Mikraot Gedolot: An Introduction to the Classical Torah Commentators

One of the great treasures of the Jewish bookshelf is the Mikraot Gedolot (literally, "Big Verses"), which refers to a special way of printing the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) that surrounds the biblical text with a selection of classical rabbinic commentaries, all arranged in discrete little sections across the page. Each of these blocks of text holds the running commentary of a different rabbi, spanning centuries and continents, all calling out answers to the questions they have about the Torah text at the top. And so each page represents a conversation between some of Judaism's greatest minds about the meaning of the words of the Torah.

In this 10-session course, Rabbi David Kasher, Director of Hadar West and the author of ParshaNut: 54 Journeys into the World of Torah Commentary, invites you into that conversation. You’ll encounter some of the great classical commentators—from Rashi and the Ibn Ezra to the Ramban, the Seforno, the Or HaHayyim, and others—and get to know their styles and the distinctive questions, methods, and perspectives they bring to the biblical text.

Each session will focus on one Torah commentator, but along the way, we will be tracing the development of the genre of parshanut (Torah commentary), and witnessing how these commentators read, challenge, and build on one another. You will gain a foundation for incorporating the mefarshim (the commentators) into your own Torah study, and you will learn to become a more sensitive and sophisticated interpreter of Torah yourself.

And, as with every Project Zug course, you won’t be learning alone. You’ll explore these texts with a havruta, a learning partner whose questions and insights will become part of your own encounter with Torah.

Please note: This course will be released for the 2026 Fall Learning Cycle. 

• Register between October 5-25. 
• Receive your learning materials and havruta match on November 2.

A sample source sheet and trailer will be released soon!