The Torah Is an Open Book
Radical Readings for the Seeker and the Skeptic
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Pub Date Aug 4 2026 | Archive Date Jul 19 2026
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Description
Rediscover the radical vision of an ancient text.
For too long, conservative or literalist voices have used the Bible to exclude, shame, and silence, leading many of us to disregard the text altogether. But the Bible is still speaking to us, if we know where to look. In The Torah Is an Open Book, Rabbi Caryn Broitman offers a powerful alternative: a return to the ancient Jewish tradition of midrash--a creative, questioning, and often radical form of interpretation--to show that Scripture isn't meant to be read literally or rigidly. It's meant to be wrestled with.
This book invites readers of all backgrounds--religious, secular, spiritual but not religious--to engage with the Bible as a living conversation. Drawing on centuries of Jewish commentary and her own experience as a congregational rabbi, Broitman shows how even the most difficult or obscure passages can become sources of insight, justice, and connection when read through the lens of midrash.
You don't need to believe every verse or accept a rigid theology to find meaning in Scripture. You just need to bring your full self to the text--your doubts, your values, your lived experience. Because in Judaism, the Torah isn't a closed book handed down from on high. It's an open scroll, still unfolding, and you're invited to be part of the story.
With warmth, clarity, and a fresh look at Jewish tradition, The Torah Is an Open Book reclaims sacred text as a space for dialogue, transformation, and moral courage, where questioning, wrestling, and interpreting are not only allowed--they're sacred.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781506496894 |
| PRICE | $26.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 160 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 4 members
Featured Reviews
Mike M, Media/Journalist
Once in a great while you find someone who can talk about the Bible with such passion and authority, ,but this author did itt for me. I kind of wish I could sit in her congregation to listen to her speak.
Michael B, Reviewer
The Torah Is an Open Book recalibrated how I read scripture, particularly the Old Testament. Raised Christian, much of my early exposure to these texts came through a more literal interpretative lens, and I often found myself getting stuck there. Midrash as an interpretative stance was unfamiliar to me, and encountering it here opened the text. Anyone who senses a richer context beneath these biblical stories will find something here worth sitting with.
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