David Harbater has written an astounding book; in many ways, it is one of a kind.... He dissolves the binary absolute clash between the religious Jewish Bible reader and the non-religious reader. I urge all readers to suspend their standard assumptions and convictions, ignore standing party lines, and open up to learn Genesis 1-11 with a master teacher, one who is an inspired reader with a thousand theological insights. You will be rewarded with new insight after new insight that will inspire and dazzle and drive you to read the Torah with fresh eyes.
Yitz Greenberg
Leading American theologian and rabbi; author of The Jewish Way, For the Sake of Heaven and Earth, and The Triumph of Life (Jewish Publication Society, 2024)
Whether you come to this book from a traditional view of the Bible's origins or a more critical one, you will emerge enriched by Harbater's central argument of a multifaceted text and often delighted by his abundant insight into the text's nuances and its complex messages. Ultimately, In the Beginnings is a work of faith - in the depth and sophistication of the biblical word and in the Torah's timeless relevance.
Judy Klitsner
International lecturer, author of the National Jewish Book Award-winning Subversive Sequels in the Bible
With surgical precision, Harbater splits the integrated story into its two component parts, which are now vividly presented to us as they stand juxtaposed with one another. This intriguing disentanglement of the text will enrich the spiritual world of the readers and their appreciation that "these and those are the words of the living God."
Avigdor Shinan
Professor Emeritus of Hebrew literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; author of over twenty books on the Bible and ancient Judaism
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