The articles in this volume originated, in large part, as papers presented at a conference convened by the Melton Coalition for Creative Interaction in December 2014 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Melton Coalition is a consortium of the three Melton Centers established over the years by the visionary philanthropist Samuel Mendel Melton: at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Ohio State University.
The conference was devoted to the various forms of interaction that obtain between the oral and the textual modes of discourse in Jewish history and contemporary Jewish life. Some of the essays dwell on oral and textual media in historical context – while others place more emphasis on the contemporary educational implications of the phenomena under discussion.
All the essays in this volume articulate patterns of oral and written discourse that can greatly enrich our knowledge of both the history of Jewish culture and the theory and practice of Jewish education.
"The volume is highly valuable for Jewish studies, historical interpretation of the Hebrew Bible from a Jewish perspective, as well as students working in the field of post Second Temple Jewish exegetical work. No doubt the students and teachers will find this volume invaluable for their individual study and the volume will complement the bookshelf of many scholars to come." - Hebrew Higher Education 23, Mattew Christian, 2021
"All the essays in this volume articulate patterns of oral and written discourse that can greatly enrich one’s knowledge of both the history of Jewish culture and the theory and practice of Jewish education." - Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews, David B Levy, May 2020