Book Review: Making It Relevant, Very True

 

Making It Relevant by Katia Bolotin is a very readable Parshat Shavua, Torah Portion of the Week, book. A few meaningful concepts and commentaries per Torah Portion are included, and each chapter ends with a few additional points for Making It Relevant plus some guiding words. 

The words of wisdom can been just for one's own knowledge and pleasure or to read at the Shabbat table or for teaching one's children. 

Katia Bolotin is multi-talented for sure. Besides writing this wonderful Torah book, she's a pianist and song-writer. 

Something that really impressed me is, davka, her chapter on Shlach, the  parsha being read this coming Shabbat in Israel and the following week in Chutz La'Aretz. Unlike the vast majority of commentators she correctly refers to the twelve man delegation to scout out the Land as "leaders" of the twelve tribes. That was their position; there's no indication in the Torah that they were to be "spies." The incorrect reference to them as "spies" is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to Biblical commentary. I'm really glad that Bolotin follows the text carefully and accurately. 

Bolotin gives us some very interesting approaches to the various Torah Portions. This isn't your ordinary Parsha book. In Parshat Pinchas she relates to Tzlofchad's daughters to modern women's rights reminding us that not all that long ago women couldn't own property. Tzlofchad had died without having any sons, and his daughters wanted to inherit what would have been their father's land. Moshe was in a quandary and didn't know what to say, so he consulted with Gd who agreed with Tzlofchad's daughters. Yes, Judaism, even in most ancient times, gave women more rights than many countries even just over a century ago.

As you can see I find Making It Relevant very inspiring. I highly recommend it for yourself and as gifts. You can order it from Mosaica Press or Amazon.