Rooted in Torah

The brilliance of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's Torah commentary is now available in brief, accessible essays, conveniently organized around the weekly Torah portion, the Torah readings for each festival, and other special Torah readings. All of R. Hirsch’s depth, his understanding of human nature and relationships, his inspired analysis of Hebrew language, shines from every page. Whether you are looking for an idea about the weekly parasha or a topic to discuss at the table on Shabbat or yom tov, this volume is an essential resource.

Those who are interested in the Hebrew words that underlie each essay will especially enjoy R. Hirsch’s analysis of the key words from the Torah verses discussed. This is in keeping with R. Hirsch’s conviction that learning Torah cannot be separated from an understanding of the words of Torah. These grammatical explanations are found in the shaded area of the text.

The essays in this volume are drawn from Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch's Torah commentary and other writings. The topics were carefully selected by Rabbi Matityahu Clark, a longtime devotee of R. Hirsch and author of The Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, a comprehensive guide to the roots of Hebrew words in Tanach, based entirely on the methodology of R. Hirsch.