Last August, our congregation and I began studying the second book of the Torah together...the fascinating book of Exodus. I have always had a deep love for the Old Testament, and have lamented the fact that Christians by and large are ignorant of it’s content, focusing at times almost exclusively on the New Testament. When I heard that Dennis Prager was writing a commentary on the Torah starting with Exodus, my ears perked up. I bought the book the day it came it. I have read the first half (which brings me up to where we are studying in our Wednesday night Bible study) and intend to finish it as we continue studying Exodus. But why would a Christian pastor buy a Jewish commentary and recommend other Christians read it?
Here are two reasons:
1. Dennis has devoted over fifty years of his life to the study and teaching of the Torah. He speaks Hebrew as well as he speaks English (which is very well, I might add!), and has immersed himself in the Hebrew of the Bible – both its grammar and its vocabulary. As one who doesn’t have that linguistic background, I appreciate his willingness to share this skill with others like myself.
2. We are living in an age of unprecedented dialogue between Jews and Christians like none other in history. For me to participate in this God-honoring dialogue, I need to understand where my Jewish brothers and sisters are coming from. In addition, I have a great desire to share the good news of the gospel as found in the New Testament with my Jewish neighbors, as do millions of others Christians. Yet, how can I share my perspective with them if I don’t understand and respect their perspective?
Here are excerpts from my review of this book on my blog (which you can find at waynenalljr.blogspot.com):
This book is like no commentary I have ever read...and I have read from many of them. It is not stuffy at all. Dennis chose to write it in the first person and to include personal anecdotes where appropriate. What other commentary would quote Maimonides, Abraham Lincoln,...and Woody Allen?
...Here are a few quotes from this book which caught my attention:
...The central message of the Torah is “that God is good and demands we be good...is the only belief that will enable us to make a good world.”
...“People (today) greatly value knowledge and intelligence, but not wisdom. And the lack of wisdom—-certainly in America and the rest of the West – is directly related to the decline in biblical literacy. In the American past, virtually every home, no matter how poor, owned a Bible. It was the primary vehicle by which parents passed wisdom on to their children.”
...“The Torah is so different – morally, theologically, and in terms of wisdom – from anything else preceding it and, for that matter, from anything written since, that a reasonable person would have to conclude either moral supermen or God was responsible for it.” (I would put the entire Bible in this category, including the New Testament.)
...“Another major reason I am convinced the Torah is not man-made is it so often depicts the people of the Book, the Jews, in a negative light.
...“Remembering – the good others have done, the evil others have done, and one’s moral obligations – is an indispensable aspect of a good and meaningful life.”
...“Biology is not destiny; you can be the child of an evil person and be a good person.”
...“Gratitude takes effort; resentment is effortless.” (So true!)
I believe there is great value to this work for anyone who is seeking wisdom...whatever your religious background!
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