Eternally Yours, God’s Greatest Gift to Mankind: Exodus by Rabbi Reuven Mann, Observant Artists Community Circle, Inc. Hewlett, New York, © 2017, ISBN 978-0692991329, p. 197, plus glossary, $12.95
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
WINCHESTER, California – From the perspective of Rabbi Reuven Mann, long-time teacher and pulpit rabbi, and presently a teacher at the Masoret Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies for Women, which he co-founded in 1993, God’s greatest gift to humanity is the Torah. In this newest book, Eternally Yours, God’s Greatest Gift to Mankind: Exodus, he concentrates exclusively on the Book of Exodus, pulling salient stories from each of the weekly parashot, then explaining and interpreting them in simple, down-to-earth language. This is not to say his understanding is elementary; far from it. Mann calls on the works of notable Jewish scholars such as Rashi, Rambam, and rabbis Samson Raphael Hirsch and Joseph Soloveitchik.
Additionally, and I think most interesting, Mann, drawing on his own wisdom and insights, offers the Torah’s moral lessons for contemporary life. One lesson he gleans from parasha Bo, for instance, is “Our task in life is to perfect our souls through pursuit of truth and righteous behavior. Our most precious asset is the power to choose between good and evil. Every sin strengthens the forces of instinct and weakens our ability to overcome them. Every good deed empowers the soul and enhances our moral capacity. Full confidence in our capacity for goodness is essential to our mission in life as individuals and a People.”
In Parashat Yitro, which describes God’s revelation at Mt. Sinai, Mann asks if faith is contrary to reason, and responds that faith in Judaism differs from other religions. “Judaism,” he asserts, “does not extol blind faith; instead, it exhorts man to strive for the highest possible knowledge. True faith emerges from the rational part.”
In a third example, Parashat Mishpatim describes many civil laws governing social intercourse. Mann tells his readers this parasha “is teaching us the supreme religious importance of ethical and moral behavior….[because] we are narcissistic beings whose primary concern is for our personal gratification.” The entire Torah, he insists, relies on justice, and proposes that the purpose of the commandments is to improve our character through recognition and love of God.
Rabbi Mann states that his greatest hope is that the book “will engender interest in and enjoyment of the study of Torah.” I think he is on the road to success because in Eternally Yours, God’s Greatest Gift to Mankind: Exodus he takes puzzling aspects of Torah narratives, poses questions to elicit possibilities, and explains their meaning in straightforward and uncomplicated ways. Eternally Yours, God’s Greatest Gift to Mankind: Exodus is an outstanding starting point for Torah study, and with Shavuot just around the corner, it’s a wonderful time to begin.
If you want to start even sooner, Rabbi Mann will be giving a speech at 4 p.m., Monday, April 2, at the Coronado Marriott Resort, 2000 2nd Street, Coronado.
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Dr. Fred Reiss is a retired public and Hebrew school teacher and administrator. His newest works are The Comprehensive Jewish and Civil Calendars: 2001 to 2240, The Jewish Calendar: History and Inner Workings, and Sepher Yetzirah: The Book That Started Kabbalah, Revised Edition. The author may be contacted via fred.reiss@sdjewishworld.com.