Lost in Transmission: Rediscovering Authentic Torah Teachings

Lost in Transmission: Rediscovering Authentic Torah Teachings by world-renowned educator Rabbi Moshe Miller offers a revolutionary framework for understanding Judaism today. Drawing on classical and traditional sources, Rabbi Miller argues that many of the spiritual challenges facing modern Jews originate from a single misunderstanding: confusing Judaism as a “religion” with Judaism as a “covenant” (brit). In this deeply original and challenging work, Rabbi Miller explains that when Judaism is viewed merely as a religion, the focus shifts almost exclusively to God’s demands, yielding a system centered on obedience, compliance, and external metrics of religious performance. This “religious” mindset marginalizes human agency, creativity, and moral responsibility, ultimately destabilizing Jewish identity and diminishing the meaning of mitzvot. By contrast, understanding Judaism as a covenant restores the dynamic partnership between God and humanity. The covenantal summons Jews to actively shape the God-human relationship, serve as a vehicle for the unfolding of Divine providence, and build a vibrant, ethical, and spiritually awake community. Covenant is empowering rather than paralyzing, rooted in purpose, free will, authenticity, and human autonomy. Rabbi Miller argues that today’s Jews urgently need to enact a paradigm shift. Too many have absorbed a worldview of passivity, lowliness, and mere obedience. Lost in Transmission challenges readers to reclaim Judaism as a living brit, one that summons each person to create, to elevate, and to engage the world with confidence and sacred responsibility. Lost in Transmission speaks to anyone seeking deeper meaning in Jewish life, from educators and scholars to students and spiritual seekers. It reframes ancient teachings for the modern age and offers an inspirational path forward for Jews who want a Judaism that is passionate, relevant, and truly alive in the modern age.