The Unknown English Torah Commentator: Marcus M. Kalisch Genesis 1-22

Book excerpt: Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel has once again made a significant contribution to Jewish scholarship entitled “The Unknown English Torah Commentator: Marcus M. Kalisch on Genesis 1-22.” This work promises to be a new trailblazing series introducing readers to the thinking and teachings of Marcus Kalisch (1828-1885). Kalisch integrated the best of Judaic scholarship with the ideas of philosophy, anthropology, comparative literature, linguistics, and classical literature is unique. People of all faith and religious traditions will enjoy reading about Kalisch’s novel interpretations of the Bible’s most beloved tales. Kalisch always sought to make the ethical lessons of the Pentateuch meaningful for the average reader, rabbi, or scholar. The graphical illustrations add an artistic flare to the commentary, captivating the writer’s heart and imagination. ~Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin, Onkelos on the Torah: Understanding the Biblical Text Marcus Kalisch wrote one of the first extensive commentaries on the Torah to have been written in English. Kalisch ranks as one of the most extraordinary exegetes who ever lived. His expansive command of rabbinical, theological, linguistic, classical, and historical sources was nothing less than kaleidoscopic. Despite having composed his outstanding work over 175 years ago, his thoughts and inspirational content can deeply enrich any biblical student, scholar, or teacher. Kalisch possessed a complete mastery of ancient Jewish texts and could cite the writings of Euripides as easily as he could quote the Talmud. Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel has done a stellar job distilling the best of Kalisch’s sophisticated thought. Kalisch’s ideas deserve to be disseminated to our era and beyond. ~Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg, Echoes of the Holocaust: Survivors and Their Children and Grandchildren Speak Out Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is the son of a Holocaust survivor. He holds two rabbinic ordinations from the Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch Yeshiva of 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn and holds a D. Min. degree from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. He is an avid student of the Greek classics, Biblical and Talmudic scholarship, Jungian Psychology, Western Medieval Theology, Modern Philosophy, and 20th century psychology. He is the author of The Lord Is My Shepherd: The Theology of the Caring God (1996), Birth and Rebirth Through Genesis (2010), A Shepherd’s Song: Psalm 23 and the Shepherd Metaphor In Jewish Thought (2014), Rediscovering Philo of Alexandria: A First Century Jewish Commentator (Volumes, 1-5), (2014-2018), Maimonides’ Hidden Torah Commentary (Volumes 1-5) and Gentle Judaic Wisdom for a Troubled World (2019).