The goal of this edition is to help the people of the torah come closer to theGiver of the Torah. It is in response to countless requests from many sectors of the Jewishcommunity for a one-volume Tanach that is accurate, graceful, clear, and, most of all, faithfulto traditional Torah commentary. The translation balances the lofty beauty of the Hebrew withthe need to provide a literate and comprehensible English rendering. Where a choice had to bemade, the translators preferred fidelity to the text over inaccurate simplicity.

The name HASHEM (literally "the Name") is used as the translation of theTetragrammaton, the sacred Hebrew Four-letter Name of God. For the Hebrew Elohim andEl, which are more general and less "personal" Names of the Deity, "God" is used.Prophecies and prayers are indented for prominence. Because it provides clarity and perspective,the commentary is one of the most important features of this volume, despite its relativebrevity. The comments are almost invariably drawn from Talmudic or rabbinic literature. Thevolume includes a generous selection of charts, illustrations, diagrams, and timelines, all ofwhich assist in the comprehension of the text. To aid in the understanding of the context, briefnotes appear alongside the translation, to introduce topics, summarize the flow of thenarrative, and identify speakers. For the Hebrew text, the translators have followed thetraditional editions that have been used for centuries.

The text is in English and in Hebrew, with the English being on the left andthe Hebrew on the right. Following Hebrew tradition, there are twenty-four books, which includethe thirty-nine of English-language versions.

This edition is dedicated to Irving J. Stone, who has been a lifelong pioneerin bringing new horizens to Jewish education. He was convinced that the way to bring Jews closeto Torah was to bring torah to Jews.

Mesorah Publications (1998)

[Tyndale House, Cambridge, UnitedKingdom]