The Chumash, the Five Books of the Torah, is the foundation of every Jewish home library and the starting point for all Torah learning, with the text of Bereishis through Devarim read publicly every Shabbos morning, studied privately through Shnayim Mikrah, and engaged with across a lifetime of parsha learning and shiurim. At Eichlers, we carry the full range of Chumash editions spanning the Artscroll Stone Edition, the Koren Shalem Chumash, Mikraos Gedolos sets, Targum Onkelos editions, Elucidated Rashi volumes, Baal HaTurim, Hirsch, and Radak commentaries, in Hebrew, English, bilingual, pocket, midsize, and full-size formats for every level of learner.
The Chumash is not a single book but a category with dozens of distinct editions, each serving a different purpose and audience within the full spectrum of Torah learning. A child beginning to learn parsha in school needs a different Chumash than a serious adult learner studying Rashi and Tosafos on every verse, and a family using a Chumash for Shabbos table d'var Torah has different needs than a kollel scholar preparing a shiur. The selection at Eichlers covers all of these needs, with editions organized by commentary tradition, language, size, and format to make it practical to find the right Chumash for the right purpose without needing to compromise on any single dimension of the choice.
The Stone Edition Chumash is the most widely used English Chumash in the world today, published by ArtScroll Mesorah and providing a clear, accurate English translation of the Torah text alongside an extensive commentary drawn from the full breadth of classical rabbinic interpretation, Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Sforno, Or HaChaim, and many others, synthesized into a readable English commentary format that makes each parsha accessible to an English-dominant reader without requiring knowledge of the original sources. The Stone Edition is available in full-size and pocket formats, making it practical both as a home study Chumash and as a shul Chumash carried to davening each Shabbos. It is among the most appropriate bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah gifts for a young person beginning sustained independent parsha learning.
The Koren Shalem Chumash in the Magerman Edition represents a distinct scholarly tradition from the ArtScroll approach, published by Koren Publishers Jerusalem with a clear, flowing English translation by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks alongside Hebrew text and commentary that reflects the Modern Orthodox and Koren publishing tradition. The Koren Shalem is particularly valued for Rabbi Sacks' commentary, which engages with each parsha at the level of philosophical depth and contemporary relevance that characterized his broader Torah writing, and it has become a significant addition to the English Chumash market for learners who appreciate the Sacks approach alongside the more traditional ArtScroll commentary framework.
The Czuker Edition Mikraos Gedolos Tanach in 18 volumes provides the complete classical Chumash with the full range of major Rishonim commentaries printed alongside the text as they have appeared in traditional Chumash editions for centuries, including Rashi, Ramban, Rashbam, Sforno, Ibn Ezra, Kli Yakar, Ba'al HaTurim, Ohr HaChaim, and other major mefarshim whose words appear directly on the page of a full Mikraos Gedolos edition. This is the Torah text in its most complete and traditional scholarly format, suited to a serious learner who wants to engage with the primary sources directly rather than through a synthesized English or annotated Hebrew commentary, and it represents the highest level of Chumash available for an advanced learner or a home Torah library aspiring to completeness.
The Schottenstein Edition Elucidated Rashi on Chumash by ArtScroll addresses one of the most practically significant gaps in Torah learning for English-reading students, providing a clear, fully elucidated translation and explanation of Rashi's commentary on the Chumash that makes each of Rashi's often terse and elliptical comments understandable in full context rather than requiring prior familiarity with Rashi's language and method. Available in student size for Bereishis and in the full Devarim volume, the Elucidated Rashi has become a standard resource for yeshiva day school students, baalei teshuva, and adult learners who want to understand what Rashi is actually saying rather than simply translating his words.
Shnayim Mikrah V'Echad Targum is one of the most important weekly Torah practices for an observant Jew, with the halacha requiring that each week's parsha be read twice in the original Hebrew and once in Aramaic translation, specifically the Targum Onkelos translation of the Torah composed by the ger tzedek Onkelos in the Tannaic period. The Shnayim Mikrah V'Echad Targum two-volume set and the Artscroll Targum Onkelos Zichron Asher Herzog Edition on Vayikra both serve this specific weekly mitzvah, providing the Targum Onkelos text in clear, readable format alongside the original Torah text so the weekly shnayim mikrah practice can be performed correctly and meaningfully. The five-volume Hebrew Targum Onkelos set provides the complete Onkelos text across the full Chamisha Chumshei Torah for learners who want the Targum in a standalone, dedicated edition.
