Reviews of Moses: a Human life (2016)
"Quite simply a masterpiece." - The Washington Post
“A celebrated biblical scholar, keen on weaving together traditional Jewish exegesis, psychoanalysis and postmodern criticism, Zornberg always displays minute attention to the psychological subtext of the Scriptures….Bringing together copious, diverse and sometimes dissonant references (spanning Hasidic masters, George Eliot, Zizek and Beckett, among others), Zornberg gives a new tour of the life of Moses.” - The New York Times
"A rich, erudite study of Moses...A meaty, worthwhile biography by a great interpreter of Jewish texts.”--Kirkus Review, Starred Review
“A thoughtful work that is worth the effort for spiritually erudite and patient readers.”--Library Journal, Starred Review
“Aviva Zornberg offers fresh insight into a familiar story, while reconciling us to our deepening awareness that so much remains unknown….[Zornberg] is both reverential and iconoclastic in her approach to Moses’ inner life.” - The New York Jewish Week
“Moses: A Human Life challenges readers to see Moses in an original and thought-provoking way — not as a leader or a prophet, but as a man whose disabilities and conflicts make him uniquely qualified to speak for God and to achieve God’s purpose….Zornberg illustrates a touching picture of a man whose speech is limited but reaches his people — God’s chosen people — and others as well.” - Jewish Book Council
“What Zornberg’s method really does is meld an astute literary reading of the text with psychoanalytic insight. What results is immensely interesting and appealing, at times moving, even to a skeptic of the psychoanalytic worldview.”--Lilith
“A celebrated biblical scholar, keen on weaving together traditional Jewish exegesis, psychoanalysis and postmodern criticism, Zornberg always displays minute attention to the psychological subtext of the Scriptures….Bringing together copious, diverse and sometimes dissonant references (spanning Hasidic masters, George Eliot, Zizek and Beckett, among others), Zornberg gives a new tour of the life of Moses.” - The New York Times
"A rich, erudite study of Moses...A meaty, worthwhile biography by a great interpreter of Jewish texts.”--Kirkus Review, Starred Review
“A thoughtful work that is worth the effort for spiritually erudite and patient readers.”--Library Journal, Starred Review
“Aviva Zornberg offers fresh insight into a familiar story, while reconciling us to our deepening awareness that so much remains unknown….[Zornberg] is both reverential and iconoclastic in her approach to Moses’ inner life.” - The New York Jewish Week
“Moses: A Human Life challenges readers to see Moses in an original and thought-provoking way — not as a leader or a prophet, but as a man whose disabilities and conflicts make him uniquely qualified to speak for God and to achieve God’s purpose….Zornberg illustrates a touching picture of a man whose speech is limited but reaches his people — God’s chosen people — and others as well.” - Jewish Book Council
“What Zornberg’s method really does is meld an astute literary reading of the text with psychoanalytic insight. What results is immensely interesting and appealing, at times moving, even to a skeptic of the psychoanalytic worldview.”--Lilith
