Tanakh

The Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt, miraculous redemption, the giving of the Torah, and building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle).

Laws of sacrificial worship in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), ritual purity, and other topics like agriculture, ethics, and holidays.

Wanderings of the Israelites in the desert, census, rebellion, spies and war, interspersed with laws.

Moses’ final speeches, recalling events of the desert, reviewing old laws, introducing new ones, and calling for faithfulness to God.

Prophets

The Israelites enter, conquer, and settle Israel under the leadership of Joshua. Cycles of sin, foreign oppression, repentance, and redemption through leaders appointed by God. The prophet Samuel, the advent of monarchy with the reign of Saul, and the rise of a young David.

King David’s triumphs and challenges as he establishes a united kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital.

Solomon’s kingship, construction of the Temple, a schism in the kingdom, and Elijah the Prophet.

Stories and miracles of the prophet Elisha, the decline of Israel’s kingdoms, and the Temple’s destruction.

Criticism of religious corruption, calls for change, and descriptions of a utopian future.

Warnings of Jerusalem’s destruction and demands for repentance, largely rejected by the people, some of whom torture and persecute him.

Dramatic symbolism conveying rebuke or hope, and visions of a future Temple. Rebuke of Israel for abandoning God, comparing their relationship to that of unfaithful lovers. A locust plague, a call to repent, and a promise of judgement for Israel’s oppressors. Condemnation of oppression and arrogance in the nations and Israel, and a call for reform. The shortest book in Tanakh, at just 21 verses, predicting the downfall of the kingdom of Edom. A great fish swallows Jonah when he tries to escape his mission of prophecy, and Jonah repents.

Berating of Israel and its leadership for insincere ritual worship, and calls for justice and kindness.

A celebratory prophecy about the downfall of the Assyrian empire, an oppressor of Israel. Charging God to explain the unjust success of the Babylonians, God’s response, and a prayer. Warnings of the destruction God will wreck on the unfaithful and calls for justice and humility. Urgent calls to build the Second Temple and descriptions of its future glory. Symbolic visions of redemption, explained by angels, and descriptions of the end of days. Criticism of disingenuous ritual worship and descriptions of God’s future blessings.

Writings

Poems of despair, hope, gratitude, and supplication to God, attributed to David and others. Guidance for living a wise, moral, and righteous life, in the form of poems and short statements. Satan convinces God to strike a righteous man with tragedy, spurring conversations about suffering. Poetic conversations of two lovers, traditionally read as a metaphor for God and Israel. A Moabite widow remains loyal to her mother-in-law and to Israel, embarking on a new beginning. Laments of Jerusalem’s destruction, grappling with theological explanations. An exploration of the meaning of life, reckoning with death, futility, and purpose. Esther becomes queen of Persia and foils a plot to destroy the Jews, establishing the Purim holiday. A Jewish advisor to Babylonian kings interprets dreams and miraculously escapes danger. Rebuilding the Temple after decades of exile and religious revival led by Ezra the scribe. Rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and the nation’s commitment to observe the commandments. Recounts of events in the Torah and early Prophets, focusing on King David. Recounts of events in the Prophets, from Solomon through the First Temple’s destruction.

Targum

Translations of Tanakh into Aramaic, originally transmitted orally and mostly committed to writing between the first and eighth centuries CE

Targumim on the books of Writings, ranging in style and date of composition.

Primary Targum on the Torah accepted in the Talmud as authoritative; read publicly in synagogues in talmudic times and still today by Yemenite Jews.

Rav Saadia Gaon’s influential 10th-century translation of the Torah into Arabic using Hebrew characters.

Pieces of Targum on scattered phrases throughout the Torah.

Primary Targum on the books of the Prophets, read publicly in synagogues in talmudic times and still today by Yemenite Jews.

Targum on the Torah that incorporates expansions on biblical text, compiled in Israel.

Rishonim on Tanakh

Most widely-read biblical commentary, compiled in the 11th-century, explaining the simple meaning of the text with interpretive elaborations.

12th-century commentary focusing on the simple meaning of the text and incorporating grammar and linguistics.

13th-century commentary weaving together biblical interpretation with law, philosophy, and mysticism.

15th-century commentary on the Torah and Prophets, opening each section with a list of questions on the biblical text.

16th-century commentary highlighting the moral and religious lessons embedded in every biblical phrase.

First completed work of the Abarbanel, composed around 1470, commenting on passages in chapters 23 and 24 in Exodus.

14th-century short introductions to biblical passages by the author of the Tur, often containing gematria and linguistic devices.

15th-century supercommentary to Rashi’s Torah commentary, attributed to the Mishnah commentator Rav Ovadiah Bartenura.

12th-century commentary by a French Tosafist, focusing on literal interpretations and offering rational explanations of miraculous biblical events.

