I
believe that a disclaimer is in order first. That is, I am not
Jewish, nor am I
an accomplished student of Judaism, Kabbalah, Talmud, or the Torah
as a religious or spiritual pursuit. My knowledge of the
aforementioned is pretty random and chaotic, as it has been dictated
by my research and interest in other historic stories and studies,
and thus limited to the understanding or knowledge required to
accomplish those pursuits. That being said, I was very interested in
the chance to read Nachmanides
for several reasons.
Overall,
I did find the work both interesting and illuminating. The layout was
not quite what I was expecting, however, that is not a critique of
the writer’s successful attempt to present his research in an
organized and deliberate way. While, I do feel that not being better
versed in rabbinic teachings or subjects did mean that certain
explanations made me feel a little in over my head, I would
absolutely recommend this book to anyone with any interest in the
Books ascribed to Moses whether it is for religious or historic or
cultural exploration.
The
primary focus of the work is on 3 things; first, Nachmanides, a 13th
century Jewish scholar, second, the information, both historic and
instructive, of the Torah
(or The Books of the Old Testament ascribed to Moses), and last, the
Targum Onkelos, as an
authoritative reference and
resource used by the first in his commentary on the second.
The
result was a very informative, comprehensive overview of Nachmanides
as a scholar and an in-depth analysis of his commentary on selected
verses of the Torah
that were considered questionable or unreasonable by the author.
While, the author’s focus
was on reviewing Nachmanides’ explanations, I found that I gained a
lot of knowledge about the inheritance of Moses’ teachings and the
preservation methods of those teachings and the stories of the Jewish
peoples, thus, making this
work of value to anyone that is seeking more information or
understanding about Biblical topics.
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