Sacred Writings category: 300 books

Although the theme of bloodied nuptial sheets seems pervasive in western culture, its association with female virginity is uniquely tied to a brief passage in the book of Deuteronomy detailing the procedure for verifying a young woman's purity; it seldom, if ever, appears outside of Abrahamic traditions....

Medieval Jewish philosophers have been studied extensively by modern scholars, but even though their philosophical thinking was often shaped by their interpretation of the Bible, relatively little attention has been paid to them as biblical interpreters. In this study, Robert Eisen breaks new ground...

The fourth book making up the Neviim Rishonim (Early Prophets) - Melakhim (Kings) is divided into two parts. It presents the history of ancient Israel and Judah from the death of David to the release of his successor Jeconiah from imprisonment in Babylon, a period of some 400 years. David dies and...

The Book of Jubilees, or, as it is sometimes called, "the little Genesis," purports to be a revelation given by God to Moses through the medium of an angel, and containing a history, divided up into jubilee-periods of forty-nine years, from the creation to the coming of Moses. Though the...

Scattered throughout the Talmud, the founding document of rabbinic Judaism in late antiquity, can be found quite a few references to Jesus--and they're not flattering. In this lucid, richly detailed, and accessible book, Peter Schäfer examines how the rabbis of the Talmud read, understood, and used...

The Sepher Yetzirah is the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts. Its exact origins are unknown, and hotly debated. Some scholars believe it might have an early Medieval origin, while others emphasize earlier traditions appearing in the book. When properly understood, Sepher Yetzirah...

Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  The Tanakh was rewritten by Roman’s and is used in the Christian Bible named the Old Testament. The Quran also uses the peoples and stories of the Torah as it’s basis.

Prophets is the second section of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh. These are the books that describe the history of Israel aster entry into the land of Israel. Prophets -- Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Rabbi Sheldon Lewis sought solace and a path to reconciliation in Jewish texts. Peacemaking is arguably the key pillar among Jewish values, and Torah of Reconciliation seeks to reveal this primary value in diverse scriptural and rabbinical texts. Following the annual cycle...

Answers to everything can be found in the Torah. Rabbi Akibah divided the five books further into selections to be read each week, which we continue to use today. Now, for the first time, we have a book focusing on the themes of each portion through well thought-out, brilliant commentaries. Weakley...

Talks on the Parasha recreates the warm, intimate atmosphere of a personal encounter with Rabbi Steinsaltz. While providing insights that are meaningful for the Jewish collective, it speaks to every individual as well. To Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, the Torah contains within it many worlds....

The Talmud is filled with knowledge, inspiration, and insights that enrich all facets of Jewish life. Yet many are intimidated by the thought of studying its text, and their hesitancy prevents them from experiencing the wisdom of its words. In this new volume, Rabbi Judith Abrams takes readers with...

Anglophone Jewish literature is not traditionally numbered among the new literatures in English. Rather, Jewish literary production in English has conventionally been classified as ‘hyphenated’ and has therefore not yet been subjected as such to the scrutiny of scholars of literary or cultural...

The I, Claudius author’s “lightning sharp interpretations and insights . . . are here brought to bear with equal effectiveness on the Book of Genesis” (Kirkus Reviews). This is a comprehensive look at the stories that make up the Old Testament and the Jewish religion, including the folk...