The Torah by Joel S. Kaminsky and Joel N. Lohr.

'The Torah' by Kaminsky and Lohr.

Joel S. Kaminsky and Joel N. Lohr, The Torah: A Beginner’s Guide (Beginner’s Guides), Oxford: One World Publications, 2011.

I am thankful for the free review copy I received of Kaminsky’s and Lohr’s The Torah: A Beginner’s Guide. It is a small volume at about one hundred and sixty three pages of content. It is not a large read and it may function well as a supplement for other course readings or if you don’t want to weigh your students down with secondary sources.

Kaminsky is a professor at Smith College and Lohr at Trinity Western University. Kaminsky is Jewish and Lohr a Christian. These two works together to provide a unique take on the Torah. Actually, this may be one of the greatest benefits of this book in that your students can see what the Torah means to Judaism and Christianity.

The authors attempt to be critical while acknowledging that they have faith-commitments. It isn’t like an evangelical introduction where it lacks critical interaction, but it isn’t detached scholarship either.

The book introduces the Torah, explains it’s religious function, provides students with a glimpse into recent academic studies of Torah, and then explores each book separately before offering concluding reflections.

There are some images, charts, and sidebar articles dispersed throughout the book to break up the reading a bit. If you are seeking a large, in-depth introduction this is not the book. If you want something your students can read in two or three sittings while giving them time to actually read the Torah itself this may be a good choice.

See John Byron’s review here.