Reviews
"Rabbi Joshua Lesser . . . believes it is time for LGBT people to move beyond simply defending their identities from biblically based attacks. As one of the three editors of Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, he hopes to push such discussions to a new, more complex level." - Southern Voice, "This book, an indispensable resource for all teachers and learners of Torah, in the best way possible makes queers of us all." -Jewish Currents, "Salazar's splendid study gives this term a cultural history, and in the process shows how the rhetoric of character has profound effects on what we do from child-rearing, to physical exercise, to racial exclusion, to immigrant inclusion, and the contours of democratic citizenship itself." - Karen Sanchez-Eppler, Amherst College, "The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is(Reading) which carries the root (call), thus seeding the scriputural charge, (interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance." - Choice ,, "The point of all these essays is to make us question ourselves and our assumptions and in this purpose, they succeed. . .these authors offer insights into the Torah text that can speak to everyone, regardless of their gender identity." - The Reporter, "The tone of the commentaries varies greatly: some are scholarly treatises drawing heavily on rabbinic sources, some are sociological or biological studies, while others are deeply moving personal essays. The book includes bibliographical references and an index. Highly recommended for all libraries."- Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletters, The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is(Reading) which carries the root(call), thus seeding the scriputural charge,(interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance., The point of all these essays is to make us question ourselves and our assumptions and in this purpose, they succeed. . .these authors offer insights into the Torah text that can speak to everyone, regardless of their gender identity., "This book, an indispensable resource for all teachers and learners of Torah, in the best way possible makes queers of us all." - Jewish Currents ,, Torah Queeries attempts to be a broader study of the Five Books of Moses, with discussion of every Torah portion, rather than just those that might be particularly difficult or inspiring to LGBT Jews., "While the CJM invites artists to interpret the week's Torah portions, Torah Queeries invites LGBT individuals and allies to do so. Both should be celebrated and embraced for their creativity, innovation, and depth." - Jewish News Weekly of Northern California ,, "Provides a challenge to readers and preachers who are single-mindedly devoted to the straight and narrow." - Daniel Boyarin, author ofCarnal Israel: Reading Sex in Talmudic Culture, The tone of the commentaries varies greatly: some are scholarly treatises drawing heavily on rabbinic sources, some are sociological or biological studies, while others are deeply moving personal essays. The book includes bibliographical references and an index. Highly recommended for all libraries., "While the CJM invites artists to interpret the week's Torah portions, Torah Queeries invites LGBT individuals and allies to do so. Both should be celebrated and embraced for their creativity, innovation, and depth." - Jewish News Weekly of Northern California, "This unique and lively work blends the traditional Jewish format of dividing Torah into weekly portions with specifically queer perspectives on them. Torah Queeries unveils a new queer Jewish way to understand this most sacred and central text that will surely stimulate and challenge the reader." -Rabbi Rebecca T. Alpert,author of Whose Torah? A Concise Guide to Progressive Judaism, This unique and lively work blends the traditional Jewish format of dividing Torah into weekly portions with specifically queer perspectives on them. Torah Queeries unveils a new queer Jewish way to understand this most sacred and central text that will surely stimulate and challenge the reader., With Torah Queeries, no longer is the LGBT community an outsider in the Bible...[This volume is] a must for the Jewish bookshelf., "With Torah Queeries, no longer is the LGBT community an outsider in the Bible...[This volume is] a must for the Jewish bookshelf." - The Jerusalem Post ,, The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is (Reading) which carries the root (call), thus seeding the scriputural charge, (interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance., "Rabbi Joshua Lesser . . . believes it is time for LGBT people to move beyond simply defending their identities from biblically based attacks. As one of the three editors ofTorah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, he hopes to push such discussions to a new, more complex level." -Southern Voice, Provides a challenge to readers and preachers who are single-mindedly devoted to the straight and narrow., "The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is(Reading) which carries the root(call), thus seeding the scriputural charge,(interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance."- Choice, "With Torah Queeries, no longer is the LGBT community an outsider in the Bible...[This volume is] a must for the Jewish bookshelf." - The Jerusalem Post, ("The tone of the commentaries varies greatly: some are scholarly treatises drawing heavily on rabbinic sources, some are sociological or biological studies, while others are deeply moving personal essays. The book includes bibliographical references and an index. Highly recommended for all libraries.")