Tanakh, an Owner's Manual Authorship, Canonization, Masoretic Text, Exegesis, Modern Scholarship and Pedagogy

Tanakh, an Owner’s Manual offers both a modern and Orthodox approach to the historical and literary frameworks within which the Hebrew Bible should be learned and appreciated. It covers the authorship of its 24 constituent books, their designation as sacred literature (canonization), the development of the Masoretic text, a survey of classic medieval and modern commentaries, the interaction of traditional exegesis and modern biblical scholarship, and a gradual curriculum for developing biblical literacy and comprehension. It reflects the author’s insights as they developed over 40 years of studying and teaching, and will be of interest to teachers, students, and anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the Hebrew Bible.

Moshe Sokolow is the Fanya Gottesfeld-Heller Professor and associate dean of the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education at Yeshiva University. He has also served as professor of bible at Yeshiva College, Stern College, and the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies. He is the author of Studies in the Weekly Parashah based on the Lessons of Nehama Leibowitz, and coeditor of The Azrieli Papers, a series of books on contemporary Jewish educational research. Hayyim Angel is a former Rabbi of Congregation Shearith Israel for 17 years. He teaches Tanakh at Yeshiva University and has published scholarly articles in several collections of essays and in journals such as the Jewish Bible Quarterly, Jewish Thought, Nahalah, and Tradition. He is the author or editor of 11 books. They both live in New York City.