In Search of Lost Meaning
New Readings in the Torah
About the book
This is a journey of discovery through questions that have yet to receive satisfying answers. Following small details and clues scattered throughout the Torah, the book offers original, bold interpretations grounded in the text that challenge familiar understandings.
Its 27 chapters explore narratives, laws, and ideas anew. Each chapter stands on its own; together, they form a rich mosaic of rereading the Torah, uncovering layers of meaning obscured by later interpretations, assumptions, and inherited traditions.
This book invites readers to return to the verses themselves. It is intended for those seeking thoughtful Torah study, a companion to the weekly portion, or an original and thought-provoking discussion of peshat for the Shabbat table.
What will you discover?
- Why is boiling a kid in its mother’s milk prohibited specifically in connection with Shavuot?
- Why must an accidental killer remain in a city of refuge until the death of the high priest?
- Where were the Egyptians when the sea returned to its normal state?
- Why did Rachel steal the household gods?
- Which fourth generation is meant in the prophecy of the covenant between the pieces?
- What was the purpose of the incense altar in the Tabernacle, and how does it relate to the place of revelation?
- How does the Torah view Rebecca’s urging Jacob to obtain the blessings by deception?
- Who were the eleven stars in Joseph’s dream?
- Why is the monetary valuation of a man higher than that of a woman?
These and many other intriguing questions receive close attention throughout the book.
Book chapters
- The Sabbath, Israel, and the NationsExtended studyAbout 17 min read
- The Calendar of the FloodAbout 15 min readPodcast (Hebrew)
- “And in the Fourth Generation They Shall Come Back Hither”Extended studyAbout 13 min readPodcast (Hebrew)
- “Three Men”Extended studyAbout 19 min read
- Abraham's Servant at the SpringExtended studyAbout 16 min read
- “And the Elder Shall Serve the Younger”Extended studyAbout 7 min read
- Why Did Rachel Steal the Teraphim?Extended studyAbout 13 min readPodcast (Hebrew)
- Of All That You Give Me, I Will Give You a TenthAbout 16 min read
- “And There Wrestled a Man with Him”About 10 min read
- “Eleven Stars Bowed Down to Me”Extended studyAbout 10 min read
- Joseph Meets His BrothersExtended studyAbout 18 min read
- Jacob’s Burial JourneyAbout 18 min read
- Jacob’s LegacyAbout 11 min read
- “The God of the Hebrews”About 17 min read
- “A Three-Day Journey” and the Borrowed VesselsAbout 13 min read
- A Study of the Splitting of the SeaAbout 14 min read
- A Study of the Revelation at SinaiAbout 25 min read
- “Thou Shalt Not Seethe a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk”Extended studyAbout 11 min read
- The Sabbath and the TabernacleAbout 10 min read
- What Comes First in the Tabernacle and Its Furnishings?About 9 min read
- The Meeting Tent, the Veil, and the Incense AltarAbout 16 min read
- The BasinAbout 10 min read
- “If a Woman Conceives”About 8 min read
- Priests and IsraelitesExtended studyAbout 8 min read
- Human ValuationsExtended studyAbout 12 min read
- The People Did Not Journey Until Miriam Was Brought InAbout 10 min read
- “He Shall Dwell There Until the Death of the High Priest”Extended studyAbout 15 min read
Podcast (Hebrew)Buy the book
In Search of Lost Meaning – available in Hebrew