-(Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletters),(), "This book, an indispensable resource for all teachers and learners of Torah, in the best way possible makes queers of us all." - Jewish Currents, "Rabbi Joshua Lesser . . . believes it is time for LGBT people to move beyond simply defending their identities from biblically based attacks. As one of the three editors of Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible , he hopes to push such discussions to a new, more complex level." - Southern Voice, Rabbi Joshua Lesser . . . believes it is time for LGBT people to move beyond simply defending their identities from biblically based attacks. As one of the three editors of Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible, he hopes to push such discussions to a new, more complex level., "Torah Queeries attempts to be a broader study of the Five Books of Moses, with discussion of every Torah portion, rather than just those that might be particularly difficult or inspiring to LGBT Jews." - Jewish Exponent ,, "This unique and lively work blends the traditional Jewish format of dividing Torah into weekly portions with specifically queer perspectives on them.Torah Queeriesunveils a new queer Jewish way to understand this most sacred and central text that will surely stimulate and challenge the reader." - Rabbi Rebecca T. Alpert, author ofWhose Torah? A Concise Guide to Progressive Judaism, "Provides a challenge to readers and preachers who are single-mindedly devoted to the straight and narrow." - Daniel Boyarin, author of Carnal Israel: Reading Sex in Talmudic Culture, Gives engaged, pertinent, GLBT-focused meaning to the Tanach. The analyses offered here work to break boundaries, queer-ing, celebrating, and re-creating our Jewish texts and traditions in meaningful ways. These acts of reading become the radical movement of making a space for GLBT Jews that is clever, humorous, loving, and thought-provoking., "James Salazar takes the term 'character'pervasive and elusiveand accounts for its centrality by showing how it embodies the contradictions of modern America. In a series of intricate literary readings, he analyzes the ways in which the late-nineteenth-century obsession with building 'character' vivified social distinctions but also, in its instabilities, became the pivot for critique." - Samuel Otter, University of California, Berkeley, "Gives engaged, pertinent, GLBT-focused meaning to the Tanach. The analyses offered here work to break boundaries, queer-ing, celebrating, and re-creating our Jewish texts and traditions in meaningful ways. These acts of reading become the radical movement of making a space for GLBT Jews that is clever, humorous, loving, and thought-provoking." -Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum,Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, New York, "Provides a challenge to readers and preachers who are single-mindedly devoted to the straight and narrow." -Daniel Boyarin,author of Carnal Israel: Reading Sex in Talmudic Culture, "Rabbi Joshua Lesser . . . believes it is time for LGBT people to move beyond simply defending their identities from biblically based attacks. As one of the three editors of Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentaries on the Hebrew Bible , he hopes to push such discussions to a new, more complex level." - Southern Voice ,, ("The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is(Reading) which carries the root(call), thus seeding the scriputural charge,(interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance.")-(CHOICE),(), "The point of all these essays is to make us question ourselves and our assumptions and in this purpose, they succeed. . .these authors offer insights into the Torah text that can speak to everyone, regardless of their gender identity." - The Reporter ,, "The point of all these essays is to make us question ourselves and our assumptions and in this purpose, they succeed. . .these authors offer insights into the Torah text that can speak to everyone, regardless of their gender identity." The Reporter "While "queering of the Torah" may not find favor with every reader, it should appeal to those who wish to read the Torah with an open mind and the willingness to look at the words from 3,000 years ago with new, often jarring, perspectives." The Jerusalem Post " Torah Queeries attempts to be a broader study of the Five Books of Moses, with discussion of every Torah portion, rather than just those that might be particularly difficult or inspiring to LGBT Jews." Jewish Exponent "While the CJM invites artists to interpret the week's Torah portions, Torah Queeries invites LGBT individuals and allies to do so. Both should be celebrated and embraced for their creativity, innovation, and depth." Jewish News Weekly of Northern California "The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is (Reading) which carries the root (call), thus seeding the scriptural charge, (interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance." CHOICE "This book, an indispensable resource for all teachers and learners of Torah, in the best way possible makes queers of us all." Jewish Currents, "This unique and lively work blends the traditional Jewish format of dividing Torah into weekly portions with specifically queer perspectives on them. Torah Queeries unveils a new queer Jewish way to understand this most sacred and central text that will surely stimulate and challenge the reader." - Rabbi Rebecca T. Alpert, author of Whose Torah? A Concise Guide to Progressive Judaism, "The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is(Reading) which carries the root (call), thus seeding the scriputural charge, (interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance." - Choice, While the CJM invites artists to interpret the weeks Torah portions, Torah Queeries invites LGBT individuals and allies to do so. Both should be celebrated and embraced for their creativity, innovation, and depth., "The Rabbinic oft-name for Torah (Learning) is(Reading) which carries the root(call), thus seeding the scriputural charge,(interpret me). Sixty briskly written, argumentative, apologetic, slightly political commentaries successfully do so in the spirit of religious freedom and equalitarian (sic)tolerance."-CHOICE,, "Gives engaged, pertinent, GLBT-focused meaning to the Tanach. The analyses offered here work to break boundaries, queer-ing, celebrating, and re-creating our Jewish texts and traditions in meaningful ways. These acts of reading become the radical movement of making a space for GLBT Jews that is clever, humorous, loving, and thought-provoking." - Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, New York, "Torah Queeries attempts to be a broader study of the Five Books of Moses, with discussion of every Torah portion, rather than just those that might be particularly difficult or inspiring to LGBT Jews." - Jewish Exponent, This book, an indispensable resource for all teachers and learners of Torah, in the best way possible makes queers of us all.
