Rating: 
Summary: Excellent introduction to classic texts
Review: "Back to the Sources" provides a superb introduction to the classic Jewish texts: the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, medieval Bible commentaries (legal codes are discussed in the chapter on Talmud), medieval philosophical works, Zohar and other kabbalistic works, Hasidic teachings, and the prayer book. Each chapter is written by a different scholar, who is an expert in the text or texts at hand. All of the authors write clearly for non-experts and provide superb guidance, whether you are planning to start reading the texts or simply want to know more about them. Each chapter ends with helpful suggestions for further reading (although these are now somewhat out of date, since the book was published in 1984).There is an interesting divide half way through the book: the first four chapters (on Bible, Talmud, Midrash and commentaries) focus on the literary characteristics of those texts: how they are organized, how style contributes to meaning, what knowledge they assume, how to read them, and so on. Each chapter does an excellent job of walking you through an extended passage of the text under consideration. Other than these analyses of particular passages, however, there is no systematic attempt to discuss or summarize the content of the work, much less consider its meaning or impact. The last four chapters, on the other hand (covering philosophy, kabbala, Hasidic teaching and the Siddur), are much more focused on content, on what the texts are saying and what impact that has had in the development of Judaism. These chapters still include close-reading of significant passages of text, but they also provide extraordinarily helpful overviews of what these texts, as a whole, are trying to accomplish. The chapters on medieval philosophy and kabbala are particularly good -- even if I never get around to studying these texts, I now feel like I have a reasonably good grasp of what they are about. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in these texts or in Jewish intellectual history, even if you have no plans to study the texts themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to classic texts
Review: "Back to the Sources" provides a superb introduction to the classic Jewish texts: the Bible, Talmud, Midrash, medieval Bible commentaries (legal codes are discussed in the chapter on Talmud), medieval philosophical works, Zohar and other kabbalistic works, Hasidic teachings, and the prayer book. Each chapter is written by a different scholar, who is an expert in the text or texts at hand. All of the authors write clearly for non-experts and provide superb guidance, whether you are planning to start reading the texts or simply want to know more about them. Each chapter ends with helpful suggestions for further reading (although these are now somewhat out of date, since the book was published in 1984). There is an interesting divide half way through the book: the first four chapters (on Bible, Talmud, Midrash and commentaries) focus on the literary characteristics of those texts: how they are organized, how style contributes to meaning, what knowledge they assume, how to read them, and so on. Each chapter does an excellent job of walking you through an extended passage of the text under consideration. Other than these analyses of particular passages, however, there is no systematic attempt to discuss or summarize the content of the work, much less consider its meaning or impact. The last four chapters, on the other hand (covering philosophy, kabbala, Hasidic teaching and the Siddur), are much more focused on content, on what the texts are saying and what impact that has had in the development of Judaism. These chapters still include close-reading of significant passages of text, but they also provide extraordinarily helpful overviews of what these texts, as a whole, are trying to accomplish. The chapters on medieval philosophy and kabbala are particularly good -- even if I never get around to studying these texts, I now feel like I have a reasonably good grasp of what they are about. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in these texts or in Jewish intellectual history, even if you have no plans to study the texts themselves.
Rating:
Summary: A broad and clear introduction to Jewish texts
Review: If you are interested in a basic understanding of Jewish texts, from Torah to Talmud, and everything in between, this is a perfect book for you. Each chapter contains a different text, and is presented in a clear, manageable style. Soon after reading this book, I took a course in Zohar with a VERY poor teacher; the only thing that saved some of the students in the class from utter confusion was a Xeroxed copy of the chapter on Kabbalah from this book. Each chapter is self-contained, so it is not necessary to read the book all the way through. It can be used as a reference that you can return to again and again. This strength is also its greatest weakness, however; there is no sense that these texts interact with one another. Each seems to be examined in a vacuum, exclusive of every other text. Also, the section on Talmud actually made me more afraid of studying Talmud than I had previously been. It painted it as a dizzying and impossibly dense text, although the information I gleaned from that chapter was nonetheless useful. (Please don't let that chapter scare you away from studying Talmud yourself!) I recommend this book to anyone who has a basic understanding of Judaism and would like to begin the process of studying in depth.
Rating: 
Summary: good stuff
Review: Northrop Frye, Harold Bloom, and Robert Alter ALL say something good about this book on the back. Those are three giants, each to be listened to closely.
Rating:
Summary: good stuff
Review: Northrop Frye, Harold Bloom, and Robert Alter ALL say something good about this book on the back. Those are three giants, each to be listened to closely.
Rating:
Summary: Judaism 101!
Review: This book is a wonderful introduction to Judaism as a whole. It covers a wide range of topics from biblical literature, to the Zohar. Each chapter is clear and well documented. If you are interested in learning about Judaism, or Jewish and wanting to learn more check it out.
Rating:
Summary: extremely helpful
Review: This book, of many that I have read, deals most concretely and clearly with the major texts of Judaism. I consider it a must-read for all who are interested in learning more about the often obscure texts and their authors.
Rating:
Summary: extremely helpful
Review: This book, of many that I have read, deals most concretely and clearly with the major texts of Judaism. I consider it a must-read for all who are interested in learning more about the often obscure texts and their authors.
Rating:
Summary: How to read the Jewish sources
Review: This work is a kind of reader's guide to reading traditional sources. One chapter for Torah, another for Tannach as a whole, another for Mishnah, another for Gemara. Then there are chapters on Kabbalah, Hasidut, the Siddur. Each of the chapters can be read individually. There are also helpful illustrations for instance of the text of the Gemara.
The essays are written with intelligence and elegance.
The work is highly recommended especially for those who are interested in learning more about how to read the Jewish literary sources.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful introduction to rabbinic literature and Judaism
Review: This work presents chapters on all areas of Jewish and rabbinic literature, by ten experts in Jewish rabbinic works. They are not just knowledgeable, but they are also good writers. It presents a readable explanation and overview of all the basic Jewish texts, including the Torah, the Tanakh (Bible), the Mishna and both Talmuds. That's right, there are two Talmuds: The Bavli, from Babylon, and the Yerushalmi, from Israel. This book also covers Jewish philosophical writings, Kabbalah [Jewish mysticism], Hasidic writings and the Siddur [prayerbook].
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