In Search of Lost Meaning
New readings in the Torah
About the book
What happens when a software developer who spends his days solving bugs and performance problems falls in love with the weekly Torah portion and begins uncovering the clues hidden in its verses?
Ariel Stollman – a graduate of Yeshivat Har Etzion, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and computer science and a master’s degree in computer science specializing in artificial intelligence – combines analytical precision, sensitivity to language, and literary analysis to uncover fresh and surprising insights into the plain meaning of Scripture.
This is a journey of discovery through questions that have yet to receive satisfying answers. Following small details and clues scattered throughout the Torah, the book offers original, bold interpretations grounded in the text that challenge familiar understandings.
Its 27 chapters explore narratives, laws, and ideas anew. Each chapter stands on its own; together, they form a rich mosaic of rereading the Torah, uncovering layers of meaning obscured by later interpretations, assumptions, and inherited traditions.
This book invites readers to return to the verses themselves. It is intended for those seeking thoughtful Torah study, a companion to the weekly portion, or an original and thought-provoking discussion of peshat for the Shabbat table.
What will you discover?
- Why is boiling a kid in its mother’s milk prohibited specifically in connection with Shavuot?
- Why must an accidental killer remain in a city of refuge until the death of the high priest?
- Where were the Egyptians when the sea returned to its normal state?
- Why did Rachel steal the household gods?
- Which fourth generation is meant in the prophecy of the covenant between the pieces?
- What was the purpose of the incense altar in the Tabernacle, and how does it relate to the place of revelation?
- How does the Torah view Rebecca’s urging Jacob to obtain the blessings by deception?
- Who were the eleven stars in Joseph’s dream?
- Why is the monetary valuation of a man higher than that of a woman?
These and many other intriguing questions receive close attention throughout the book.
Articles from the book
Buy the book
In Search of the Lost Peshat – available in Hebrew
