| Heart-Fire Healing | Repair of the Soul Tikkun HaNefesh תיקון הנפש |
| Spiritual Guidance & Shema-nik Healing | Listening for the Sacred Shomei-a BaRuach שומע ברוח
(Listening with the soul / Hearing in the wind) |
תּוֹרָה שׁוֹכֶנֶת בְּתּוֹכֵנוּ שֶׁשׁוֹכְנִים בַּתּוֹרָה
Torah sho-chenet b’tocheinu she-shoch’nim baTorah
תּוֹרָה שֵׁב־שׁוּב
Torah Shev-shuv: sit-again, settle-back, reside & return – in Torah
The Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) is a participatory text - an opportunity to be in conversation with the Sacred. Because a Hebrew Torah scroll is written without vowels, it is half of a conversation and needs a breathing partner to activate the text. The intent of this translation is to bring a sense of the original Hebrew to the English reader, in order to invite you into conversation with the text.
Engaging in dialog with Torah requires avodah: work/worship/service. This translation is a study text, opening the breadth of meaning of the original Hebrew. To show this, multiple definitions are given for some words (indicated with unique punctuation), and the phrasing often follows the flow of the original Hebrew rather than English usage. Also, the meanings of people and place names are shown as they often indicate an underlying spiritual condition. It's a bit different to read about Earthling and Life-force in the Garden of Delight, or the Tower of Mingling in the Valley of Adolescence. It is recommended that you read the Translation Notes in order to better understand this approach.
I encourage you to download and share these texts (under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license, see below), particularly for conversation and study with others. Torah may have been given at Mount Sinai, but receiving it is an ongoing task among us all.
If you find this translation useful, please join all the witnessing community (kol ha-eidah) and send a contribution to support the ongoing work. All contributions are gratefully received - one-time or recurring. Donations can be sent:
via PayPal, to or paypal.me: @rebRachmiel
or by check, to Reb Rachmiel Langer, PO Box 74, Littleton, MA 01460
[or through Jewcer crowdfunding ... pending]
I also encourage you to respond with feedback, especially about your experiences reading Torah with these texts.
In these translations:
See the full Translation Notes document for explanations of intent, approach to Biblical Hebrew and Tanakh, and sources.
(Last updated, Notes: 2024-03-26, Sources: 2021-09-25)
These files are translated selections from Tanakh with side-by-side Hebrew and English text and links to the endnotes. The files are HTML format. Clicking on a "Torah Text" link will display the text in your browser. You can also download or print the file for later viewing.
The Translation Notes explain the style and approach to Biblical Hebrew.
See Translation List for listing of translated verses. (Last updated 2024-06-16)
You can jump to a particular verse within any of the files by typing #v-chapter:verse after the filename. For example: for the Noah passage, click on the Torah Text link for that entry and then add #v-9:13 at the end of the URL to jump to chapter 9, verse 13. Similarly #notes will jump to the endnotes; and #pix for the Parashiot Index Table (at the end of a Torah book).
The full text of Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) is also available for use with the mySword Bible-study app (Android) and the myBible app (Android, iOS) as TSBSB (Torah Shev-shuv). With these apps you can view the translation alongside other versions - the original Hebrew, King James, etc. - and Hebrew words can link to dictionary entries. Verses translated by Rachmiel are marked with an asterisk (and blue text, in mySword). Other verses are from JPS 1917 (The Holy Scriptures, Jewish Publication Society of America) which is in the public domain. The JPS 1917 translation has been slightly modernized.
TSBSB mySword bible database v 2.2, 2024-06-16 (for Android, including Amazon Fire)
TSBSB myBible bible database v 2.2, 2024-06-16 (for iOS or Android)
Reb Rachmiel offers a deeply spiritual and highly intelligent understanding of Torah which opens our eyes to the vital wisdom that our ancestors wished to convey to us. When I read his interpretations, I find them stunning and am deeply grateful to know him. I highly recommend his avodah/work to people of all faiths and backgrounds. - Reb Reyzl
Rachmiel's translation is truly remarkable. His approach is brilliant and so tuned into the spiritual. This is a whole new way of looking at Torah that combines multiple viewpoints and dimensions - hinting at new connections, at spiritual and deeper levels within the text that the reader can engage with and explore. I love the sense that the reader engaging with Torah completes it. - Diane P
I deeply appreciate how Reb Rachmiel's teachings open my mind to new interpretations of Torah. - DA
Reb Rachmiel has the rare gift of deepest insight and loving perseverance - enabling him to dissolve the traditional translational veils that obscure the mystical teachings buried in our sacred Torah. He reveals the truths we so desperately need to support the healing of the spiritual rifts in our world today. - Deliah Rosel, DMin
Rachmiel’s translation is an incredible resource for the English speaking Hebrew learner. It is the only text I have seen willing to compromise a few English grammatical formalities for the sake of exposing the subtleties of Hebrew. His footnotes and detailed translation notes carefully reveal the intricacies of the translation process, and it is an exceptional tool for guiding the reader into a deeper understanding of the text. - LF
Rachmiel is a master of unfolding the many meanings of Torah in all its forms. You do not need to know any Hebrew or have any experience in Torah study. I think you will leave with a sense of wonder and some new insight into depths of Jewish tradition. - Marty Plotkin
Rachmiel's translation is a brilliant piece of work. Thank you so much for making it available. It is amazing sacred work; it so adds to the mystery we are called to dwell in. I will go back and linger on each verse to see what comes forth. - MR
There is very, very much that is a blessing in what Rabbi Rachmiel is bringing forth. His style of showing multiple meanings shares with the English-only reader more of the dimensions of the Hebrew. What he is creating is truly an astonishment. The more i'm with it, the more moved and excited i am by it. His translation is something that is missing from all translations into English that currently exist. i pray this translation will open the door wide to consider the question of whether the way we have been translating our Sacred Text is how we want to be doing so going forward in the 21st Century and beyond - rabbi alan
Reb Rachmiel has designed and written an extraordinarily good and novel actualization of my theories of deep literacy and learning. He has created a structure that draws readers into meaningful decision-making throughout the reading of the text, giving them room to try out word and meaning options and form their own interpretations. Readers can come away with more complex interpretations of their own and also become familiar with other perspectives. When used in class, it sparks discussion about possible meanings and leaves room for others. This kind of cognitive activity leads students to learn more deeply and remember it longer. It also provides a conceptual network that is open to further deep learning. This kind of thinking - seeing interpretation as multiple and open-ended - helps further develop the higher literacies that Jewish culture values. - Judith Langer, Distinguished Professor of Education, SUNY Albany; internationally known leading scholar in literacy learning
This work is being offered under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license: [Attribution, Non-commercial, Share-Alike] May be freely shared, copied, distributed, displayed and performed with the following restrictions: May only be used for non-commercial purposes. Original attribution must be openly included. Derivative works may be distributed only under equally open (not more restrictive) licensing terms.