Jonathan Magonet

Too often Bible stories are familiar to us in the simplified version we learnt as children, or through the lessons they are supposed to teach us in religious homilies. Yet the actual stories are the products of a highly developed literary culture, narrated in an articulate and expressive Hebrew language, and nested within collections of diverse writings with which they are in constant dialogue. To underestimate the many facets of these narratives, their universal appeal and contemporary significance, is truly our loss. We will examine with adult eyes the dimensions, often overlooked or misunderstood, the wit and even humour, within some familiar and less familiar Biblical narratives, and allow them to surprise us.

Through this anthology of a life-time's poems, some songs, photos and a few sketches, Jonathan Magonet reflects on the stages of his journeys from medical doctor to rabbi professor, from post-war Germany to Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, from musical friendships and performances to immersion in the culture of Japan: on a quest to find his own unique voice.

A Rabbi Reads the Torah distils a lifetime of Bible study by a Jewish scholar devoted to popularising the study of the Hebrew Bible in its original language, helped by the wealth of centuries of Jewish interpretation and debate, as well as the best of modern literary approaches. The Jewish tradition of reading a section of the Torah, the Five Books of Moses, on a weekly basis during the course of single year, is a challenge to find something new each time in a familiar text. These short studies, based on a popular radio series, offer unexpected insights into the very different materials to be found in these Biblical books, as well as indicating their relevance to the realities of personal, social and political life today. Rabbi Magonet’s personal engagement in interfaith dialogue opens the world of Jewish tradition to the widest audience of those within and beyond our different faith communities.

After teaching the Psalms for over twenty years, Magonet has found very little on rabbinical interpretation, ancient, mediaeval or modern. This is an introduction to the Hebrew text that gives access to the richness and complexity of the language of the Psalms to the non-Hebrew reader. Jonathan Magonet is Principal of Leo Baeck College, London.

Rabbi Magonet's love of the Hebrew Bible developed whilst studying to be a Rabbi. Studying the Bible became a source of comfort, challenge and religious growth, without sacrificing the importance of the scientific approaches of study. This book opens up the Bible so that all readers will find their perspective and understanding changed.

In this collection of short pieces based on broadcasts the author carried out for German radio, the selected biblical passage for each week becomes a springboard for exploring issues ranging from political leadership to spiritual journeys.