4. Bible.    5. Bibles - Hebrew    6. Commentaries    7. Judaism - Sacred Writings    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Pentateuch    11. Religion    12. Religion - Commentaries / Reference    13. Religion - Judaism    14. Biblical concordances & commentaries    15. Books of the Old Testament    16. Hebrew   

Reviews (2)

Only Buy when you are ready for Life Transformation
Hello Seeker. A miracle from the Zohar
I an a Catholic, but I can recognize the real stuff when I see one. The Zohar represent a real miracle in my life. As they say: you do not need to know Hebrew to "read" the Zohar, all that is sufficient is just "to scan" the Hebrew sentences with your eyes. I was very poor and unemployed, I purchased this version of the Zohar (with an English translation and notes beside the Hebrew text). I started scanning with all my faith. The collision with my Catholic faith was huge, I started challenging many of the explanations given in the English text (because I could understand them). At the end I could not scan any longer because I was challenging everything. Nothing seemed to fit into my previous mindset and I was extremely upset about that. But a little voice was telling me: "There is TRUTH in those volumes, do not give up." So I purchased the Hebrew Zohar, no English text whatsoever, I finally could not challenge a single word. I started scanning, again faithful 100%. I scanned the Zohar for a year and a half, nothing happened. They say that the Zohar provides miracles, I believed that, but I was not seeing a single miracle in my life, despite all my scanning. I spent many nights awake, just to scan the Zohar. Now, FINALLY, I saw a miracle, and what a miracle! I am talking about real stuff here, not those intellectually justified explanations that want to show you that you had a miracle when indeed you had none. I received an offer from a company, they want to pay me huge money, just to work from home, and it is in a field I like very much (actually it is in the field of my .....hobbies), I also put into practice many of the principles that the Kabbalah Centre teaches, like tithing your money, like using the energy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, using the energy of Chanucka to manifest miracles.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Cabala    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Jewish American Novel And Short Story    6. Judaism    7. Mysticism    8. Religious - General    9. Romance - General    10. Visionary & Metaphysical    11. Fiction / General   

Reviews (14)

Excellent way to understand this psalm
If you believe in God from a Christian or Jew perspective, you can be enlightened and delighted with this thorough explanation of the psalm and benefit from taking the posture the psalmist(s) had when writing it.I have listened to this psalm throughout my whole life and never had the opportunity to fully see all that may be found in its deep meaning. It is amazing all can be expanded from these simple phrases.
A book to reread frequently
One of the most wonderful things about Rabbi Kushner's writings is that he isn't afraid to tackle the hard questions.If we indeed have a Shepherd, why isn't He doing a better job?To this question, Kushner says, "the psalmist would teach us to see the world, without illusions that nothing bad will ever happen, but without the fear that we will be utterly destroy This is a lovely book full of hope and wisdom.
Deep and heartfelt insights
I wasn't expecting much from this book when I picked it up. Beloved though its subject might be, how much can you say about a 15-line bit of verse - the 23rd Psalm ? But Rabbi Harold Kushner uses his compassion and intellect to unpack each line. Though informed by scholarship, this is not a dry scholarly exercise. Kushner uses each line as jumping-off point for a sermon on human v. divine nature, arguing that the heart of faith is not just believing in God, or thinking that God will fix our problems, but in feeling the assurance that God is present and hears us. To Kushner, comfort comes not from an assurance that God will save us from evil, but that with God we are never alone.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Bible    2. Bible - Study - Old Testament    3. Criticism    4. Criticism, interpretation, etc    5. Inspirational - General    6. Judaism    7. Judaism - General    8. O.T    9. O.T.    10. Psalms XXIII    11. Religion    12. Religion - Biblical Studies    13. Religion & Beliefs    14. Religion / Inspirational