The Torah: Book ReviewIn Kaminsky and Lohr's book, The Torah, they provide a useful and succinct analysis of the structure, interpretation and the meaning of the Torah. Simply divided into two sections, a general overview of the entire Torah and synopses of the five individual books, the work appears to demonstrate intelligence and depth of biblical understanding. At the same time, Kaminsky and Lohr manage to write in a way that is easy for a biblical novice to grasp. Due to its objective and concise writing style as well as its understandable language, the book serves as a basic foundation for beginning a Torah study. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In the first half of the book, the authors focus on creating a concept for grasping the meaning of the Torah. The authors seem to demonstrate admirable objectivity in addressing this meaning, providing both Jewish and Christian perspectives. Although this objective approach to the Torah is visible throughout the book, it is particularly evident in its balanced examination of interpretation (p. 42). Rather than advocating a particular approach to Torah reading, the authors describe the history of many interpretations in a relatively unbiased manner. A similar courtesy is observed in the work's analysis of Mosaic authorship (p. 13), as well as in its discussion of Pauline theology (pp. 30-31). This spirit of even-handedness seems to reach a unique climax near the end of his general overview, where the authors argue that "readers are encouraged to...decide for themselves whether a proposed interpretation seems valid or not" (p. 64) . With authors who seem quite indifferent to particular and pressing agendas on controversial issues, The Torah seems to be able to garner greater respect than would otherwise be possible. Addressing the five books of the Torah individually in the second half, the authors clearly divide each chapter into an overview and basic structure, but each chapter also contains a section on controversies that seems out of place. In chapters organized around religious broad strokes and themes, sections on controversies seem out of place, giving these chapters a slightly disjointed feel. Specifically, in the section on Deuteronomy, an overview is given, then the text completely changes focus to discuss the authorship of Deuteronomy, before returning to an overview of the book. (p.141-145) The controversies of Genesis and Exodus hark back to the historical criticism discussed earlier in the book, while the chapters of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy contain sections on ethical systems and themes that seem almost sufficiently applicable from intersected way to require an entirely separate approach. chapter on Torah controversies. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay However, even with this lack of cohesion in the second half chapters, the Torah was an academically rich book and an interesting overview of the first five books of the Bible. Written by a Jew and a Christian, the book is comparative and insightful in nature, giving antiquity a new perspective and analysis. It is an unbiased and comprehensive exploration of the flow of the Torah narrative, providing interpretive and textual context for the study of individual books and chapters as one deepens one's understanding of the Torah..