Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr.

[caption id="attachment_119024" align="alignright" width="100"] Rabbi Israel Drazin[/caption]

Dr. Israel Drazin served for 31 years in the US military and attained the rank of Brigadier General. He has a PhD in Judaic Studies and a Masters Degree in psychology and a Masters Degree in Jewish Literature. He is an attorney and a rabbi.

He developed the legal strategy that saved the military chaplaincies when its constitutionality was attacked in court, and received the Legion of Merit for his service.

[showhide type=”pressrelease” more_text=”Show More” less_text=”Show Less”]

He was the scholar who recognized that the Aramaic translation Targum Onkelos took hundreds of items from the Tannaitic Midrashim, which were edited around 400 CE; therefore, the Targum must have been composed after that date, a period much later than had been widely accepted.

He is the author of more than 50 books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, and a series of books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, a history of the legal case he handled, and dozens of books on the Bible.

His works, available on Amazon, include:
*A Rational Approach to Judaism and Torah Commentary
*Can’t Start Passover Without the Bread (Children’s Literature) ***
*For God and Country: The History of a Constitutional Challenge to the Army Chaplaincy
*Maimonides and the Biblical Prophets
*Maimonides: Reason Above All
*Maimonides: The Exceptional Mind
*Mysteries of Judaism (Maimonides and Rational)
*Mysteries of Judaism II: How the Rabbis and Others Changed Judaism
*Nachmanides: An Unusual Thinker
*Onkelos on the Torah Understanding the Bible Text (5 Volume Set)**
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 1: Genesis) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 2: Exodus) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 3: Leviticus) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 4: Numbers) **
*Onkelos on the Torah (Book 5: Deuteronomy) **
*Sailing on Moti’s Ark on Sukkoth (Children’s Literature) ***
*Stories that Teach the Truth: Ecclesiastes, Tobit, Susanna, and Other Stories.
*Studies in Onkelos (Hebrew edition)
*Targum Onkelos to Exodus [2]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*Targum Onkelos to Leviticus [3]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*Targum Onkelos to Numbers [4]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
Targum Onkelos to Deuteronomy [5]: An English Translation of the Text with Analysis and Commentary
*The Authentic King Solomon
*The Tragedies of King David
*Understanding Onkelos
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Five Books of Moses (Maimonides and Rational)
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Hosea
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Jonah and Amos
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Joshua
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Judges
*Unusual Bible Interpretations: Ruth, Esther, Judith
*What’s Beyond the Biblical Text? **
*Who Really Was the Biblical David?
*Who Was the Biblical Prophet Samuel?

** Co-Authored with Stanley Wagner
** Co-Authored with Leba Lieder
[/showhide]

‘Creation:’ The story of beginnings by Jonathan Grossman

Grossman, a professor of Bible at Bar-Ilan University, is widely known for demonstrating how careful attention to the structure and wording of the biblical text reveals layers of multiple meaning that are often overlooked. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

‘Creation:’ The story of beginnings by Jonathan Grossman Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jonathan Grossman reveals who Jacob was and more

The series emphasizes careful reading of the biblical text, literary structure, recurring themes, character development, biblical dialogue and narrative techniques, theological and ethical lessons, and connections between different parts of the Bible that aid in understanding their significance. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin)

Jonathan Grossman reveals who Jacob was and more Read More »

Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Textual analysis of Deuteronomy offers little-known facts

His work appeals to readers across a broad spectrum of Jewish backgrounds because he seeks to demonstrate that many profound ideas emerge from paying close attention to the Torah’s own language before consulting later commentators.[Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Textual analysis of Deuteronomy offers little-known facts Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Kabbalah and the Holocaust 

Kabbalah and the Holocaust: Healing a Broken Cosmos is among Rabbi Samuel’s most ambitious theological works. Instead of asking only the usual, most often heard question, “Where was God during the Holocaust?” he investigates how Jewish mystical thought attempts to understand the existence of evil without diminishing God’s justice and human responsibility. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Kabbalah and the Holocaust  Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

‘The Sacrificial Service’: Leviticus teaches valuable lessons

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. (Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin)

‘The Sacrificial Service’: Leviticus teaches valuable lessons Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Solomon’s contributions to the Bible weighed through Rashi’s lens

The book begins with a puzzle. The passionate love poetry of the Song of Songs, the practical wisdom of Proverbs, and the philosophical skepticism of Ecclesiastes appear so different that many readers wonder why they belong together in Scripture. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Solomon’s contributions to the Bible weighed through Rashi’s lens Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Novel is based on what an old lion swallowed

The tale turns to two timelines. In 1938, while Nazi Germany was in turmoil, young Sarah Frank escaped persecution against Jews. She finds refuge in a traveling circus populated by lion trainers, acrobats, elephant handlers, and interesting, sometimes strange people. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Novel is based on what an old lion swallowed Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Fiction, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Love, marriage, and sex as told by my father, a rabbi

The controversial reception to Dad’s Marriage Made in Heaven stemmed primarily from its explicit and frank discussion of sexual intimacy, which many in the Orthodox rabbinate in 1958 considered inappropriate for public consumption. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Love, marriage, and sex as told by my father, a rabbi Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

‘Essentials of Judaism’ will please life-long Jews and those studying for conversion

The authors created a text that speaks simultaneously to the intellectually curious reader, the seeker of religious inspiration, and the conversion student searching for a reliable and comprehensive guide. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin}

‘Essentials of Judaism’ will please life-long Jews and those studying for conversion Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Was Spinoza an atheist?

He is likely correct that Spinoza was convinced that God does not intervene in history, perform miracles, reward, punish, or listen to prayers – other Jewish thinkers said the same thing while never denying God’s existence. But he is clearly wrong to suppose that when Spinoza said we can see God in nature, he meant God does not exist. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Was Spinoza an atheist? Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Last letters of Israeli soldiers poignant, witty, and even joyous

The emotional range is extraordinary and serves as a splendid message and lesson for readers. One page may have readers smiling at a soldier’s wit; the next may be almost unbearable because of its honesty. No letter romanticizes war. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

Last letters of Israeli soldiers poignant, witty, and even joyous Read More »

Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors