The Life of David By Robert Pinsky Nextbook, 2005, 217 pages Was King David pious? Was he a holy man who was divinely inspired to compose the biblical book of Psalms, the charismatic ideal leader whose offspring would never cease to lead Israel because he was so good, whose descendant would be the [...]
Maimonides the Rationalist By Herbert A. Davidson The Littman Library, 2011, 318 pages Moses Maimonides (1138-1204) criticized most people in his monumental Guide of the Perplexed 3:51 when he wrote that “He who thinks about God and talks about him at length without scientific knowledge…does not truly talk about God and think about [...]
Gersonides Judaism within the Limits of Reason By Seymour Feldman The Littman Library, 2010, 254 pages Levi ben Gershom, Gersonides in Latin, (1288-1344), was one of several great Jewish rationalistic philosophers. He lived in Provence, France, and wrote books on philosophy, science, and Bible commentary. He wasn’t as deep a thinker as Maimonides and [...]
The Fire and the Cloud Contemporary Reflections on the Weekly Torah Reading By David Bigman Gefen Publishing House, 2011, 160 pages David Bigman’s reflections on the meaning of the Torah are a pleasure to read. They are sensible, intelligent, and interesting biblical interpretation, presented clearly, orderly, and concisely, covering 54 different biblical portions in just [...]
The Bible’s Secret By Israel Drazin The ancients knew that it is impossible to tell the truth to the general public. Most people lack the ability to understand because they are taught wrong ideas by teachers who were not taught the truth. This misinformation became the basis of everything they know. Telling them that [...]
Edward F. Campbell, Jr. Ruth The Anchor Bible Reviewed by Israel Drazin Doubleday, 1975, 188 pages The biblical book Ruth is one of the most delightful books of the Bible. Jews read its four short chapters, totaling only 85 sentences, entirely each year in synagogues during the holiday of Shavuot, known in English [...]
Does the Soul Survive? Jewish Journey to Belief in afterlife, past lives and living with purpose. Author Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz; Book reviewed by Israel Drazin
