By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin in Pikesville, Maryland
The Maggid Tanakh Companions series was created to help readers engage deeply with the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) by combining traditional Jewish interpretation with modern literary analysis. Rather than serving as verse-by-verse commentaries, the books examine major biblical characters, themes, and literary structures to uncover theological, ethical, and psychological insights that resonate with contemporary readers. Maggid Books publishes the series in partnership with Yeshiva University Press.
The series seeks to demonstrate that biblical narratives are carefully crafted works of literature whose structure, recurring words, and narrative techniques illuminate profound religious and moral ideas.
As of mid-2026, there are about a dozen published or announced volumes, with additional titles expected. The series continues to expand. Among the published volumes are: Creation: The Story of Beginnings (2019), Places in the Parasha: Biblical Geography and Its Meaning (2020), Abraham: The Story of a Journey (2023), Jacob: The Story of a Family (2025), and The Sacrificial Service: Gestures of Flesh and Spirit (2026).
Jonathan Grossman wrote The Sacrificial Service: Gestures of Flesh and Spirit. He is one of Israel’s leading contemporary scholars of the Hebrew Bible. He serves as an associate professor in the Department of Bible at Bar-Ilan University and also teaches at Herzog College. His academic background includes an M.A. in Jewish Philosophy from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Ph.D. in Bible from Bar-Ilan University.
Grossman specializes in literary approaches to biblical narrative. Rather than treating biblical stories merely as historical accounts, he studies how their literary design—plot, dialogue, repetition, symbolism, and structure—reveals theological meaning and is relevant today.
Among his books are: Esther: The Outer Narrative and the Hidden Reading; Ruth: Bridges and Boundaries, Text and Subtext, Abram to Abraham; Creation: The Story of Beginnings; Abraham: The Story of a Journey; Jacob: The Story of a Family; and The Sacrificial Service: Gestures of Flesh and Spirit.
The substantial 630-page work The Sacrificial Service: Gestures of Flesh and Spirit examines the opening chapters of Leviticus, perhaps the least understood portion of the Torah for many modern readers.
Grossman argues that sacrifices are not primitive rituals intended merely to appease God. Instead, they are symbolic acts through which worshippers express gratitude, repentance, devotion, dependence, celebration, and reconciliation.
Following the order of Leviticus, Grossman analyzes each offering—the burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, and offerings for improper acts—using close literary reading, classical rabbinic interpretation, medieval commentators, and modern biblical scholarship.
His writing is scholarly but consistently focused on understanding the meaning and benefits of each ritual. The book makes a subject that many readers find intellectually distant relevant today.
Grossman’s message is that external religious acts are valuable only when they express an authentic inner life. The sacrifices are “gestures of flesh and spirit.” Physical actions matter when they embody inner attitudes.
He wants readers to understand that worship involves both body and mind; actions educate emotions; repentance requires concrete expression; gratitude must be demonstrated rather than merely felt; and religious rituals cultivate moral character.
Thus, Leviticus is not simply about animals and altars; it is about human beings who grow through actions while shaping their relationship with God.
Grossman explains that God desires moral and religious transformation more than ritual performance. Human beings possess both physical and mental dimensions. Religious practice helps integrate these dimensions rather than separating them. Failure is expected, but repentance and restoration are always possible. Every offering represents a different aspect of human growth and the relationship between the worshipper and the deity.
The sacrificial system, therefore, emphasizes that God invites people into an ongoing covenantal relationship rather than demanding mechanical obedience.
The strength of Grossman’s work lies in clarifying that the ideas of an ancient religious system remain relevant today. Readers may come away with practical insights. The rituals encourage people to perform everyday actions with intention rather than habit. The guilt offerings emphasize personal responsibility, honest acknowledgment of mistakes, and making amends. The peace offerings remind readers to celebrate blessings and share joy with others. The unity of body and thought teaches that outward behavior should reflect inward values. Sacrifices teach us that our own need for forgiveness often increases empathy toward others. It also teaches that worship is rarely solitary; it reinforces the importance of strengthening relationships within the community.
In short, Dr. Grossman invites readers to see Leviticus not as an obsolete manual of ancient ritual but as a significant meditation on how disciplined practices can shape ethical character. His central insight is that meaningful actions—performed thoughtfully and sincerely—can transform the individual, deepen one’s relationship with the universe and God, and foster greater responsibility and kindness toward other people.
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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps.