In each devotional, Lanier reflects on the biblical text, relates the text to the struggles facing faithful readers of the Bible, and concludes with a prayer for the day.

A trial lawyer by trade, a Christian by heart--author Mark Lanier has trained in biblical languages and devoted his life to studying and living the Bible. Living daily with the demands of his career and the desire for a godly life, Lanier recognizes the importance and challenge of finding daily time to spend in God's Word. His study of the first five books of the Bible--the Torah, the Law--has brought Life to his life. In Torah for Living, Lanier shares a year's worth of devotionals--one for each day of the year. In each devotional, Lanier reflects on the biblical text, relates the text to the struggles facing faithful readers of the Bible, and concludes with a prayer for the day.

From the Preface: THE IDEA OF THIS BOOK came to my mind many years ago, after several conversations with my friend and colleague in Jewish educational studies Joseph Lukins professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. He had suggested that an educated Jew is, among other things, one who lives in some spiritual and cognitive proximity to the weekly Torah reading, the parashat hashavua, "portion of the week." He insisted that issues in the philosophy of education might be in the liturgy's scriptural readings,that even the way messages of tradition divided the Torah into "portions" reflected discrete modes of teaching Torah.In this book, theoretical conceptions, garnered from many places, even if they do not precede reading of Torah, are certainly prisms through which I can read it.

Whether you are studying the Bible for the first time or you're simply curious about its history and contents, you will find everything you need in this "accessible, well-written handbook to Jewish belief as set forth in the Torah" (The Jerusalem Post). George Robinson, author of the acclaimed Essential Judaism, begins by recounting the various theories of the origins of the Torah and goes on to explain its importance as the core element in Jewish belief and practice. He discusses the basics of Jewish theology and Jewish history as they are derived from the Torah, and he outlines how the Dead Sea Scrolls and other archaeological discoveries have enhanced our understanding of the Bible. He introduces us to the vast literature of biblical commentary, chronicles the evolution of the Torah’s place in the synagogue service, offers an illuminating discussion of women and the Bible, and provides a study guide as a companion for individual or group Bible study. In the book’s centerpiece, Robinson summarizes all fifty-four portions that make up the Torah and gives us a brilliant distillation of two thousand years of biblical commentaries—from the rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud to medieval commentators such as Rashi, Maimonides, and ibn Ezra to contemporary scholars such as Nahum Sarna, Nechama Leibowitz, Robert Alter, and Everett Fox. This extraordinary volume—which includes a listing of the Torah reading cycles, a Bible time line, glossaries of terms and biblical commentators, and a bibliography—will stand as the essential sourcebook on the Torah for years to come.

Those who devote their early adult years to full-time Torah learning know they are living in a different reality. Their world is pure and idealistic, and their goals are spiritual. Their success is measured in the thrill of a new insight and the glimpses of Hashem's wisdom that only the Talmud can reveal. For some, the early years are only the beginning of a life-long ascent in the world of Torah. For most, however, a return trip to the material world is inevitable. This is one of the most difficult transitions a Ben Torah ever will make. It calls his entire identity and purpose into question. And yet little time is devoted to preparing for this transition in the years during which all energy is focused on Torah learning. Some get lost, and some feel misled; most are confused about how to proceed with their self-esteem and values intact. Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky has written a book that will serve as a guiding light to the many young men who are making this transition.--Back cover.

In this powerful book, Carol Ochs shows us how to develop apersonal theology by examining our life stories, learning torecognize God at work in them, and bringing them into conversationwith Torah. Using timeless biblical texts as lenses to see thepresent, she helps us understand who we are and who God is for usby exploring the tightly interwoven basic elements of ourlives--our love, suffering, work, bodies, prayer, community, andexperiences of death. Through the process of seeing our experiences in relation toBiblical stories, we begin to recognize our lives as part of theongoing story of the Jewish people--as Torah. This insight allowsus to see these experiences as meaningful, not accidental, andopens us to recognizing God's power in and through all that happensto us. Rather than a collection of random events, our lives arepart of the Jewish people's ongoing adventure. Armed with ourpersonally shaped theology, we can face this adventure of living inthe vanguard of history with awareness and confidence.