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REVISED EDITION OF HISTORIC LIBERAL TORAH COMMENTARY When The Torah: A Modern Commentary was first published in 1981, it was not only the first liberal Torah commentary ever produced in English but also the first full Jewish commentary on the full Torah to be created in North America. Now, more than two decades and a quarter of a million copies later, the URJ Press will release a reorganized and enhanced Revised Edition of the commentary, designed to make Torah reading more accessible and Torah study more engaging. The Revised Edition, to be published in February 2005, includes many enhancements, including an updated, gender-neutral translation and larger Hebrew and English type. In addition, the volume is reorganized by parashah and includes a helpful index and aliyot markers. Upon its initial publication, The Torah: A Modern Commentary sparked a revolution in how Torah was studied. Written by W. Gunther Plaut, the rabbi emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, along with Rabbi Bernard J. Bamberger and Professor William W. Hallo, it contained verse-by-verse commentaries on the five books of the Torah, and gleanings from the entire range of world literature, from Midrash to Maimonides to John Milton. The commentary received universal acclaim upon its release in 1981. The Associated Press hailed it as a "publishing milestone," and Library Journal included it in its list of the outstanding reference works that year. Biblical scholar Robert Alter wrote that "for Jewish readers of the Bible, nothing like it exists in English, or indeed, in any language," while Rabbi Alexander Schindler, z"l, president of the Union at the time of its release, announced that the Commentary "can give our pluralistic community a necessary sense of ideological cohesion." "This revised edition, updated and enhanced in many ways, will enable us to continue to keep the Torah at the center of our lives," said Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. "It will provide knowledge and inspiration to all who hunger for Jewish learning and spiritual nourishment." Rabbi Hara Person, editor of the URJ Press, said "the time was right" to introduce a Revised Edition. "Although the original remains a brilliant work, the second edition improves upon it," said Person. "We solicited comments and requests from dozens of Reform congregations, cantors, and rabbis prior to this revision, and incorporated many of their suggestions into the new edition. This will truly be the Torah commentary that introduces a new generation to Jewish thought and scholarship." The new version features:
The Revised Edition of The Torah: A Modern Commentary will be available for purchase in February 2005. It will retail for $60.00, with discounts available for the Union's member congregations. For more information, including samples of the text, visit the URJ Press Web site at www.urjpress.com. The Union for Reform Judaism, formerly known as the Union of
American Hebrew Congregations, is the synagogue arm of Reform Judaism
in North America, and unites 1.5 million Reform Jews in more than 900
congregations in the United States and Canada. URJ programs include camps,
music and book publishing, outreach to intermarried and unaffiliated Jews,
educational programs, and the Religious Action Center in Washington, DC. ### 12/04
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