The Israel Bible edited by Rabbi Naphtali “Tuly” Weisz, Menorah Books, New Milford, CT and Jerusalem, © 2018, ISBN 978-1-940516-80-6, p. 2141, plus introductory and supplemental material, $59.95.
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
WINCHESTER, California – The Israel Bible, produced in honor of Israel’s seventieth anniversary by Israel365, an organization promoting the essence and importance of the Land of Israel, is edited by Rabbi Tuly Weisz, former rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation in Columbus, Ohio, now living in Israel with his family, and founder of Israel365.
The Israel Bible is a complete Hebrew Bible, containing all the books of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Its beauty and uniqueness are observable from its cover and continuing with the introductory material: A chart of the aleph-bet displaying the name and pronunciation of the Hebrew letters and vowels together with each letter’s gematria; a table of contents listing the Torah, maftir, and haftarah reading for Shabbat and special occasions in Israel and the Diaspora; and the blessings before and after reading the Torah in Hebrew, transliterated into English, and a verse-by-verse translation into English. The Table of Contents, in addition to enumerating the pages on which each book of the Bible begins, gives the page numbers and titles of graphics and illustrations, which are peppered throughout.
Each book within The Israel Bible opens with an overview and commentary written by one of ten eminent Judaic scholars, and embedded throughout are maps, charts, and lists vivifying and highlighting important places, people, and events associated with that book. For instance, a chart explaining and simplifying the korbanot yachid—the offerings brought by an individual— separated by voluntary and required offerings is presented at the start of Leviticus, and the Book of Deuteronomy begins with a map of biblical refuge cities divided by location east and west of the Jordan River.
The Book of Isaiah commences with a chart of the empires ruling the Land of Israel from the Canaanites in the fifteenth century BCE to the modern State of Israel, established in 1948, and since the Book of Job offers very little information about his life, The Israel Bible prefaces Job with a list of opinions, from many sources, proposing when he actually lived. The Book of Psalms starts off with an enlightening map of the places mentioned in the book along with its name and related Psalm(s). In front of the Book of Esther are entries cataloguing the forty-eight prophets and prophetesses named in the Talmud together with their biblical reference.
The introductory material, which by-and-large is scholarly, is also quite readable, stressing the distinctiveness and singularity of Israel, “a land where God’s presence is fully manifest, and where our relationship with Him is more profound and more complete.” In the introduction to the Book of Ezekiel, for example, which displays a map of the ancient Near East in the sixth century BCE, we read of Ezekiel’s heritage along with a parsing of the book into three sections. The first and second focus on Ezekiel’s messages of divine judgments that will befall Jerusalem and the nations of the world, and the third stresses his prediction of hope for redemption from exile.
The publishers have selected an easy-to-read font for both the Hebrew and English. The translations are accessible, modern and carefully crafted, becoming apparent with the opening verse of Genesis, which is rendered, “When Hashem began to create heaven and earth,” rather than the usual “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” Translating from one language to another is often a difficult task, but especially true with biblical Hebrew, an ancient language whose connotative meanings may not be obvious. In the translation to Exodus 3:14, where Moses asks God for a name that he is to reveal to the Israelites in Egypt, we read “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh” rather than the inexact, and perhaps meaningless, “I am that I am.” In Exodus 20:4, the Third Commandment, the Hebrew word pesel is appropriately translated as “sculptured image” rather than the usual “likeness” or “form.” The Hebrew word yoleddet is often mistranslated as “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14. The Israel Bible does not fall into this trap, correctly giving the translation of “young woman.” Proverbs 26:10 is an extremely difficult passage to translate, almost obscure. However, The Israel Bible offers a translation paralleling the Hebrew, avoiding the addition of unintended content.
Each scholar presenting his/her introduction to a given book of the Bible also provides numerous commentaries throughout that book; such verses are highlighted and the observations are presented at the bottom of the page. When a verse is highlighted, it is also transliterated into English, giving the non-Hebrew speaker a chance to say the verse out loud. Many of the comments not only add meaning to the verse but also clarify its meaning to modern Israel.
The concluding supplemental material, in addition to an index, contains a wealth of information, such as a chart of the Hebrew months and their holidays, a modern-day map of Israel and its neighbors, a list of Israel’s Prime Ministers, and Hatikvah in Hebrew, English, and transliteration.
The Israel Bible is a treasure: impressive, with coherent, expressive and intelligible introductions, translations faithful to the Hebrew, important commentary linking the Bible to modern-day Israel, and substantial and purposeful supplementary material. An enjoyable Bible for the synagogue; a wonderful reference for school and home.
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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.