The Synagogue Edition of the Kehot Publication Society Chumash was formally released and will be available in stores next week, in anticipation of the International Conference of Chabad Shluchim (Nov. 5).
The single-volume edition includes the five-volume interpolated translation Kehot Chumash acclaimed for the new Torah study experience it had brought to its users. The interpolated translation renders the text of the Chumash intelligible to the reader with an explicated Rashi commentary including the Rebbe’s exposition on Rashi.
Hundreds of Chasidic insights culled from the works of the Rebbe and his predecessors supplement the lucid translation. Each parsha (Torah reading) is preceded by a concise introduction highlighting its particular theme as it considers the Torah’s message. Helpful introductions precede each haftarah, designed to provide the reader with historical and literary background as an aid to study of the prophetic lessons of the haftarot and their relation to the weekly parsha.
“The publication of this Chumash provides an altogether different level of accessibility to Torah and to the Rebbe’s teachings,” said Rabbi Chaim Nochum Cunin, director and general editor of Chabad House Publications.
Senior Editor at Kehot Publication Society, Rabbi Dovid Olidort, offers that the Kehot Chumash corrects a misconception by which many assume that the Torah text can be read independent of the accompanying interpretation of the Oral tradition.
“Traditionally, Torah was meant to be studied through the eyes of the Oral Tradition. According to Maimonides the Torah text was given together with a ‘running commentary.’ The Kehot Chumash, which blends the original text with the Oral commentary as explained by Rashi in one narrative, is a first attempt to give the English reader that experience.”
Editor-in-Chief of the project, Rabbi Moshe Yaakov Wisnefsky and general editor Rabbi Chaim Nochum Cunin worked with their team: Rabbis Baruch Kaplan, Betzalel Lifshitz, Yosef Marcus, and Dov Wagner.
Experts and scholars who assisted in preparing this work include Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman, Rabbi Dovid Olidort, and Rabbi Avraham D. Vaisfiche, Rabbi Aaron Leib Raskin, Rabbi Shmuel Rabin, and Rabbi Yisroel Noach Shneur Wichnin.
Illustrations and diagrams by artists Marc Lumer, Ian Webster, and comprehensive, high-quality maps produced by cartographer Reuven Soffer enhance the text. The 1536-page book is durably bound, designed for heavy use: the text is printed on custom paper manufactured in Europe; the cover is made of nylon-reinforced tear-free leatherette material; and the binding is hand-stitched and specially reinforced, making this a worthwhile synagogue investment.
“We are confident that this monumental work will be the Chumash of choice not only for Chabad Houses and synagogues, but for families, students, and the public at large,” says Rabbi Yosef Friedman of Kehot Publication Society, the Chabad-Lubavitch publishing house.
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