Orthodox Bible Scholarship, in Print

Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom, who studied at RIETS in the early 80's, recently published his first book, Between the Lines of the Bible: A Study of the New School of Orthodox Torah Commentary, which will be available at this year's SOY Seforim Sale. Rabbi Etshalom agreed to sit down with The Commentator to discuss the publication.

Commie: What makes Between the Lines unique?

YE: Between the Lines presents a systematic program for reading Tanakh within the general framework of Masorah, while allowing breadth to enhance depth. In other words, by utilizing every possible tool available to us, we are able to discover new readings of the text, and that's what I tried to accomplish. This first volume deals with the book of Genesis.

Commie: What has been the response to Between the Lines since it hit the stands in the spring?

YE: Overall, the response has been far more positive than expected. Beyond the groups I expected to receive it positively, there has been a far more embracing welcome from "yeshivish" circles than I could have imagined, who have expressed an interest in engaging in literary analysis, utilizing archeological finds, comparing Ancient Near Eastern Texts, etc., and still arriving at novel yet "comfortable" conclusions. Among non-Jewish Bible students, oddly enough, the book presents far less of a novelty - except insofar as it comes from an Orthodox perspective with traditional sources and a revelationist outlook. Many Catholic and Protestant scholars have been taking somewhat similar approaches to the text, albeit without the benefit of Masorah.

Commie: What about it do you think is particularly suited for the Yeshiva community? What need is it addressing?

YE: To be blunt, every one of us, by embracing the Masorah and committing to conduct ourselves by the dictates of halakha, lives in a constant state of tension. Not only are the values of our society at odds with some of our most cherished beliefs, but the entire worldview espoused around us challenges us to reevaluate and reconsider our basic assumptions about many things. The tension which we all must contend with - from Teaneck to New Square! - is the sense of disharmony between wisdom and truth. One of the marvelous things about our Yeshiva is the manner in which Torah u-Madda not only coexist. Ideally they inform each other and cease being seen as a threat to each other. The epistemological approach which is the assumption of this book sits squarely in that tradition of critical harmonization of the "wisdom of the nations" with the truth.

Commie: The book is based on a series of articles which you have written over the years on the weekly Torah readings. What makes the book a unified work, and not simply a collection of articles?

YE: Both the structure of each essay and the organization of the chapters make it a unified book. Each essay is prefaced with a methodological challenge which we face when reading Biblical text, specifically narrated text. The essay is, in turn, followed up by a brief note which uses the points of the essay to draw larger applications which can be used in reading many other Biblical texts. Additionally, the essays are not sequential following the Torah. For example, the first essay analyzes Yoseph's interactions with his brothers, whereas Creation is first dealt with several chapters later. Thus, the chapters follow a pedagogic and methodological sequence.

Commie: As such, is the structure of the book geared for a reader who is interested in lessons on a specific Torah portion?

YE: Not necessarily, although a reader will certainly - hopefully at least - find much to gain for each Torah portion.

Commie: Could you describe your methodology and the sources, people, or schools of thought upon whom it is based?

YE: I don't mean to spoil it for you, but that's pretty much covered in the first chapter. In any case, here goes. I feel that my approach is grounded in traditional parshanut, which has always made use of whatever information, tools, skills etc. that were available to enhance the understanding of the text. During the middle and latter parts of the 20th century, numerous Orthodox scholars who were familiar with many disciplines that attach to Tanakh - Egyptology, Assyriology, archeology, literary style and structure, etc. - began to re-examine the same texts with the aid of these newly minted tools. Voila! The beautiful gem of the Tanakh became ever more polished, smooth and beautiful. Rabbi Mordechai Breuer, Dr. Meir Weiss, Professor Yehuda Elizur and a few others might be considered the "grandfathers" of such a school, which is very much in the style of Rashbam, ibn Ezra and others who read the text independently of halakhic and midrashic usages. Today, in Israel, and to a lesser degree in the Diaspora, there is a renewed interest in the study of Tanakh. People who have been trained to think critically - whether in the Beit Midrash or University - require no less than a sophisticated approach to the Tanakh. It's that approach which I hope is furthered by this book, particularly since it's the first of its kind in English.

Commie: Actually, the issue of embracing a more academic approach to Tanakh study has been a contentious issue of late at Yeshiva. Do you make a distinction between traditional Tanakh learning and academic Bible study? In your opinion, should either, or both, be taught in Yeshiva College?

YE: I believe that the distinction is both unnecessary and unfortunate. The impression that in order to maintain academic standards we must move away from traditional study, and that traditional study does not maintain the same academic commitment, is not at all within the mainstream of our tradition. The highest tradition of Torah study has always been one of rigorous analysis and a willingness to take on all questions by engaging them with full intellectual honesty. The goal of Torah study is the internalization of coming closer to God and the method of study has always been academic.

Commie: What about the approach taken in the book reflects a new style of learning? What was wrong with old, and how does it differ from it?

YE: The subtitle on the cover indicates that the book presents the "new school" of Tanakh study. But, I think that's a bit misleading. As I said, I believe that this approach is consistent with the approach taken by many medievalists.

Commie: So what's next?

YE: Volume 2, on Shemot, due out by the end of 2007. Several other volumes are in the process of being edited too.