Reading a translation of any book is just not the same as reading it in its original language and is adequately stated in the phrase "lost in the translation." Whenever a text is translated from one language to another it loses some of its flavor and substance. The problem is compounded by the fact that a language is tied to the culture that uses that language. When the text is read by a culture different from the one it is written in, it loses its cultural context. A Biblical example of this can be found in the Hebrew word tsur which is translated as a rock - "He only is my rock and my salvation, he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved" (Psalm 62:2, KJV). What is a rock and how does it apply to God? To us it may mean solid, heavy or hard but the cultural meaning of the word tsur is a high place in the rocks where one runs to for refuge and defense, a place of salvation. "The Living Words" is an in-depth study into the Ancient Hebrew vocabulary and culture of the Bible replacing the flavor and substance that has been removed from us.

The present book, the second of a six-volume series, is an adaptation into readily accessible English of 11 fundamental discourses--one for each weekly Torah portion in the book of Exodus--from Rabbi Schneur Zalman's classic work, Torah Or. It is thus an unprecedented presentation of chassidic philosophy and mysticism as explained in detail in their original source. Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), founder of the intellectual branch of Chassidism--Chabad--is credited with bringing the deepest secrets of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah "down to earth," so they could be read and understood by even the average person. He broke the paradigm: it was no longer, "first perfect yourself spiritually, then you will be fit to study this"; now it was, "study this and it will help you to perfect yourself spiritually." The worldwide spread of Chabad-appealing to people of all backgrounds, and in every conceivable culture-in the centuries since bears elegant testimony to the power of these ideas to tap the very Jewish soul. And yet, written in scholarly Hebrew, these keys to the essential core of Judaism were locked away, untranslated, for almost 200 years. In this series, Rabbi Yitzchok Wagshul, a master teacher, does not merely translate the original material, he clearly explains it in friendly, articulate English for scholar and lay person alike. No background in Jewish knowledge is required; just a willingness to think. If Rabbi Schneur Zalman were teaching today, this book is what he might well say. Book jacket.

When we read an English translation of the Bible we define the words within it according to our modern vocabulary allowing our culture and language to influence how we read and interpret the Bible. The Bible was written by ancient Hebrews whose culture and language was very different from our own and must be read and interpreted through their eyes. When we define the names of God using our culture and language we lose the Hebraic meanings behind the original Hebrew names of God. Consequently the true nature and character of God is hidden behind the veil of time and culture. By understanding the various names of God through the vocabulary and language of the ancient Hebrews, the nature and character of God is revealed to us in a new light. The prophet Zechariah described the character of God with the words "sh'mo ehhad" translated as His Name is One (Zechariah 14:9). This phrase beautifully describes the character of God from a Hebraic perspective that is lost to us through translation and unfamiliarity with ancient Hebrew culture.

All previous Biblical Hebrew lexicons have provided a modern western definition and perspective to Hebrew roots and words. This prevents the reader of the Bible from seeing the ancient authors' original intent of the passages. This is the first Biblical Hebrew lexicon that defines each Hebrew word within its original Ancient Hebrew cultural meaning. One of the major differences between the Modern Western mind and the Ancient Hebrew's is that their mind related all words and their meanings to a concrete concept. For instance, the Hebrew word "chai" is normally translated as "life", a western abstract meaning, but the original Hebrew concrete meaning of this word is the "stomach". In the Ancient Hebrew mind, a full stomach is a sign of a full "life". The Hebrew language is a root system oriented language and the lexicon is divided into sections reflecting this root system. Each word of the Hebrew Bible is grouped within its roots and is defined according to its original ancient cultural meaning. Also included in each word entry are its alternative spellings, King James translations of the word and Strong's number. Indexes are included to assist with finding a word within the lexicon according to its spelling, definition, King James translation or Strong's number.

A powerful, moving anthology that celebrates the breadth of Native poets writing today. Joy Harjo, the first Native poet to serve as U.S. Poet Laureate, has championed the voices of Native peoples past and present. Her signature laureate project gathers the work of contemporary Native poets into a national, fully digital map of story, sound, and space, celebrating their vital and unequivocal contributions to American poetry. This companion anthology features each poem and poet from the project—including Natalie Diaz, Ray Young Bear, Craig Santos Perez, Sherwin Bitsui, and Layli Long Soldier, among others—to offer readers a chance to hold the wealth of poems in their hands. The chosen poems reflect on the theme of place and displacement and circle the touchpoints of visibility, persistence, resistance, and acknowledgment. Each poem showcases, as Joy Harjo writes in her stirring introduction, “that heritage is a living thing, and there can be no heritage without land and the relationships that outline our kinship.” In this country, poetry is rooted in the more than five hundred living indigenous nations. Living Nations, Living Words is a representative offering.

Timothy Ward offers an excellent, lucid exposition of the nature and function of Scripture, expressed in a form appropriate for the tweny-first century, grounded in the relevant scholarship, and standing firmily in line with the best of the theological traditions.

The former executive director of Bible Study Fellowship provides a topical study guide for essential areas of life specifically addressed by Jesus.