Book Notes

Book Notes BOOK NOTES Reference materials in all fields are listed under "Reference." American Jewish Life 205 Imagining the Jewish Future: Essays and Responses, edited by David A. Teutsch. Albany: State University ofNewYork Press, 1992.387 pp. $59.50 (c)j $19.95 (P). ISBN 00-7914-1167-2 (c); 0-7914-1168-0 (P). During a time of rapid change in the American Jewish community, a group of Jewish scholars and professionals discuss the sharp controversies over feminism and religious language, new data on the relationship between Israelis and American Jews, and the interaction between family and synagogue. Biblical and Rabbinic Literature The First Seven Days: A Philosophical Commentary on the' Creation of Genesis, by Norbert M. Samuelson. Atlanta, GA: Scholars Press, 1992. $59.95 (c). ISBN 1-55540-768-4. This work offers a detailed-word by word, sentence by sentencecommentary and philosophical analysis of the standard Masoretic Hebrew account of the origins and nature of the universe found in Genesis 1:1 through 2:3. The commentary focuses on the conceptual content of the text, rather than its literary form, historical significance, or relation to other texts, and highlights issues of religion, political theory, and cosmology. Afinal chapter moves beyond analysis in order to reflect on the validity of the Genesis account. The work includes a bibliography and numerous indices to terms, subjects, and names. Torah and Revelation, edited by Daniel Cohn-Sherbok. lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellon Press, 1992. 243 pp. $69.00. ISBN 0-7734~9165-1. In this book a range of distinguished Jewish scholars from throughout the world explore the concept of Torah and Revelation. This work draws on biblical and rabbinic sources and charts a path for future exploration. Essays include: What isJewish Theology? (Arthur Green); 206 SHOFAR Winter 1993 Vol. 11, No.2 Revelation and Torah-A Phenomenological Approach (William E. Kaufman); Can There Be a Written Torah? (Alan Unterman); Postcritical Scriptural Interpretation in Judaism (peter Ochs); and more. The Visionary Mode: Biblical Prophecy, Hermeneutics, and Cultural Change, by Michael Ueb. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991. 362 pp. $32.50. ISBN 0-8014-2273-6. Michael Ueb explores the nature of the visionary mode of perception by tracing the transformations of the vision of Ezekiel from its biblical origins through Judeo-Christian thought from the intertestamental period into the Middle Ages. He demonstrates the importance of the visionary mode both to hermeneutics and to the religious experience in general, considering a wide range of texts, including works of biblical exegesis and philosophical discourse, treatises on mystical practice and gnosis, narrative accounts, and poetry. Biography, Autobiography, Memoirs, Diaries Leonard Bernstein: Notes from a Friend, by Schuyler Chapin. New York: Walker and Co., 1992. 178 pp. $17.95. ISBN 0-8027-1216-9. . An informal portrait of Bernstein at the peak of his achievements and into his later years. Children's Books The Glass Menorah and Other Stories for Jewish Holidays, by Maida Silverman, illustrated by Marge Levine. NewYork: Four Winds Press, 1992. 64 pp. $14.95 ISBN 0-02-782682-1. The Berg family adventures serve as an introduction to Jewish holidays. (Ages 6-9) Book Notes Education and Teaching 207 ,A Time to Act: The Report of the Commission on Jewish Education in North America, by the Commission on Jewish Eduction in North America. Lanham, MD: University Press ofAmerica, 1991. 97 pp. $39.00 (c); $16.00 (P). ISBN 0-8191-8105-6 (c)j 0-8191-8104-8 (P). In August of 1988, the Commission on Jewish Education in North American was convened to initiate a process that could bring about a systemic, across-the-board improvement in the quality of Jewish education in the U.S. and Canada. The goal was to bring together extensive new resources and energies so that Jewish education could make its fullest contribution to meaningful continuity. This report is the result of the Commission's efforts. It analyzes the current problems and offers a blueprint for the future. History and Politics Gray Dawn, by Charles Hoffman. New York: Harper Collins, 1992. 349 pp. $25.00. ISBN 0-06-019003-5. For Eastern European Jews who survived the Final Solution, the defeat of Hitler afforded...