The Torah Is an Open Book: Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic

Rediscover the radical vision of an ancient text.

For too long, conservative or literalist voices have used the Bible to exclude, shame, and silence, leading many of us to disregard the text altogether. But the Bible is still speaking to us, if we know where to look. In The Torah Is an Open Book, Rabbi Caryn Broitman offers a powerful alternative: a return to the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash--a creative, questioning, and often radical form of interpretation--to show that Scripture isn't meant to be read literally or rigidly. It's meant to be wrestled with.

This book invites readers of all backgrounds--religious, secular, spiritual but not religious--to engage with the Bible as a living conversation. Drawing on centuries of Jewish commentary and her own experience as a congregational rabbi, Broitman shows how even the most difficult or obscure passages can become sources of insight, justice, and connection when read through the lens of midrash.

You don't need to believe every verse or accept a rigid theology to find meaning in Scripture. You just need to bring your full self to the text--your doubts, your values, your lived experience. Because in Judaism, the Torah isn't a closed book handed down from on high. It's an open scroll, still unfolding, and you're invited to be part of the story.

With warmth, clarity, and a fresh look at Jewish tradition, The Torah Is an Open Book reclaims sacred text as a space for dialogue, transformation, and moral courage, where questioning, wrestling, and interpreting are not only allowed--they're sacred.

Rabbi Caryn Broitman has served as rabbi of the Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center since 2003. She is a graduate of Harvard University in the Comparative Study of Religion, and received her Rabbinical Ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. She has been a Senior Educators Fellow at the Melton Centre of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and a Daniel Jeremy Silver Fellow at the Center for Jewish Studies, Harvard University. She is a regular contributor to Moment Magazine and a sought-after speaker on multi-faith topics, and her work has been featured on NPR and WMVY Radio. She lives on Martha's Vineyard.