Reflections of an Honest Skeptic: An Unorthodox Approach to Genesis - Softcover

Malina, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1936068060 ISBN 13: 9781936068067

Publisher: Devora Publishing, 2011

Synopsis

With a personal and occasionally idiosyncratic approach to the Torah text, this study comments on the familiar stories from Genesis with an eye toward asking the questions that the text invites, but that traditional commentaries have rarely attempted to answer. This analysis reveals a deep respect for the ancient tradition while also evincing a fresh skepticism and 21st-century sensibility concerning the rabbis’ efforts to align the Torah’s words with the doctrines of rabbinic Judaism as these evolved over time.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Malina is a retired antitrust attorney who practiced for 40 years. He has dedicated a significant portion of his life to studying and trying to understand the principal texts of the Jewish tradition and applying their teachings to modern life.

Review

''Michael Malina's Reflections of an Honest Skeptic is a new, eclectic commentary on the book of Genesis. Acknowledging the sanctity, if not the Divine authorship, of the Torah, Malina gives us a close and highly personal reading of Genesis with a unique mixture of sensitivity and occasional chutzpah.'' --Michael J. Bohnen

''That a layman with little formal advanced Jewish education could yet compose this incredibly rich commentary on the biblical text is both a source of wonderment and a testimony to what can be accomplished with serious effort and imaginative reading.'' --Professor Neil Gillman

''Michael Malina skillfully weaves together his astute observations on Genesis from a literary, psychological, rhetorical, and theological perspective. The ample and well-considered references to prior commentators set the stage for questioning received wisdom while maintaining the sacred and central role of the Bible in Jewish tradition.'' --Rabbi Lewis Warshauer

About this edition

• Publisher: Devora Publishing
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1936068060
• ISBN 13: 9781936068067
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232