After I mentioned just a little bit about a couple of comments this book made about the third chapter in Genesis, I had three people wanting to borrow it. This is a serious study. I appreciate that much of the commentary relates to a direct literal study of the Hebrew (even though it has poetic interpretations in the same book). Well worth the money.

Ardent feminists will love this book. Moderate ones may think it goes too far in emphasizing the significance of women in the Torah. The commentaries and the literary entries are excellent and the format is easily accessible. I would not recommend reading this commentary alone, without a less egalitarian version at one's side. Comparisons are always valid. I especially like the non-gendered usage, which doesn't hammer the reader over the head but makes its point nicely.

I bought this for my wife, a theology major. She has been very excited about the book, finding it scholarly, well researched and a new approach to the Torah from women's point of view. There are many significant insights to be gained from this work.

Wow! This is such a beautiful commentary on Judaism's holiest text. I love the symphony of voices that flow through this book. Not only are comments meaningful and well written but the general oranization of the book is wonderful. I am man who loves Torah and all of the commentaries that it produces. This volume will sit proudly on my bookself next Rashi, Hirsch, Sforno, Ramban, etc. I am recommending this commentary to every Rabbi I know regardless of affiliation. Even if the price is a stretch for you, buy this book because you won't be sorry.

The Torah: A Women's Commentary is a compilation of the most recent Torah scholarship that also includes a woman's perspective. Introductory essays by Carol Meyers, Judith R. Baskin and Ellen Umansky are outstanding in orienting the reader to the world of Torah history and post biblical analysis. Alterative perspectives enrich this multi-dimential effort. This volume produced by the Women of Reform Judaism makes me proud to be a scholar and a Jew.

What I have read so far has proved informative and interesting for my study of the Bible.

the first time in the Torah, Bible, Jewish history : women can think and write all the commentary. Great scholars and rabbies and historians! The best way to improve your jewishness and your feminism

This awesome labor of love combines Torah text, commentary, contemporary reflections, poetry (and more.) Because it focuses on the role of women (or their absence) in Torah, it provides a long needed pathway for women to enter into the biblical world and the teachings of a text that has played so great a part in shaping our views of our relationship with the Divine, and each other. Inside it is beautiful in every sense. It deserved a cover more commensurate with that beauty, but why quibble.

Buy it for every Jewish woman and girl you love. (What an extraordinary Bat Mitzvah present!)

What an exciting addition to the growing resources for women in Jewish studies. The contributors are a who's who of Jewish women scholars and interpreters. This book will be so useful for anyone wanting to open their mind to new interpretations of texts.

Eskenazi, Tamara Cohn and Andrea L. Weiss, editors. "The Torah: A Women's Commentary", Union of Reform Judaism Press and Women of Reform Judaism, 2008.

Worth the Wait and More

Amos Lassen

I just received my review copy of "The Torah: A Women's Commentary" and I could not wait to have a good look at it. It is one of those books that one look is not quite enough. This is commentary to be cherished--beautiful in every aspect. Physically this is a gorgeous book and if I have anything negative to say it is that I wish the cover would match the beauty of what is inside The cover is fine and I applaud the green color. I just wish that it was a bit more luxurious, maybe leather.
The Torah is the Jewish religion's most sacred text and it has brought forth numerous commentaries through the ages. Some of these are almost as respected as the text itself, even though up until now commentaries have been "somewhat" misogynistic. Those days are over with this volume which will, in my mind, find its place among the other commentaries. And let me say from the start--this is not a commentary for just women; it is a commentary for all of us. In the past and for generations, men have written the commentaries. Now we have fresh new voices which bring new ideas and new ways of thinking.
I recently brought my commentary with me to my weekly Torah study at Temple B'nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas and as we read the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 12, I followed along with an open mind and was amazed to see how much this commentary gave answers to some of the questions we discussed.
The women's commentary has been in the making for 15 years and it was worth the wait. The writing is scholarly and provides post-Biblical discussions and interpretations of the Five Books of Moses. To reflect on the Torah in contemporary terms brings new ideas to the fore and here is a book filled with new ideas on a text that dates back some 5000 years. The commentary is easy to use (I did not want to use the term user-friendly) and provides wonderful insight. The design is beautiful (have I used that word before? It is probably because I am so taken with it) and it is destined to become a great asset to the field of scholarship on Biblical thought.
I recently wrote my own commentary of the portion "Eikev" and I was anxious to see how much, or how little, the women and I were aligned. I felt that if I had had this at the time I wrote mine it would have been so much fuller and meaningful. (Remember that song from "Hello Dolly!", "It Takes a Women"? Believe me the women that worked on this commentary have given us a lot to think about.
Of course there is no commentary on the Torah that will answer all of the questions that might arise. The beauty of the Torah is that it allows us to draw our own conclusions. It is always good to have a guide to work within and I found the women's commentary to provide such a guide. It is quite simply a wonderful source for study. One of the new aspects of this work also is the section entitled "Voices" that accompanies each Torah portion. The poetry included in this section is exceptional and a pleasure to read. In short, the entire book is a pleasure to read and great fun too.

Almost 15 years in the creation, "The Torah: A Women's Commentary" is a scholarly commentary on the Five Books of Moses, including post-biblical interpretations and contemporary reflections. It is structured in a "user-friendly" way to enable the reader to access the richness of the Jewish Text. It is a beautifully designed, scholarly work that will be, I'm sure, a source for study and learning for many years to come.

I especially like the "Voices" section for each Torah Portion. Poetry says it all. Women poets rule, particularly Amy Blank!