Overview

The Book of Numbers is the narrative of a great failure. What should have been for the Israelites a brief journey from Mount Sinai to the Holy Land becomes a forty-year death march. Both before and after the devastating report of the spies, the narrative centers on the people's desire to return to Egypt, to undo the miraculous work of the Exodus. At its heart are speeches of complaint and lament, expressing a profound existential skepticism. But by contrast, in the narrative of the Book of Numbers that is found in mystical and Hassidic sources, the generation of the wilderness emerges as one of extraordinary spiritual experience, receivers of the Torah to the fullest extent, fed on miracles and nurtured directly by God- a generation of ecstatic faith. Its true subject is the greatness of a people impassioned by God, human partners in an unprecedented conversation with the Deity. Drawing on kabbalistic sources, the Hassidic commentators on the Book of Numbers depict a people who transcend prudential considerations in order to follow God into the wilderness, and whose spiritual yearning comes to full expression there. This view of the wilderness history invites us to a different kind of listening to the many cries of distrust, lament, resentment that issue from the Israelites throughout the Book of Numbers. Is there a way to integrate this narrative of dark murmurings, of obsessive fantasies of return to Egypt, with the celebration of a love-intoxicated wilderness discourse? The question touches not only on the language the Israelites speak but also on the very nature of human utterance. Who are these people? Who are we who listen to them? What effect does the cumulative trauma of slavery, the miracles of Exodus, the revelation at Sinai have on a nation that is beginning to speak? In Bewilderments, Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg posits fascinating answers to these questions through the magnificent literary, scholarly, and psychological analysis of the text that is her trademark.

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Reviews

Celebrated for her brilliant teaching and her dazzling skill in interpreting Bible narratives, Zornberg offers masterful midrashic readings of biblical texts. Through psychological insight, Jewish philosophy, and comparative literary analysis, she plumbs the depths of rabbinic interpretation. Those who have had the pleasure of reading her previous works will be delighted to know that Bewilderments has just been published. New readers will also savor this commentary. --Lilith Zornberg's background allows her to draw from English and European literature and from the most recent literary and psychoanalytic sources, as well as from her deep knowledge of Jewish texts, particularly classical rabbinic midrash and modern Hasidic writers. --The Jerusalem Post Magazine Zornberg is among the leading, and perhaps the most original, biblical commentators at work today. Biblical scholarship usually stays hidden within the academy or appeals to a limited audience, but Zornberg's penetrating takes on the Torah, interweaving broad literary and analytic sources, are increasingly finding their way to a wider public. --The Jewish Week Zornberg has an immense body of knowledge at her command. She has the unique ability to draw on everything from postmodern literary criticism, art history, and psychoanalysis, even as she remains mindful of classical rabbinic commentary and more recent Hasidic writings. --Tablet Biblical verses blossom into a bouquet of provocative and enlightening insights . . . well managed by Zornberg. --Booklist This is not a simple retelling of the book of Numbers but, rather, a commentary of a high order based on artful Hebrew prose and poetry. Zornberg displays her own superior hermeneutic skills as she calls on the teachings of vaunted rabbinic authorities, Midrashic tradition, and the homilies of Hasidic masters. [She also] incorporates psychiatry, philosophy, and world literature into the study of Holy Writ. A powerful, important textual deconstruction of the mystical fourth book of the Old Testament. --Kirkus Reviews Zornberg's grasp of the rabbinic interpretations of the text (as well as of Jewish philosophy generally) is masterful, and the meat of her work is in relating these interpretations to the spiritual and psychological questions, or bewilderments, evoked by the book of Numbers. --Publishers Weekly

In Praise of Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious Zornberg tries to lay bare the process by which biblical characters act as they do, and she shows how the Bible employs not just the intelligible, well-ordered language of conscious speech but also the elusive idiom of the unconscious. The text becomes in her hands, yet again, a work of mystery. -- The Wall Street Journal Zornberg's breadth of knowledge is awe-inspiring. Because she is steeped in such varied sources of knowledge, she speaks to readers of varied backgrounds and interests. This is a book to be savored. There are gems throughout. -- The Jerusalem Report The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus I know of no other book that presents the enormous subtleties and complexities of rabbinic biblical interpretation with such skill, intelligence, literary flair, and sheer elegance of style. Quite simply, a masterpiece. -- The Washington Post Book World What is exciting about Zornberg's work is not solely her use of varied sources, but her objective in their use . . . So great is her love of, reverence for, and belief in the Torah, it is contagious. -- The Catholic Worker The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis Not only is Zornberg's book leagues removed from popular trivializations, it also does what all successful midrash is meant to do: open up new perspectives on ancient texts. -- Commonweal

