Category: Off Topic

Bible Translations and Mistranslations

Life and a Little Liturgy: Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, PhD, has a blog!

I’m thrilled to announce that my father, Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Ph.D., has just started a blog: Life and a Little Liturgy. The author of three dozen books, Rabbi Hoffman — “Dad,” to me — is a preeminent Jewish liturgist (it’s a niche market, I know, but he’s got it cornered) and leading modern Jewish…
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April 15, 2011 0

Win a Free, Signed Copy of And God Said

Until January 31, you have another chance to win a free, singed copy of my And God Said. From the book’s blog: We’re giving away a free copy of And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning, signed by the author. For the best chances of winning, enter the sweepstakes via Twitter. You…
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January 25, 2011 0

History Repeats Itself with Esther, Hadassah, Myrtle, and Stuxnet

According to the New York Times, Stuxnet, a computer worm aimed at slowing Iran’s race for nuclear weapons, contains an important file called myrtus. According to Esther 2:7, Esther, who played an important part in defending the Jews against the Persians, also went by the name hadasah, which is the feminine form of hadas. Both…
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October 1, 2010 1

The Importance of the Ten Commandments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpB8IkISnSc] A short excerpt from a lecture I gave a while back. (A little off topic, but still….)


July 20, 2010 3

Rashi – The Great Jewish Translator and Commentator

The year 1040 saw the birth of a man destined to become the greatest Jewish commentator and a major influence on translations. Born Solomon, son of Isaac, in Troyes, France, he is better known by the acronym his Hebrew name forms: Rashi. Rashi’s travels and the timing of the Crusades catapulted him to the forefront…
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July 19, 2010 3

Another Chance to Win a Signed Copy of My Latest Book

Here’s another chance to win a free, signed copy of my latest book, And God Said. From blog.AndGodSaid.com: In honor of the three-month anniversary of And God Said (already in its second printing!), we’re giving away another free copy signed by the author. To enter, visit the “Sweepstakes” tab of And God Said’s Facebook page.…
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May 3, 2010 1

The Hebrew Bible is Rated “R”

Thanks to Haviv Rettig Gur for noticing that an iTunes version of the Hebrew Bible is rated “17+” because of “Frequent/Intense Mature/Suggestive Themes.” I guess this is in keeping with my springtime focus here on Song of Solomon.


March 31, 2010 7

Who By Fire, Who By Water

I’m pleased to announce that my latest translation goes on sale today in Who by Fire, Who by Water. The book is about Un’taneh Tokef — a medieval poem now widely used in the High Holiday liturgy — and in addition to my translation and commentary, it contains 41 short essays by “contributors who span…
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March 22, 2010 1

Powerless to Blog

About two feet of very wet snow toppled trees and knocked out power to my neighborhood at 1:00am Friday morning. Two days later we’re still without electricity. Regularly scheduled programming will resume soon.


February 27, 2010 5

Book Giveaway: Win A Copy of And God Said

Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin’s Press is giving away a free, autographed hard-cover copy of my latest book, And God Said: How Translations Conceal the Bible’s Original Meaning. From blog.AndGodSaid.com: WIN A FREE BOOK Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin’s Press is giving away a free, autographed hard-cover copy of And God Said: How…
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February 22, 2010 2