Academic Biblical Scholarship

At the heart of the life and career of Moshe Greenberg, z”l, was a search for spiritual meaning through the scholarly study of the Bible.

The Hebrew book of Esther was translated into Greek and expanded in the 1st century B.C.E. It was then revised and contracted in two further textual forms. A fourth version preserved only in a late first-millennium Old Georgian translation combines all three Greek texts, using a conservative redaction approach, similar to what scholars posit happened with the Pentateuch.

Na’aseh Ve-Nishma

The generative relationship between ancient texts and later interpretation can illuminate and revitalize the study of these texts, including the Bible.

Reflections on teaching biblical criticism in the classroom; a talk given at the Edah conference (2005).

Decades before Facebook, blogs, and the Internet, at a time Orthodoxy was trying to distinguish itself from the Conservative movement, ten Orthodox thinkers responded to the question of what the divine revelation of the Torah meant in Orthodox Judaism. Did they meet the challenge of Biblical Criticism?

A classic example of source criticism applied to Torah legislation.

An analysis of why the approach taken by TheTorah.com has found such a large audience among the Orthodox at this time.

How do they differ? What are their respective goals? And why the two should not be confused.

The joy of unraveling the Torah’s mysteries

An introduction to the Diatessaron, and its significance to biblical studies, particularly the Documentary Hypothesis.

The works of medieval exegetes such as Maimonides, Rashbam and Ibn Ezra demonstrate that Judaism has a long-standing tradition of studying the Torah critically.

Illustrating four aspects of Shavuot from critical and traditional perspectives.

Walking in the footsteps of Philo, the first biblical commentator, taking Ibn Ezra’s critiques to heart, and paying it forward to the next generation.

“The heavens are the heavens for YHWH, and the earth was given to humankind.” — Psalm 115:16. Reflections on the 10-year anniversary of TheTorah.com.

Exposing readers to modern critical scholarship and traditional Jewish commentary, not treating them as mutually exclusive, is one of TheTorah.com’s most significant contributions.

One of modern Judaism’s primary challenges is the lack of educated Jews. TheTorah.com plays a vital role in addressing this issue and making substantial strides toward a solution.

Many hundreds of rabbis and clergy use TheTorah.com as a resource. I am committed to help support it. Will you join me?

On seven years of TheTorah.com

A reflection on the yahrzeit of Samuel Rolles Driver

After years of yeshiva education and even Orthodox semicha, encountering biblical criticism was a shock to my system. However, my initial fear and disorientation gave way to a new bottom-line understanding of Torah, and it has become part of the message that I use to inspire my students on campus.

A Dati Israeli Blogger’s Perspective