OU PRESS AND URIM PUBLICATIONS PRESENT “BETWEEN THE LINES OF THE BIBLE — EXODUS: A STUDY FROM THE NEW SCHOOL OF ORTHODOX TORAH COMMENTARY” BY RABBI YITZCHAK ETSHALOM
The tools — linguistic, analytical, and archaeological — of so-called “modern Biblical criticism” and contemporary scholarship have been used for more than a century in an attempt to discredit the notion of the Divine authorship of the Torah. There is, therefore, something particularly satisfying and exciting in employing those same methods to demonstrate and appreciate the authenticity, elegance, and profundity of that Divinely authored text, and that is exactly what Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, in his new book, Between the Lines of the Bible: Exodus, does.
In Between the Lines of the Bible: Exodus, co-published by the OU Press | Jewish Educational Publications and Urim Publications, Rabbi Etshalom harnesses those sources and disciplines — in recent history used for nefarious purposes — to uncover new dimensions within the Biblical text.
A popular and inspiring educator, Rabbi Etshalom makes a compelling case for not looking at the text solely through the filter of classic Rabbinic literature, but for using other disciplines, as well, to plumb the depth and richness of our sacred writings. Arguing that exclusive reliance on the Midrashic approach is relatively recent, he points out that in traditional Torah study, other approaches, such as philology and literary analysis, had always been accepted as alternatives to Midrash. He analyzes themes in the Book of Exodus in a fresh way using these alternative sources of interpretation, and his essays on Pharaoh, Moses, the Ten Commandments, the Tabernacle, and other themes in Exodus will surprise and enthrall all who are interested in an original view of Torah interpretation.
Between the Lines of the Bible: Exodus is the latest publication from the OU Press, the publishing house of the Orthodox Union. The OU Press publishes books that breathe new life and relevance into the classic texts we study and the rituals we practice every day. Between the Lines of the Bible: Exodus follows in the footsteps of other high-quality OU Press publications on the weekly Torah reading, including Darosh Darash Yosef by Rabbi Avishai David and Unlocking the Torah Text by Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, that explicate the Torah text. Upcoming publications include Society and Self: On the Writings of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik by Professor Gerald (Ya’akov) Blidstein, featuring a perceptive analysis of recurring themes in Rabbi Soloveitchik’s writings.
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