This is not a simple retelling of the book of Numbers but, rather, a commentary of a high order based on artful Hebrew prose and poetry. Zornberg displays her own superior hermeneutic skills as she calls on the teachings of vaunted rabbinic authorities, Midrashic tradition, and the homilies of Hasidic masters. [She also] incorporates psychiatry, philosophy, and world literature into the study of Holy Writ. A powerful, important textual deconstruction of the mystical fourth book of the Old Testament. -- Kirkus Reviews Zornberg's grasp of the rabbinic interpretations of the text (as well as of Jewish philosophy generally) is masterful, and the meat of her work is in relating these interpretations to the spiritual and psychological questions, or bewilderments, evoked by the book of Numbers. --Publishers Weekly In Praise of Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg The Murmuring Deep: Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious Zornberg tries to lay bare the process by which biblical characters act as they do, and she shows how the Bible employs not just the intelligible, well-ordered language of conscious speech but also the elusive idiom of the unconscious. The text becomes in her hands, yet again, a work of mystery. -- The Wall Street Journal Zornberg's breadth of knowledge is awe-inspiring. Because she is steeped in such varied sources of knowledge, she speaks to readers of varied backgrounds and interests. This is a book to be savored. There are gems throughout. -- The Jerusalem Report The Particulars of Rapture: Reflections on Exodus I know of no other book that presents the enormous subtleties and complexities of rabbinic biblical interpretation with such skill, intelligence, literary flair, and sheer elegance of style. Quite simply, a masterpiece. -- The Washington Post Book World What is exciting about Zornberg's work is not solely her use of varied sources, but her objective in their use . . . So great is her love of, reverence for, and belief in the Torah, it is contagious. -- The Catholic Worker The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis Not only is Zornberg's book leagues removed from popular trivializations, it also does what all successful midrash is meant to do: open up new perspectives on ancient texts. -- Commonweal

Celebrated for her brilliant teaching and her dazzling skill in interpreting Bible narratives, Zornberg offers masterful midrashic readings of biblical texts. Through psychological insight, Jewish philosophy, and comparative literary analysis, she plumbs the depths of rabbinic interpretation. Those who have had the pleasure of reading her previous works will be delighted to know that Bewilderments has just been published. New readers will also savor this commentary. Lilith Zornberg s background allows her to draw from English and European literature and from the most recent literary and psychoanalytic sources, as well as from her deep knowledge of Jewish texts, particularly classical rabbinic midrash and modern Hasidic writers. The Jerusalem Post Magazine Zornberg is among the leading, and perhaps the most original, biblical commentators at work today. Biblical scholarship usually stays hidden within the academy or appeals to a limited audience, but Zornberg s penetrating takes on the Torah, interweaving broad literary and analytic sources, are increasingly finding their way to a wider public. The Jewish Week Zornberg has an immense body of knowledge at her command. She has the unique ability to draw on everything from postmodern literary criticism, art history, and psychoanalysis, even as she remains mindful of classical rabbinic commentary and more recent Hasidic writings. Tablet Biblical verses blossom into a bouquet of provocative and enlightening insights . . . well managed by Zornberg. Booklist This is not a simple retelling of the book of Numbers but, rather, a commentary of a high order based on artful Hebrew prose and poetry. Zornberg displays her own superior hermeneutic skills as she calls on the teachings of vaunted rabbinic authorities, Midrashic tradition, and the homilies of Hasidic masters. [She also] incorporates psychiatry, philosophy, and world literature into the study of Holy Writ. A powerful, important textual deconstruction of the mystical fourth book of the Old Testament. Kirkus Reviews Zornberg s grasp of the rabbinic interpretations of the text (as well as of Jewish philosophy generally) is masterful, and the meat of her work is in relating these interpretations to the spiritual and psychological questions, or bewilderments, evoked by the book of Numbers. Publishers Weekly

Author Information

AVIVAH GOTTLIEB ZORNBERG is the author of The Beginning of Desire- Reflections on Genesis (a National Jewish Book Award winner), The Particulars of Rapture- Reflections on Exodus, and The Murmuring Deep- Reflections on the Biblical Unconscious (a National Jewish Book Award finalist). She was born in London and received a Ph.D. in English literature from Cambridge University. She lectures widely in Israel, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. She lives and teaches in Jerusalem.

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