Reddit mentions of JPS Hebrew-English TANAKH, Student Edition

So as some have noted, because it is your dad's side and not your mom's you aren't halachically (by Jewish law) Jewish, but you certainly of course have Jewish ancestry and that is a big discovery! Just an FYI, you should let the rabbi know if you go to a synagogue so they don't ask you to do stuff reserved for people who are halachically Jewish, but that should not mean you are unwelcome or anything at them. If they make you feel unwelcome, they're wrong, not you. As others have mentioned, to get back into the Jewish community would require a conversion, but I can personally testify that while its hard, its very possible, very rewarding, and thank G-d the Dallas community is very welcoming.

There is a wealth of information out there, and so many books. I'd definitely recommend looking up books by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin like his Jewish Literacy and Biblical Literacy. There's also a couple popular ones by Rabbi Hayim H. Donin, To Be a Jew and To Pray as a Jew. I also recommend to everyone to get a good Tanakh (Jewish Bible) and Chumash (The first five books of the Bible with commentaries). I like the Koren Jerusalem Tanakh and the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh personally, and the Stone Edition Chumash. Is there any area in particular you want to read more about.

Since you're in DFW too, feel free to message me if you want suggestions, and I can definitely get you the info for that shabbos meal at Chabad at the end of the month. They also have one every week, both dinner and lunch, and I know people in several neighborhoods who could have you by them.

these look nice:

https://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Study-Bible-Second/dp/0199978468/

https://www.amazon.com/Hebrew-English-Tanakh-Jewish-Publication-Society/dp/0827606974/

(supply your own NT)

I use the New Oxford Annotated Bible w/ Apocrypha, and the JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh. I use the Bible because I enjoy the annotations/ footnotes (and it includes the deuterocanon.) The Tanakh I have primarily because I'm learning biblical Hebrew but also because I like to have biblical sources in the original languages whenever possible.

Bible | Tanakh

I use the JPS one.

Well, let's unpack all of this. First off, the basics. "Tanakh" is an acronym for the Hebrew canon of Torah (Law), Neviim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). The source which Jews use for the Tanakh is the Hebrew preserved in the Masoretic Text. The Masoretic Text is a textual tradition of very similar versions of the Jewish canon which were meticulously copied by the Masorete scribes in the early Middle Ages. The Masoretes invented a system of writing vowels (Hebrew is not, in and of itself, a language with written vowels) to assist in properly reading the Tanakh without affecting the actual written text of the Tanakh. Jewish translations of the Tanakh likewise are translations from the Masoretic Text.

There are two versions of the JPS Tanakh, the 1917 JPS Tanakh (old JPS) and the 1985 JPS Tanakh (NJPS). If you're interested in obtaining a copy of one of these texts, make sure it is the 1985 JPS Tanakh (also known as the New JPS Tanakh or NJPS Tanakh). The 1917 edition is largely a Jewish revision of the Revised Version (a Christian translation). The 1985 edition is an original translation undertaken by the Jewish Publication Society. The NJPS is a quality, modern translation which is regularly used by the Jewish community and is also used in more academic settings involving Judaism.

Most modern Christian translations of the "Old Testament" are also translations from the Masoretic Text (KJV, NIV, ESV, NRSV, NASB, NLT, etc.). Thus, the NJPS and most Christian translations of the Old Testament are both translations of the same source (however Catholic translations will include a few additional books not found in the Masoretic Text). There are still some differences between the NJPS and Christian translations. One notable difference is that the NJPS follows the structure of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim while Christian translations arrange their Old Testament in a different order. Christians have historically relied on the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate in understanding the Old Testament. Some Christian translations will rely on this legacy more than the NJPS. Christians also typically understand the Old Testament in light of the New Testament; the NJPS does not give undue preference to the New Testament or Christian theology. Thus the NJPS translates some verses in ways somewhat differently than Christian translations might.

A regular copy of the NJPS will include the Tanakh translated into English with occasional footnotes (mostly noting instances where the Hebrew is unclear or where other ancient sources have differing readings). You can also obtain a copy of the NJPS English translation alongside the Hebrew. If you'd like to peruse the NJPS translation without purchasing it, you can find the translation online here and here. Another great option is the Oxford University Press' Jewish Study Bible which contains the NJPS translation alongside more in depth commentary and references to Jewish literature.