13th-century commentary presenting literal interpretations of the author’s predecessors and presenting new ideas.

Commentary composed by the Tosafists in the 12th and 13th centuries, primarily in France and Germany.

15th-century commentary by R. Abraham Saba, rewritten from memory after the author was forced to abandon his original work before fleeing Portugal.

13th-century kabbalistic commentary of Rabbi Ezra ben Shlomo of Gerona, selected, translated, and annotated by Seth Brody in the 20th century.

14th-century philosophical and exegetical work by Rabbi Yosef ibn Kaspi, mostly related to the book of Genesis.

Torah commentary compiled anonymously from the writings of Franco-German scholars in the 12th-13th centuries (Ba’alei HaTosafot).

14th-century commentary that offers linguistic and grammatical explanations as well as philosophical perspectives.

16th-century commentary on Writings by a student of the Rashba. Abridgement of the 14th-century Baal HaTurim Torah commentary.

15th-century treatise of the Abarbanel examining prophecies throughout Tanakh that speak of redemption.

17th-century commentary focusing on textual variants, cantillation marks, and vowelization of biblical text.

13th-century commentary by one of the French Tosafists explaining the simple meaning of the text while weaving in gematria and word schemes.

Fourteenth-century commentary incorporating literal explanations along with allegorical, philosophical, and mystical interpretations.

11th-century commentary reconstructed from citations in later Torah commentators and fragments of manuscripts discovered in the Cairo Genizah.

Popular 13th-century commentary focusing on the simple meaning of the text and incorporating grammar and philosophy.

14th-century commentary defining words, explaining passages, and demonstrating morals, incorporating law, philosophy, math, and astronomy.

One of three sections of Ralbag’s Torah commentary, focusing on literal definitions. Popular 12th-century commentary by Rashi’s grandson focusing on the simple meaning of the text.

Supercommentary on Rashi’s Torah commentary compiled by one of the Tosafists in the 13th or 14th century.

14th-century commentary attributed to the legal codifier Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel.

10th-century commentary incorporating essays on legal and philosophical topics loosely connected to biblical verses.

Second commentary of the Ibn Ezra on the Book of Esther, with overlapping themes to those of his first commentary but with many new interpretations.

Commentary by 16th-century Italian rabbi and physician. 16th-century commentary on the Book of Esther by Rabbi Yitzchak ben Mordechai Gershon.

16th-century commentary combining simple and allegorical interpretations by the uncle of Rav Yosef Karo based on sermons he delivered.

14th-century commentary by the author of the Tur with summaries of traditional interpretations, particularly those of the Ramban.

16th-century commentary with literal explanations as well as mystical ones based on the teachings of the Zohar.

Acharonim on Tanakh

18th-century commentary on the Torah by the Vilna Gaon.

19th-century commentary on select verses from the Torah and haftarot by the Ben Ish Chai, with elaborative and mystical interpretations.

18th-century commentary on the haftarot, written by Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz. 18th-century commentary on the book of Lamentations, written by Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz. 18th-century supercommentary to Ibn Ezra's Torah commentary.

Mystical commentary compiled by a student of Rav Chaim Vital in the 17th century and first published in the 19th century.

19th-century analytical commentary on Genesis and part of Exodus by Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik.

A mystical commentary compiled in the 19th century from teachings of Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heschel, a leading 17th-century Polish rabbi

19th-century commentary of the Chatam Sofer on the Torah and haftarot published by his grandson.

Series of 18th-century commentaries of Rav Chaim Yosef David Azulai, incorporating rabbinic and kabbalistic teachings.

17th-century supercommentary on Rashi’s Torah commentary by R. David HaLevi Segal, author of the Turei Zahav, or Taz, on the Shulchan Arukh

19th-century commentary by R. Elijah Benamozegh, incorporating philology, archaeology, and history.

19th-century collection of sermons on the Torah readings and haftarot by Rabbi Meir Leibush Weisser, known by his acronym "Malbim."

16th-century supercommentary to Rashi’s Torah commentary by the Maharal of Prague.

19th-century commentary by an opponent of Reform Judaism meant to demonstrate how the oral tradition is derived from the biblical text.

Influential 19th-century commentary of the Netziv based on classes he gave on the weekly Torah portion in the Volozhin Yeshiva.

The Netziv’s elaborations upon his Haamek Davar.

16th-century commentary on the Book of Ruth, by Samuel de Uçeda, that includes interpretations from talmudic times all the way to the author’s contemporaries.

19th-century commentaries on the five megillot by the author of the Netivot Mishpat.

17th-century commentary based in part on sermons delivered by the author, Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntshits.

16th-century commentary on the book of Lamentations. 16th-century supercommentary on Rashi’s Torah commentary.

19th-century commentary known for its assumption that every word in Tanakh carries unique meaning, with no synonyms or repetitions.

