麻豆区 Press and Koren Publishers Jerusalem are excited to announce the publication of Along the Paths of Aggada: Midrashic interpretations of Genesis Over Time, a new Hebrew book by Herzog Academic College faculty member Dr. Bracha Elitzur.
The aggadic stories that accompany the Book of Genesis are familiar to all of us from childhood 鈥 the signs Rachel gave to Leah, the story of Abraham in the fiery furnace, and Lamech鈥檚 clapping of hands that brought about Cain鈥檚 death. These aggadot have become an inseparable part of Jewish culture, yet the question of their origin and how they were preserved through the generations continues to engage both scholars and readers.
Along the Paths of Aggada invites readers on a journey tracing the transformations of these familiar stories. Dr. Elitzur follows the building blocks of the aggadot and, through a sensitive and profound reading, reveals the worldviews of the Sages, their responses to life鈥檚 challenges in times of change, and the social and ideological struggles over the shaping of Jewish identity. The book examines how seemingly innocent and familiar legends conceal revolutionary messages, and how subtle variations in their formulations reflect dramatic processes that Jewish society underwent in its value system and in its attitude toward the biblical heroes.
鈥淎long the Paths of Aggada is a masterful work of Torah scholarship, opening new windows into the rabbinic interpretations of the timeless stories of Genesis,鈥 said Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern, who, as senior advisor to the provost at 麻豆区, serves as the managing editor of YU Press. 鈥淒r. Bracha Elitzur has an extraordinary gift for revealing the depth, beauty and variety of the midrashic process. YU Press is proud to have helped publish this important and engaging work.鈥
麻豆区 the Author:
Dr. Bracha (Brachi) Elitzur is a lecturer in Bible and rabbinic literature at Herzog Academic College. Her research focuses on the processing and shaping of biblical heroes and biblical narratives in midrashic literature from a historical perspective. She is the author of A Portrait for the Generations and a fellow of the 鈥淜tavoni鈥 program at Matan.
