Title: Sparks beneath the surface
First published: 1993
Description: In Sparks beneath the Surface: A Spiritual Commentary on the Torah, Lawrence Kushner and Kerry Olitzky, two leaders in a new generation of liberal rabbis, have provided an invaluable tool to bring the teachings of Torah to modern Jews.

Organized around the weekly Torah portions, Sparks beneath the Surface is designed to resemble pages of the Talmud. In the center of each page, the rabbis present the targum -the English translation of the phrase or verse being explored. The authors also often include the surrounding verses and summaries to help anchor the passage in context.

To one side, they provide material on the passage from classical chasidic teachers; to the other side, they offer insights from Jewish tradition to add depth to the point under discussion, as well as to provide the reader with sources for further study. The authors also elucidate the commentaries in their own perushim - explanations of the teachings.

Each entry is enhanced with background information on Chasidism, biographical and geographical information, alternative comments by other teachers, and other interesting asides that relate to the text.

According to Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, this book is "a delight to the eyes. It looks like Talmud and feels like a Sefer; it is in English, and it teaches the heart! Chasidic masters speaking their short and deep Torah are massaged by Reb Larry and Reb Kerry to come in easily to quicken the heart of those who thirst and have no access to the Hebrew original. What a wonderful resource for those who wish to give a valid and vital vort at the Shabbat table or the Chavurah service.".

Tradition teaches that every Jewish soul was present at Mount Sinai when God gave the Torah. However, many Jews today find it hard to access the wisdom of the Torah and the Talmud. It all seems so ancient; the world has changed a great deal since Sinai. The modern Jew is often discouraged by a lack of knowledge of the Hebrew language; he or she is unable to make a spiritual connection with the text.

Rabbis Kushner and Olitzky offer a way into the world of Torah and tradition that overcomes both language and temporal barriers. Sparks beneath the Surface provides the student, whether experienced or new to Torah study, with what the authors refer to as "psycho-spiritual" insights on the Bible. This valuable work represents, as Rabbis Kushner and Olitzky state, "the first time chasidic insights have been brought to a liberal context without compromising either ideological framework."
Subjects: Bible, Commentaries, Hasidism, Judaism, Spiritual life, Bible, commentaries, o. t. pentateuch
LC classification: BS1225.3 .K87 1993