18th-century super-commentary on Rashi on the Torah by Rabbi David Pardo, an Italian Rabbi and poet. 16th-century Torah commentary by the kabbalist R. Natan Nota Spira

First work authored by Rema, written in the 16th century as a commentary comparing the plot of the book of Esther to a person’s journey through life

Commentary on the book of Esther by Rabbi Shlomo HaLevi Alkabetz. 20th-century commentary of Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, which he started writing as a teenager.

18th-century classic commentary on Prophets and Writings explaining verses in clear and simple language, primarily based on the Radak’s commentary.

Work originally composed together with the Metzudat David as one work, explaining individual words. 18th-century commentary interpreting and expanding upon Targum Onkelos.

16th-century supercommentary on Rashi’s Torah commentary, in part defending Rashi from critiques of later commentators like the Ramban.

Early 19th-century compilation of essays on the Torah by R. Yaakov Lorberbaum 19th-century commentary on Targum Onkelos, an Aramaic translation of the Torah. Collection of the 18th-century Dubner Maggid’s homiletical teachings on the Torah

19th-century academic work of the Shadal analyzing the methods of Targum Onkelos and presenting its textual variants.

16th-century commentary on the book of Esther by Maharal

18th-century Torah commentary incorporating mysticism, originating in Morocco and seen as an essential work by the European founders of chasidism.

Early 20th-century Torah commentary by Rabbi Yosef Patzanovski

Seminal 19th-century German commentary by R. Samson Raphael Hirsch expressing to his belief in the interconnectedness of Torah and civilization

19th-century commentary on the five books of the Torah by a scientifically oriented Italian scholar.

19th-century commentary by a leading figure in the Jewish enlightenment quoting from traditional commentaries as well as from Christian and academic sources.

17th-century supercommentary on Rashi, often beginning sections by identifying the textual difficulties that made Rashi’s comments necessary.

18th-century commentary by the author of the Pri Megadim, a supercommentary on major Shulchan Arukh commentaries.

Early 20h-century encyclopedia of the passages in rabbinic literature relevant to each biblical verse accompanied by brief explanations.

20th-century commentary of the Rogatchover Gaon with a focus on analysis of biblical text through a legal lens.

English translation of a popular 17th-century Yiddish work on the weekly Torah portions, haftarot, and megillot

16th-century supercommentary on the Mizrachi supercommentary on Rashi’s Torah commentary. 16th-century commentary on the book of Esther with a focus on highlighting God’s role in the story

Modern Commentary on Tanakh

20th-century commentaries on early Prophets by a student of Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook, highlighting the text’s contemporary relevance.

21st-century Torah commentary by the editor of the Shmirat Shabbat KeHilkhatah, with a focus on elucidating Rashi’s commentary.

Early 20th-century commentary incorporating archeology, ancient Semitic languages, and literary tools.

Mid-twentieth-century commentary incorporating archeology, ancient Semitic languages, and literary tools.

20th-century commentary of Rav Yehuda Herzl Henkin, a leading figure in the Religious Zionist movement.

Commentary based on lectures that R. Hoffmann delivered at the Rabbinical Seminary of Berlin during the late 19th century

21st-century English commentary on the book of Jonah authored by Rabbi Chaim Jachter together with his son, Binyamin.

21st-century English commentary on the Book of Kings by Rabbi Chaim Jachter.

R. Sacks's writings on the Torah, including his series Covenant and Conversation and companion volumes of essays

21st-century collection of Hebrew essays on the weekly Torah portion that draws from a wide range of Jewish and secular sources.

21st-century commentary on the book of Ruth by Rabbi Chaim Jachter.

21st-century portrait of the biblical Moses’ inner world by Dr. Avivah Zornberg, drawing on traditional commentaries and psychoanalytic sources.

20th-century collection of worksheets with questions on the Torah and traditional commentators created by a pioneering educator and scholar.

21st-century compilation of essays by Rabbi Francis Nataf suggesting innovative ways to look at events of the Torah.

21st-century English commentary on the Book of Daniel by Rabbi Chaim Jachter, incorporating questions and insights from his students at Torah Academy of Bergen County.

Translation and commentary on each of the books in the Hebrew Bible.

Everett Fox’s essays expanding upon his 20th-century Bible translation, a work designed to draw the reader into the world of the Bible through the power of its language.

21st-century English book examining the connections between the personalities of the 12 sons of Jacob and the territories that each tribe later inherited.

About Tanakh

The Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, is Judaism’s foundational text. “Tanakh” is an acronym for the three major sections of the canon, the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). This first library of the Jewish people contains many genres: narrative history, law, poetry, wisdom, and theology. It begins with the creation of the world and ends with Cyrus’s edict that the Jews be allowed to return to Judea and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem in 539 BCE.