THE TORAH: A MODERN COMMENTARY
FAQ Page

Q: Will the new edition have the same page numbers as the old edition?

A. The extensive reorganization of the book by parashah followed by the appropriate Haftarah makes it impossible to have the same page numbering system. The new edition makes page finding very easy through the use of Arabic numbering and descriptive running headers at the top of each page.

Q. Will you continue to have both Hebrew (blue) and English (red) opening books?

A. The revised Commentary will only be available with Hebrew opening.

Q. How much will the new book cost?

A. List price for the new edition is $60.00. However, there are significant discounts available for bulk purchases. Please call our customer service representatives for details on our toll-free line which is (888) 489-8242. See ordering page for more information

Q. What are the differences in the Revised Edition from the existing commentary?

A. There are numerous changes designed to make this an easier, more user-friendly book, including, but not limited to the following:

1. Book is now organized by parashah;
2. Haftarah follows the appropriate parashah;
3. Revised edition contains aliyah markers, easier to follow running heads, clearer, more readable cantillation marks;
4. Hebrew and English translation are side by side to make it easier to follow along;
5. Revised Commentary and translation for Genesis by W. Gunther Plaut and Chaim Stern;
6. Kamatz katan distinct from Kamatz;
7. Heavier, brighter, more readable paper.

Q. Will you keep the existing edition in print?

A. The existing edition will continue to be available for as long as current supplies last. We are unable to gauge future demand as of this time. Financial considerations prevent us from keeping both editions in print indefinitely.

Part I: Hebrew Text

More than a thousand minor discrepancies exist between the Hebrew text of the revised edition and the first edition. This file, prepared by the Hebrew text's editor (Rabbi David E. S. Stein), accounts for two sources of the discrepancy: corrections of typos in the first edition, and changes based upon what scholars now know about the Masoretic text that the first edition's editors did not.

This documentation has an additional purpose. It sheds light on an abiding paradox of the Masoretic text: Plausible readings of the biblical text are often wrong, whereas anomalies are often correct. The documentation here details the widespread yet low-level variance in the text of the Hebrew Bible as we have received it. Thus it turns the revised edition into a teaching tool for understanding the Masoretic text.

Changes Made to the Biblical Hebrew Text [772k, PDF] Updated: 4/13/05

Part II: Translation

These files account for the gender-related changes made to the well-known New Jewish Publication Society (NJPS) translation. More than 500 translator's notes provide what may well be the most detailed and comprehensive analysis of the Torah's gender ascriptions to date.

The revising translator (Rabbi David E. S. Stein) created two-part documentation for each of the last four books of the Torah:

1. Highlighting of the individual gender-related changes made relative to the 2002 version of the NJPS translation.*
2. Translator's notes. These establish the gender sense of Hebrew terms according to how the ancient Israelite audience would have understood them in context. They then assess the English rendering in light of that ancient understanding, as well as that of the contemporary audience.**

The project's consulting editors reviewed an earlier version of these files, in order to ensure that the work was defensible and met the standards of academic scholarship. The translator's notes have since been edited for online publication.

1. Methodology: Frequently Asked Questions Updated: 5/13/05
2. Exodus [396k, PDF] Updated: 6/1/05
3. Leviticus [364k, PDF] Updated: 5/11/05
4. Numbers [430k, PDF] Updated: 5/11/05
5. Deuteronomy Updated: 6/1/05
6. Abbreviations and Bibliography [64k, PDF] Updated 6/1/05

* For simplicity, this documentation does not track many straightforward substitutions such as "the Eternal" for "the Lord."

** The typical note closes by giving the corresponding rendering in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), a widely used gender-accurate translation that was published under ecumenical Christian auspices in 1989. This is provided as a convenience to the reader, because comparison can be instructive.

Part III: Errata

Correction Made in 3rd Printing of Hardcover Edition

Corrections in the Hardcover Edition: 4th Printing (May 2008)

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