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OVERVIEW OF THIS BOOK Traditionally when studying sacred Jewish texts, knowledge arises out of a series of encounters; the understanding of a subject grows by approaching it over time, again and again, from many directions. Correspondingly, this book is complex. It pulls together a wide range ofaspects ofthe haftarah as a subject ofstudy. That is so pardy because those aspects overlap and interlock (like pieces ofa jigsaw puzzle). Moreover, this book is intended for a disparate audience of readers, each of whom will forge a wuque path into the material. To assist readers in charting their own explorations, the following table of topics may serve as a guide. TOPIC GENERAL ORIENTATION Origin and history of d1e custom of reciting a haftarah Practices and regulations regarding the recitation of haftarot Profile of overall characteristics of the haftarot in the Annual Cycle SCOPE OF A PARTICULAR HAFTARAH Biblical passage (s) typically recited as the haftarah on a given occasion, according to the traditional rites of Ashkenazim and Sephardim THE HAFTARAH AS A SAMPLE FROM THE PROPHETS Origin and overall character ofthe prophetic literature from which these haftarot were taken A haftarah as an exemplar of the prophetic book from which it was drawn Which (and how many) haftarot are taken from each prophet or biblical book Historical setting in which a given prophetic passage (now recited as a haftarah) originally arose XVll WHERE ADDRESSED Introduction Introduction Introduction Table ofContents; or Index ofHaftarot in English Alphabetical Order Introduction to the "Overview ofBiblical Books Excerpted in the Haftarot Cycle" "Overview ofBiblical Books Excerpted in the Haftarot Cycle" Introduction; Index of Biblical Passages Discussion of that book in "Overview of Biblical Books Excerpted in the Haftarot Cycle" continued TOPIC THE HAFTARAH ON ITS OWN TERMS A haftarah's basic characteristics as a document-its authorship, setting, and overall character A haftarah's literary structure, theme words, rhetoric, and content; how these elements interact to yield the concerns of the passage, understood on its own terms How the ancient Sages implicitly altered the meaning ofbiblical texts (by excerpting, or by collecting passages into an anthology) when creating this haftarah-a new literary work of art Hebrew text itself as it has come down to us (masorah and "lower criticism"); lexical or other difficulties in establishing what each haftarah text actually says How commentators have addressed problems in establishing the plain sense of the text; tl1eological and historical meaning, as dependent upon the competing solutions to the textual problems THE HAFTARAH'S UNITS OF MEANING Meaning ofterms and phrases that don't translate easily because they differ radically from those in contemporary usage Meaning of ancient Near Eastern practices and conventions mentioned in the haftarah Translation alternatives for a particular word or phrase, and the traditions ofinterpretation that underlie strategies of translation Meaning of a featured idea, belief, or motif, as treated elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible THE HAFTARAH IN ITS LITURGICAL CONTEXT Torah passage that is recited on the same occasion as each haftarah How each weeldy haftarah relates to its associated Torah passage; what led the ancient liturgists to conjoin the two biblical passages How a special occasion is enhanced by its haftarah; what led the ancient liturgists to link the haftarah passage with that occasion WHERE ADDRESSED Each haftarah's introduction (first part) Each haftarah's introduction (outline; Content and Meaning) Each haftarah's introduction (Content and Meaning); or comments (on the opening or closing words of the haftarah) The footnotes to the Hebrew text; Guide to Hebrew Footnotes; and the comments on pertinent words or phrases (in Comments) The comments on pertinent words or phrases (in Comments) The translators' notes (in Comments ) The comments on pertinent words or phrases (in Comments) The comments on pertinent words or phrases (in Comments) The comments on pertinent words or phrases (in Comments) Table ofTorah Readings Connections between the Haftarah and the Parashah (after that haftarah 's text) Connections between the Haftarah and the Special Sabbath / Holy Day / Festival/Fast Day (after that haftarah 's text) Note: For references to further literature, see the endnotes that follow each major section of the book. And for related passages not treated in the comments on a haftarah, see Notes to tl1e Commentary. OVERVIEW OF THIS BOOK XV111 ...

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