Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Complete Gutnick Chumash on Google Books

Whoever is responsible for allowing the complete Gutnick Chumash (Pentateuch) online, יישר כחך to you!--either author, publisher, or both. Let this also serve as a gentle rebuke to other publishers of popular Chumashim, including publishers which double as a non-profit fit to give one's tzedakah to. This Chumash can be completely viewed and searched, but not downloaded, which seems to make good finanical sense. Of course the bottom line is the bottom line so it is hard to expect the makers of other Chumashim to do the same, but the folks behind the Gutnick Chumash must be specially commended, even if the cynic in me realizes that a partial motivation might be a sense of mission in spreading the Lubavitcher Rebbe's word by making it available (the commentary Toras Menachem adorns the edition, along with a section called Classic Questions, which anthologizes many of the famous commentaries).

However, the Gutnick Chumash is a quite good Orthodox Chumash, with an interesting bibliography, which can be perused here. It is light on the Litvaks, truth be told, and delightfully describes the Vilna Gaon as "Lithuanian Talmudist, Kabalist, grammarian, and mathematician." However, the sheer grace of making the entire text available is applaudable indeed.

I had planned to review this Chumash a long time ago. Perhaps now that I will be able to do so more easily I will get around to it.

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