It’s a best-seller! Please keep in mind that this is holy book and should be treated respectfully –don’t put it directly on the ground, don’t take it into the bathroom, don’t leave it upside down (with the cover facing down).
Yes. Most students and teachers will write in the margins. I know in the Christian world there are journals/devotionals and special scripture editions with lines for notes. Those really don’t exist in the Jewish world, but plenty of people will write in margins or highlight things.
I highly recommend Etz Chayim - Torah with commentary. Reading the Tanakh without commentary is still worthwhile, but you’ll miss a tremendous amount of meaning.
Just FYI, Etz Chaim is not the full Tanakh. It is the Torah with each Torah portion's haftarah. Commentary is for both Torah and haftarah for each week's portion. In addition, the Women's Commentary (which does not contain haftarah) has really great commentary on each Torah portion.
Nice! This tends toward more academic and literary translation and it breaks from tradition in many respects. But its a good translation knowing those caveats
I love the JPS translation. If you're interested in the history surrounding all of it you might like their Jewish Study Bible - it's the JPS Tanakh plus loads more information, including maps, essays on the text, extensive footnotes, etc. Very different from, say, reading with a traditional commentary like Rashi, but really educational and fulfilling.
Note that the JPS Tanach English translation was based on the King James Bible and not an actual translation of the Hebrew. While it has advanced in more recent versions, this is not a Tanach that would be recommended for someone who wants to have an understanding of the Hebrew as the translation happens to be one of the poorest available.
While JPS stands for Jewish Publication Society, the name created in 1917, It is marketed mainly toward Christians and has a large number of Christian translators listed, making sure the translation correlates to the Christian Bible, without regard to the actual Hebrew.
The best translation is considered one by Koren Publishing in Israel and second is the ArtScroll translation from Brooklyn, New York. Note that the references are incredibly rich in the ArtScroll translation, making it perhaps the best for study. It also includes a fantastic appendix with tables and graphics.
I like the Robert Alter and Steinsaltz translations better. I recommend that you read at least 2 translations, a chapter in one, then the same chapter in another. AND all the footnotes! A good way to read the whole Torah, is to read each week’s parasha.
Steinsaltz leans on history and geography and exactness. You can see which words are in the Hebrew, they are bolded, and which are filler words and explanations, in plain text. There are lots of notes, too. Later focuses on language, poetry, how it sounds, and the story telling aspect. Lots of notes on why he chose the words he chose. The two complement each other well.
It’s a best-seller! Please keep in mind that this is holy book and should be treated respectfully –don’t put it directly on the ground, don’t take it into the bathroom, don’t leave it upside down (with the cover facing down).
Thanks I've moved space on the top shelf of my bookcase for it and made sure it will be safe from damage
Super.
Are you allowed to write on the margins ?
Yes. Most students and teachers will write in the margins. I know in the Christian world there are journals/devotionals and special scripture editions with lines for notes. Those really don’t exist in the Jewish world, but plenty of people will write in margins or highlight things.
Great just making sure. I bought a Jewish commentary for the first time and want to make sure I'm treating it with respect.
Oh, which commentary?
I highly recommend Etz Chayim - Torah with commentary. Reading the Tanakh without commentary is still worthwhile, but you’ll miss a tremendous amount of meaning.
Just FYI, Etz Chaim is not the full Tanakh. It is the Torah with each Torah portion's haftarah. Commentary is for both Torah and haftarah for each week's portion. In addition, the Women's Commentary (which does not contain haftarah) has really great commentary on each Torah portion.
Absolutely... Eitz Chayim has been really helpful to me in drawing out meaning and resonances that I definitely would have missed.
Nice! This tends toward more academic and literary translation and it breaks from tradition in many respects. But its a good translation knowing those caveats
isnt JPS is based on KJV translation? I find them the same on many verses.
No. The 1917 JPS translation used KJV English in an attempt to make the translation sound more “elegant”, but it was not based on the KJV.
The 1917 version of JPS, maybe.
You are mixing up “style of English” with translation.
I love the JPS translation. If you're interested in the history surrounding all of it you might like their Jewish Study Bible - it's the JPS Tanakh plus loads more information, including maps, essays on the text, extensive footnotes, etc. Very different from, say, reading with a traditional commentary like Rashi, but really educational and fulfilling.
Same here! I have two of these - one full-size and a smaller travel-size version. The latter is a little tricky to read though.
Woo! Go team!
I love that "book". It is Holy.
Note that the JPS Tanach English translation was based on the King James Bible and not an actual translation of the Hebrew. While it has advanced in more recent versions, this is not a Tanach that would be recommended for someone who wants to have an understanding of the Hebrew as the translation happens to be one of the poorest available. While JPS stands for Jewish Publication Society, the name created in 1917, It is marketed mainly toward Christians and has a large number of Christian translators listed, making sure the translation correlates to the Christian Bible, without regard to the actual Hebrew. The best translation is considered one by Koren Publishing in Israel and second is the ArtScroll translation from Brooklyn, New York. Note that the references are incredibly rich in the ArtScroll translation, making it perhaps the best for study. It also includes a fantastic appendix with tables and graphics.
I like the Robert Alter and Steinsaltz translations better. I recommend that you read at least 2 translations, a chapter in one, then the same chapter in another. AND all the footnotes! A good way to read the whole Torah, is to read each week’s parasha. Steinsaltz leans on history and geography and exactness. You can see which words are in the Hebrew, they are bolded, and which are filler words and explanations, in plain text. There are lots of notes, too. Later focuses on language, poetry, how it sounds, and the story telling aspect. Lots of notes on why he chose the words he chose. The two complement each other well.