Rabbi Francis Nataf is a Jerusalem-based thinker, writer, and educator. He is the author of the Redeeming Relevance in the Torah series and of many articles on religious thought, biblical studies, and current events. He is a senior lecturer of Tanakh (Bible) at Midreshet Rachel v’Chaya, Translation and Research at Sefaria and Associate Editor of the Jewish Bible Quarterly. Most important, however, is his reputation for independent thought and creativity, which simultaneously puts him to the right and to the left of everyone he knows.
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REDEEMING RELEVANCE ON THE TORAH SERIES
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In this book, Rabbi Francis Nataf brings a sophisticated approach to some of the central themes in Genesis offering profound and relevant teachings from the Torah’s first book. Redeeming Relevance comes highly recommended from such notable Jewish leaders as Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm and Rabbi Dr. Aharon Lichtenstein.
Rabbi Nataf draws on his keen literary awareness and deep knowledge of the text, Midrash and commentaries to provide original readings of some of the major stories in the book of Exodus. Through careful and creative textual analysis, he shows that we can still find new and provocative text-based insights.
”Francis Nataf overcomes ‘Vayikra Avoidance Syndrome’ with an ambitious set of essays that treat the book as a whole and justify its centrality in the Torah. He offers stimulating and sometimes provocative theses about… Kohanim and Israelites, Jews and gentiles, and flesh and blood.” –Rabbi Aryeh Klapper, Dean, Center for Modern Torah Leadership
This volume focuses on some of the text’s most perplexing stories in the Book of Numbers. It weaves them into discussions about the individual and the community, religious leadership and its abuse, and about communication and disappointment. Taking a new look at Judaism’s most basic text, Rabbi Nataf reads the Bible in ways that make it more accessible and more exciting to study.
A fresh look […], this volume focuses on topics such as mortality, personal vision, identity, humanity, and religion and state. Rabbi Francis Nataf shows his talent for discovering previously untouched facets of the Torah and connecting them to Jewish tradition. The clarity of the insights and patterns presented shows how a personal analysis of the biblical text can lead to living a more spiritually rewarding and ethically correct life.
THE PARSHA (ETC.) BLOG
Moshe, Herzl and the Single Genius
Even assuming one’s potential children and their descendants turn out well (which is often not obvious), marriage and children represent an opportunity cost. Given a finite number of hours in a day, the more one is involved with one’s family, the less time one has to benefit others outside of the home. Ideally, we marrieds…
The Subversive Jewish Wisdom Aristotle Would Not Hear
Not unlike other Greek philosophers, Aristotle believed there were vastly different categories of people. To take the most extreme example, true slaves were seen as being born with an inability to ever develop their intellects. Hence, the idea of learning something from them, in the sense of listening to their ideas, made about as much…
Forcing the Dream
We are allowed to hypothesize about how prophetic history will unfurl. The problem is when we try to force God’s hand to follow what we expect of it. Not only do we thereby arrogate an authority we cannot possibly have, but we may end up putting aside what God actually expects of us in terms…