The Baal HaTurim on Chumash, written by Rav Yaakov ben Asher, the same Rishon who authored the Arba Turim, provides a distinctive approach to Chumash commentary focused on gematria, numerical patterns, notarikon, and other kabbalistic and structural observations on the Torah text that identify hidden patterns and connections not visible through the plain-meaning or halachic approaches of other major mefarshim. The Baal HaTurim's Bamidbar volume provides this distinctive commentary on the fourth book of the Chumash, and it is a particularly engaging supplementary study for a learner who already has a primary Chumash with Rashi and Ramban and wants to add a different dimension of Torah interpretation to their weekly parsha study.
The Hirsch Chumash Compact Set in Hebrew-only provides access to Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch's monumental nineteenth-century Torah commentary in a more portable and accessible format than the full multi-volume German or English editions, making the Hirsch approach to Chumash available to Hebrew-reading learners who want his distinctive philosophical and literary analysis of the Torah text in a practical daily-use format. Rav Hirsch's Chumash commentary is widely regarded as one of the most intellectually stimulating and systematically developed works in the entire history of Torah literature, and it remains essential reading for any learner who wants to engage with the Torah at the level of serious philosophical and ethical reflection alongside traditional halachic and midrashic interpretation.
The Chumash Im Tefillos L'Shabbos in midsize and the Chumash Simanim in full-size are practical Chumash editions designed specifically for Shabbos synagogue use, organized with the weekly parsha structure, Haftorah, and in the case of the Simanim edition the specific aliyah division markers that make following the public Torah reading straightforward for a congregant who wants to track the reading in the text as the baal koreh reads from the Sefer Torah. These editions prioritize practical usability in the Shabbos morning service context over comprehensive commentary, making them practical shul Chumashim for regular Shabbos use alongside a more complete home study edition.
A quality Chumash in the right edition for the recipient is among the most meaningful and lasting seforim gifts available at any Jewish milestone. A Stone Edition or Koren Shalem for a bar or bat mitzvah, a full Mikraos Gedolos set for a chassan or a serious learner, a Schottenstein Elucidated Rashi for a yeshiva student or baal teshuva, and a Hirsch Chumash for an intellectually engaged adult learner are all gifts that will be opened and used across decades of Torah study. Browse our full bar mitzvah gifts collection for more meaningful seforim gift ideas, and our antique leather seforim collection for premium binding options on major Torah titles.
Chumash is the foundation of every Jewish Torah library. Eichlers carries everything else a serious learner needs alongside it.
A Torah scroll, Sefer Torah, is a handwritten parchment scroll read publicly in shul during davening and used for the formal mitzvah of kriat HaTorah. A Chumash is a printed bound book containing the same five books of the Torah alongside commentaries, Haftorah readings, and other supplementary material, used for private study, following along during the public Torah reading, and home learning.
The ArtScroll Stone Edition is the most widely recommended starting point for English-speaking learners, providing a clear translation and accessible commentary drawn from classical sources in a format that requires no prior Hebrew proficiency to use effectively. The Koren Shalem Chumash with Rabbi Sacks' commentary is an excellent alternative with a different philosophical emphasis.
Mikraos Gedolos, meaning the Great Scriptures, is the traditional format for a scholarly Chumash with the Torah text surrounded by the major Rishonim commentaries printed directly on the page, including Rashi, Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Sforno, Rashbam, and others. The Czuker Edition Mikraos Gedolos at Eichlers provides this complete classical format in 18 volumes covering the full Tanach.
The Schottenstein Elucidated Rashi provides a fully explained and translated version of Rashi's commentary on the Chumash, making each of Rashi's often brief and technical comments understandable in full context for English-reading students. It is a practical learning tool for yeshiva students, adult learners, and anyone who wants to understand Rashi directly rather than simply translating his words.
Shnayim Mikrah V'Echad Targum is the halachic practice of reading each week's Torah portion twice in Hebrew and once in Aramaic translation, specifically the Targum Onkelos, completed before the end of Shabbos each week. The two-volume Shnayim Mikrah set at Eichlers is specifically organized to facilitate this weekly practice with the Torah text and Targum in a practical, readable format.
Yes. A Stone Edition, Koren Shalem, or Schottenstein Elucidated Rashi in the bar mitzvah boy's learning language is a meaningful and immediately usable gift that he will return to throughout his Torah learning life. Browse our bar mitzvah gifts collection for more ideas alongside Chumash.
The Tikkun Korim Simanim is a specialized sefer used by baalei kriah, Torah readers, for preparing the weekly Torah reading. It presents the Torah text in two parallel columns, one with vowels and cantillation marks as in a printed Chumash and one without markings as in the actual Sefer Torah scroll, allowing a baal koreh to practice the reading and check their accuracy against the unmarked text they will actually read from in shul.