The Torah: Book Review In Kaminsky and Lohr's book, The Torah, they provide a helpful and concise analysis of the structure, interpretation, and meaning of Torah. Simply divided into two sections, a general overview of the entire Torah and a synopsis of the five individual books, the work seems to display intelligence and depth of biblical understanding. At the same time, Kaminsky and Lohr manage to write in a way that is easy for a Bible beginner to learn. Thanks to their objective, concise writing style and understandable language, the book serves as a basic foundation for beginning a study of Torah. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the first half of the book, the authors focus on creating a construct for understanding the meaning of the Torah. The authors appear to demonstrate admirable objectivity in addressing this meaning, providing both Jewish and Christian perspectives. While this objective approach to the Torah is visible throughout the book, it is particularly evident in its balanced interpretive examination (p. 42). Rather than advocating a particular approach to reading the Torah, the authors outline the history of many interpretations in a relatively impartial manner. A similar courtesy is seen in the work's analysis of Mosaic authorship (p.13), as well as in its discussion of Pauline theology (p.30-31). This spirit of impartiality seems to reach a unique culmination towards the end of its 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 pressing particular agendas on controversial issues, the Torah appears to be able to garner a wider range of 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 broad lines and religious themes, the sections on controversies seem out of place, giving these chapters a slightly disjointed feel. Specifically, in the section on Deuteronomy, an overview is provided, then the text shifts focus completely to discussing the authorship of Deuteronomy, before returning to the draft of the book. (p.141-145) The controversies of Genesis and Exodus relate to historical criticism addressed earlier in the book, while the chapters of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy contain sections on ethical systems and themes that seem almost cross-applicable enough to require a completely separate discussion. chapter on Torah controversies. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper 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 and interesting overview of the first five books of the Bible. Written by a Jew and a Christian, the book is insightfully comparative in nature, offering the ancient a new perspective and analysis. It serves as an unbiased, overarching exploration of the flow of the Torah narrative, providing interpretive and textual context to the study of individual books and chapters as one dives deeper into understanding the Torah..