You state that your interest is reading what Jesus read. Unfortunately we do not know what Jesus read. We can conjecture about what a Judean Jew might have read though. Two thousand years ago, people did not have a single book containing the Torah, the Neviim, and the Ketuvim. Instead communities had individual scrolls for different religious books. Different communities would have different books on their bookshelves (they would have different canons); either due to ideological differences or simply because they happened to have access to different books. Generally there seems to have been some agreement on texts. Sirach from the 2nd Century BCE affirms as scripture the Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim; but he does not elaborate on what was contained in these categories. Josephus, a Judean Jew from the 1st Century CE who claims to be affiliated with the Pharisees, states that Jews affirm the Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim. Josephus affirms that this Jewish canon contained 22 books. The current Jewish canon contains 24 books. So either two books were in dispute during Josephus' time, or Josephus regarded two books now regarded independent as being a part of two other books of the Hebrew Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran contain every book of the modern Jewish canon except for the Book of Esther, and they also contain other books not found in the modern Jewish canon. We can't really draw conclusions from this though; it is possible they had a canon which excluded Esther and included additional books, it's possible they had a canon which included Esther (just it wasn't persevered) and did not include the additional books (merely having or valuing a book does not mean you regard it as canon), or it's possible something else is true.

From the sources of the time, it seems that the canon of the average Jewish community would largely be the same books as the modern Jewish canon. So using the NJPS (or any other translation of the Old Testament) works fine. However different textual traditions existed; there were slightly different versions of the canonical books. The Dead Sea Scrolls are largely in agreement with the Masoretic Text, but differ in some regards (largely incidentally). The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek Septuagint also have instances where they disagree with the Masoretic Text. However, we have found evidence of the Masoretic Text tradition likewise existing in antiquity. Considering that Jesus was not Greek, not a Samaritan, probably not part of Qumran, and he probably was Pharisaic-inclined (as most Jews were), then it seems your best bet probably is using the Masoretic Text. Regardless, differences in the text traditions are not major.

Another important consideration is that Jesus likely did not speak Hebrew in his daily life. The colloquial language spoken in Judea at the time was Jewish Aramaic. The extent to which Hebrew was used and known is debatable. What seems clear though is that when texts from the Tanakh were read, there would be an accompanying reading of the passage in Aramaic. This may have simply been the reciter of the Hebrew text (being bilingual) providing an 'on the fly' Aramaic paraphrase of the text. Eventually this tradition of Aramaic paraphrases was collected and preserved in the 'targumim'. So what Jesus may have heard and understood would not simply be the Hebrew text, but also the Aramaic paraphrases. You can't exactly read the targumim, there are not readily available English translations of them and it would be a burden to read each one in addition to reading the Tanakh. I'd recommend again the Oxford University Press' Jewish Study Bible as it contains commentary which reference and discuss what the targumim say.

So, ultimately, if you're interested in simply reading the Masoretic Text, you can accomplish this by reading either the NJPS or the Old Testament most Christian Bibles. If you're interested in reading the Masoretic Text in the traditional order of Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim, then this order will be preserved in the NJPS while it will not be preserved in most Christian Bibles. If you are interested in reading the Masoretic Text without undue bias toward the Greek Septuagint, Latin Vulgate, and Christian New Testament, then the NJPS is a good option. If you're interested in reading a copy of the Masoretic Text with commentary referencing Jewish literature (including the targumim), then the Oxford University Press' Jewish Study Bible is a good option.

Get several volumes.

• Old Testament: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (or JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh)
  
• New Testament: Novum Testamentum Graece (with facing English translation)
  
• Apocrypha/Deuterocanon: Septuaginta (or The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English)

I'm a fan of the Jewish Publication Society's Hebrew and English version. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0827606974?pc_redir=1409997493&robot_redir=1

The Hebrew is necessary for exploring gematria, and the English translation is clear.

For entry-level Hebrew insights into scripture? a year, maybe. For serious hardcore academic exegesis? A PhD.

I just finished two semesters of Hebrew at university. I would be totally willing to sell you my textbook "Beginning Biblical Hebrew" It's a wonderfully accessible entry point to Biblical Hebrew. If you are even casually interested in learning a little Hebrew. You might also consider buying a good Hebrew-English parallel Tanakh

If not, you could always just read articles and scholarship published by people who do study Hebrew exegesis. You can find a lot for free on the webs.