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Summary: Outstanding!!!
Review: Although I have read the Tanakh, this book really opened my eyes to things I have never seen before! I was delighted to read this overview of all important events in the Tanakh, in fact it has inspired me to go back and re-read what I have already read to find new things!
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Summary: Greatest introduction & comprehensive overview of the Bible
Review: Biblical Literacy is, in my view, unquestionably the greatest introduction and comprehensive overview of the Hebrew Bible to date. From Rabbi Telushkin, a great scholar and the grandson of one of the 20th century's great Torah leaders, Rabbi Nissen Telushkin, we should expect no less.
Although I attended Jewish schools until college, where I received a wonderful education and the skills to study Jewish texts in the original, the latter two sections of the Hebrew Bible, Prophets and Writings (known by their Hebrew acronym NaCh), took back row seats on the curriculum in deference to the emphasis on the Five Books of the Torah and the Talmud. (This is typical of Jewish schools, by the way.) This book, in its characteristic short two-three page chapters, therefore gave me a rough overview of NaCh that I otherwise wouldn't have received unless I sat down and studied it in depth.
While the first section involves much summarizing and fleshing out key events in Biblical passages, Rabbi Telushkin explores the "laws and ideas", the ethical lessons, to be gleaned from these events in Part Two. To take a few examples, Rabbi Telushkin explains difficult concepts to understand like man's being created in God's image, the truth about human nature, God hardening Pharaoh's heart vs. free will, slavery, the commandment to fear God, the command to 'walk in God's ways', and much, much more.
Also, of great value, Rabbi Telushkin lists and briefly explains all 613 commandments in the Torah, no small undertaking. Another thing, like other Telushkin books, the insights of his dear childhood friend (and co-author of two books) Dennis Prager, to my delight, make their way into the book on more than one occasion.
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Summary: more good work . . .
Review: from Rabbi Telushkin. What makes this book special is that, to a greater extent than his other books, it discusses not only the Five Books of Moses (and Jewish tradition interpreting those books) but also the other parts of the Hebrew Bible such as the Prophets, historical books, etc.
Rating:
Summary: more good work . . .
Review: from Rabbi Telushkin. What makes this book special is that, to a greater extent than his other books, it discusses not only the Five Books of Moses (and Jewish tradition interpreting those books) but also the other parts of the Hebrew Bible such as the Prophets, historical books, etc.
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Summary: Simply incredible
Review: I am halfway through this book, and I must say, it is one of the greatest explorations of the characters and events in the Hebrew Bible I have ever had the pleasure to read. Mixing a summary of the basic story with traditional Rabbinical teachings on the significigance and reason for the events and characters, along with answers to questions readers may face about certain Biblical texts, Rabbi Telushkin provides an excellent guide to the Old Testament.
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Summary: SPECIAL POINT OF VIEW
Review: I am halfway through this book. It simply is amazing. The point of view of a Rabbi (as is Mr. Telushkin) is simply very special and amazing. It is a good support for reading it along with the Bible. If you are a Jew and/or Christian, you will fall in love with the book, just as I do every day.
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Summary: wonderful, clear reading
Review: I bought this book for a gift-now I'm keeping it for myself! We Christians are poorly educated about the Old Testament, focusing on the New- I love it, have told many about it-I have learned so much. wonderful job. Thanks, Rabbi Telushkin
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Summary: The most helpful study guide ever!!
Review: I bought this book in preparation for my class on the Hebrew Bible at Seattle University. It has not only been an immense help, but has allowed me to participate in class discussions like never before. Never have I been able to find such insight in the Old Testament, nor have I been able to defend my findings so clearly. Telushkin has done a simply wonderful job of bringing out those things one needs to grasp in order to go back and read the Good Book with a renewed sense of purpose. This truly is a must read for anyone who THINKS they know about the Old Testament.
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Summary: A Helpful Resource in Understanding Scripture
Review: I first became interested in the Bible as a child. It began after watching the movie The Ten Commandments. I loved this larger than life epic and I started reading the Bible. I have discovered that the Bible does not have the razzle dazzle special effects of a Cecil B. De Mille film, but when a person carefully watches the Tem Commandments, one can see it's all hype. The Bible, on the other hand, is not hype, and for many people, can be life sustaining. Both Jewish and Christian lovers of scripture who want an aid to help the Bible become a little easier to understand will more than likely find Biblical Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin very helpful.Rabbi Telushkin's book is basically a Clifs Notes summary of the Hebrew Scriptures, filled with all sorts of anecdotes, commentary, and rabbinic interpretation, compiled by a person of faith. It is elementary enough for people who may be new to these texts, but profound enough for people who know these passages rather well. Personally, I found the book helpful for two reasons. As a person involved in religious education for a number of years, I appreciate his approach for people whop may be searching for something in life. His writing is inviting and compassionate. If his writing is any sign of the vitality of his congregation, it must be flourishing and thriving. As a Christian, the book helped me see the Hebrew Scriptures on their own rather than from the point of view of 2,000 years of Christian tradition. This book can help a Christian view scripture as Jesus did, and help fill in gaps caused by misunderstanding. I actually used this book in my Bible study and nearly all the participants who read the book found it both helpful and insightful.
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Summary: A must-have book
Review: I started to read this book out of sequence, searching for those characters and stories in which I was most interested, but I found the prose so readable, the insights so profound, that I went to page one and read it straight through. This is a magnificient book. Everybody should have it in their library. You'll be surprised how often you refer to it. Every time you do, you'll come away knowing a lot more about the Bible than you did before. Rabbi Telushkin has produced a great work.
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