The Five Books of Moses

My Thoughts

Reading Robert Alter’s translation and commentary of the Torah was an incredible experience. I read all of the commentary for Genesis and then referenced it as needed for Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I loved how Alter pointed out the presence of poetry in Numbers, similar Hebrew words across these books, and connections to other Near Eastern beliefs and texts. I learned so much. What I’d like to do is to take one book a year going forward and read all of Alter’s commentary for that particular book.