The Modern Men's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Jewish Men on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions

The Torah is a book that is thousands of years old. How is it still relevant to the modern Jewish man? "The Modern Men's Torah Commentary: New Insights From Jewish Men on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions" is a braintrust of many Jewish thinkers about how the modern man can better integrate the Torah into their modern lives. These men offer many modern perspectives, all of which will give readers much to think about on the ancient holy text. "The Modern Men's Torah Commentary" is of strong consideration to any Jewish man seeking relevance for his faith.

Salkin, Jeffrey K. "The Modern Man's Torah Commentary: New Insights from Jewish Men on the 54 Weekly Torah Portions", Jewish Lights, 2009. A Modern View of a Classic Text Amos Lassen I have a weakness for Torah commentaries and I suppose there are two reasons for that--I like to see how others think and I want validation on some of my ideas. When I saw "The Modern Man's Torah Commentary", I pulled it from the shelf and began to peruse it. Then I knew I had to have it so my pockets are empty but my mind is filling up. I always find it interesting to see what is regarded as commentary and how much of that is worthy of being printed. In this commentary I found modern issues addressed in light of Torah teachings; topics such as ambition, relationships, sexuality, work and careers, aging, body image and so much more. The commentators are rabbis, cantors, educators and professors, media men and journalists, authors, community leaders and musicians, What they all have in common is that they are Jewish. They represent all of the branches of Judaism--orthodox, reform, conservative, reconstruction. Some of the reflections on Torah are sensitive and moving and some are extremely profound. What they all do is show something about how Torah meets with life and how it affects the issues of modern man. The commentaries bring the ancient Torah to the modern world. What a commentary does is reflect the community where it is written and thereby makes the Bible a book about family. Judaism is not new but in these commentaries it is refreshed and redressed in modern clothes and this collection of commentaries is as diverse as the modern world in which we live. We see masculinity in a new light as well--here it is not closed to men alone but it opens up and includes the entire world. The book is organized in a week by week format and each commentary gives a different perspective. These commentaries gives us things to think about and provide us with new ways of looking at Torah. The book as a whole is an anthology of some of the most thoughtful Jewish writers in the world today.