For many years I’ve been a big fan of Rabbi Amnon Bazak as an extraordinary example of the Gush approach to learning Tanach. In his book To This Very Day: Fundamental Questions in Bible Study, he takes a step back to look at the big questions modernity has raised about the study of Tanach. Using his exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge, he helps both the novice and experienced Tanach learner make sense of and better understand the sefer that is the ground of our Jewish lives.
In the book, Rav Bazak takes on just about every modern question about Tanach study, from biblical criticism to near-eastern archeology; from the relationship between pshat and drash, to why there are discrepancies in Tanach between what we read and what is written. Some of the material was more familiar to me from past learning, but others were entirely new and helpful. Even when I had familiarity, he brought many examples for each idea he discussed that did a great job of illustrating the issue in question. In particular, I loved the chapter on the accuracy of the Masoretic text and how the present version of the written Torah came about.
While Rav Bazak is certainly an apologist for the traditional biblical text, in the sense of providing arguments for a Torah against those who object to its truth, he does so honestly and thoughtfully. He acknowledges arguments where they are strong, and defends them in ways that do not stretch credulity. One leaves the book with a deeper understanding and respect for a text that is deservedly complex and endlessly interesting.
Just Because I Liked It:
- I came across an article which had a quote from Le Strauss’ book, Spinoza’s Critique of Religion, that I found illuminating in our present circumstances.
- “There is a Jewish problem which is humanly solvable: the problem of the Western Jewish individual who…severed his connection with the Jewish community in the expectation that he would thus become a member of a purely liberal or of a universal human society, and who is naturally perplexed when he finds no such society. The solution to his problem is return to the Jewish community, the community established by the Jewish faith and the Jewish way of life – teshuvah (ordinarily rendered ‘repentance’) in the most comprehensive sense.”
- I enjoyed this interview with Rabbi Dr. Zev Eleff on the 18Forty podcast. The title of the podcast actually only reflects the introductory monologue. The interview itself, in line with Rabbi Eleff’s research, is about Judaism in modernity, and his focus on Modern Orthodoxy. It was a great conversation and I learned a lot. Zev also happens to be a friend – but that’s not why I’m plugging his interview!