The Bible Unauthorized

Question:

I was looking through my old sefarim/Jewish books and found called THE BIBLE UNAUTHORIZED – The True Text of the Bible.

It is a work which is altering the standard translation of the Bible (chumash) to fit with science, and quotes the new testament and speaks of “Yoshke”. The pesukim brought down seem to only be in English. May i keep it?

Answer:

You may.

The book The Bible Unauthorized was written by “A. H. Moose,” a pen name used by a Chabad Chassid, Rabbi Aaron Hirsh Levitt (who also wrote under the name A. I. Sigal). Rabbi Levitt was deeply trusted by the Chabad Rebbeim and served as the English editor for official Chabad publications in Brooklyn during that era. When Rabbi Levitt completed his raw manuscript, he brought it to the Previous Rebbe. The Previous Rebbe recognized the immense value of a book that could talk to the English-speaking public in a language they understood.

Because the book dealt with complex secular topics, the Previous Rebbe handed the manuscript directly to his son-in-law—who would later become our Rebbe.

The Rebbe meticulously went through the text to ensure that the scientific arguments were sound, the English was precise, and above all, that it perfectly aligned with the absolute truth of the Torah.

We know the exact details of this holy collaboration because the letters between the Rebbe, the Previous Rebbe, and Rabbi Levitt have been preserved. You can read the detailed notes, edits, and directions regarding this very book in Igros Kodesh.

Do not worry – this is not a missionary book designed to trick Jews! He wasn’t preaching Christianity. He was actually writing a polemic (an argumentative defense). He used the term ‘Yoshke’ and quoted the New Testament strictly to argue against them. He was trying to prove to the English-speaking world that non-Jewish religions completely misinterpreted the original Hebrew Torah. He wasn’t changing the holy Hebrew words of the Chumash. Instead, he argued that standard English translations (like Christian translations) were wrong. He tried to re-translate the Hebrew into English in a way that showed the Torah actually fits perfectly with modern science and evolution. The book was an early Orthodox attempt to reconcile the creation narrative in Genesis with modern scientific theories like evolution.

Even though it was reviewed behind the scenes by the Rebbe to help defend the Torah at the time, it remains a highly unusual, localized secular-scientific argument.

For a typical Lubavitcher bochur with a solid Torah background, who isn’t struggling with questions about Torah and science, I would not recommend it as ordinary recreational or general Torah reading.

Sources:

באג״ק אדמו״ר מוהריי׳צ ט ע׳ נד: הספר האנגלי הוא בשביל אמריקנים אשר מבלי דעת עניני התורה בלעו דברי מינות ואפיקורסות מבלי דעת, ועבורם ת”ל גדולות עשה ועושה.

ובאג״ק רבינו ב אגרת רסד:  “ע”ד הספר (באנגלית) על בראשית, הנה הוא תערובות טוב וטעיות, יש בו כמה ביאורים ורעיונות מפתיעים בחידושם, אבל גם ענינים שאינם אמתיים, המחבר לא הסכים לשינויים, וכיון שהטוב הוא מרובה והעיקר אשר במצב ההוה פה במקצוע תעמולת המיסיונרים (מכת מדינה כאן) יכול לשמש כלי זיין טוב נגדם נחלט להו”ל.

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