What resources or commentaries would you suggest to me to help me gain a better understanding and appreciation for the bible, or torah. I wish to avoid the “party lines”, so to speak, of Jewish and Christian belief/denomimation factions and just get down to the TRUTH. I appreciate any help you can give.

Thank you for your question. I don’t usually get asked for such a broad-sweeping overview of Jews and Judaism.

It seems to me a good place to start would be an essay I read recently that dates back to the early 70s. It was written by Elie Wiesel (before his great fame) in a National Geographic book called Great Religions of the World. Wiesel’s marvelous chapter on Judaism I think captures much of the essence of Torah and Jewish tradition.

Second, if you are ready for a thorough study, you might see the excellent Judaism by Isadore Epstein. This is a history that has ample discussions of Torah.

Third, for a more modern overview, try The Everything Torah Book by Rabbi Yaakov Menken and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Judaism by Rabbi Benjamin Bleich.

Thanks again for asking.

Rabbi Seinfeld
http://rabbiseinfeld.blogspot.com