רות: עם מבוא ופירוש. מאת יאיר זקוביץ [Ruth: Introduction and Commentary] (review)

Hebrew Studies 32 (1991) 192 Reviews 33-40). The thoroughness of his interpretation of Ps 80 indicates both the strength and the weakness of the book. He gives so much space to Ps 80, that other communallaments-Pss 44, 74, 79, 89, and 83-receive only summary treatment (pp. 40-41). Westermann's discussion of "The Psalms and Jesus Christ" is brief but helpful. It illustrates the important role that the psalter has played in the Christian movement and in Christianity's interpretation of Jesus Christ. He even mentions how certain negative aspects of psalms attain a more positive tone in the teachings of the Christian Scriptures. Readers who await a full commentary from Westermann will be disappointed in the volume. The insights recorded here, however, will more than compensate for that disappointment. The Living Psalms certainly lives up to its title. Lay and scholarly readers will benefit from Westermann's pilgrimage through the book of Psalms. J. Gordon Harris North American Baptist Seminary Sioux Falls. SD 57105 .r':l"r "1'M' nMD .W,,'!)' ~m c.u :n" [RUTH: INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY]. By Yair Zakovitch. Miqra LeYisra)el: A Bible Commentary for Israel. Pp. " + 124. Tel Aviv: Am Oved I Jerusalem: Magnes, 1990. Cloth, $17.00. This is the first volume in a new series. The editors, Moshe Greenberg and Shmuel Ahituv, state their aims and policy in their preface. They plan to produce a series of critical commentaries written in Hebrew by leading Israeli scholars. The commentaries will be modem and scholarly. extensive in their presentation of critical positions but also with a strong emphasis on Jewish traditions of Bible study. Such an ambitious. comprehensive series of commentaries has not been published in Hebrew for many years-not since the Abraham Kahana enterprise. Therefore. the new series should be welcome by its target audience. scholars and lay readers alike. The present volume is arranged in three sections: (1) A general introduction includes short summaries of literary issues (structure. cast of characters, stylistics), the role of Providence. location within the Bible. Hebrew Studies 32 (1991) 193 Reviews language. ideology and message. matters of law and custom. biblical intertexts . date of composition, text and versions, and the custom of reading the Scroll on Shavucot. The Jewish sources used are listed. and an extremely compact classified bibliography is supplied. (2) The next section is a reproduction of the biblical text divided into small ponions. followed by a commentary on each ponion. Here panicular matters of style. language. structure. and so forth. earlier summarized in the introduction. are discussed in more detail. (3) Two indexes follow-one for biblical passages (outside the Ruth Scroll) and one for subjects. The book is the right length. I think; longer commentaries might prove tedious for general reference purposes. The ratio between the introduction and the commentary is good. too. Mercifully, the introduction frees the commentator from using footnotes or endnotes. which makes for relaxed reading. The book is beautifully produced and does not contain many typographical errors. When reading biblical narratives one is mindful of the fact that they are succinct and replete with gaps. gaps that are many times tantalizing in their brevity. Hence. interpretation of narrative is often a matter of filling in the gaps by educated guesswork, that is, working in and from the silence of the written word as well as by its "voice" and coaxing what is eliminated out of what is presented. One can seldom be certain that one's interpretation is the "correct" interpretation. Commentators walk tightropes between impaning information about past and present scholarship. introducing their observations. and making decisions about the validity or [il]legitimacy of suggested readings. A semblance of balance is not easy to achieve. and authoritative or exclusive readings are best not attempted. Fortunately. the biblical text. perhaps because of its leanness (as well as the cultural load heaped onto it). is such an attractive enigma for the critic to handle. Professor Zakovitch is an attentive reader. His keen critical eye is well attuned to intricacies of structure. plot and its dramatic unfolding. and technicalities of text and subtext. For example, one of the more interesting features of his introduction is the presentation...