Judaism has always found meaning in the sacrificial rites, called avodah or service in Hebrew. For more than twelve hundred years, beginning with the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) in the Sinai wilderness and continuing through both the First and Second Temple periods, animal sacrifice was the principal form of communal service of God for the Jewish people. This all came to an abrupt end with the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 68 CE, and the Jewish people turned to prayer as their primary mode of worship. From this perspective, it might seem that the study of Leviticus, which is largely about the laws of sacrifice, would seem unnecessary, if not irrelevant, for young children. Nothing could be further from the truth. Leviticus is replete with important life lessons for children, ranging from not bearing grudges to being truthful in business. From the responsibility to care for the poor to the obligation to strive to be “holy,” we find everyday aspects of one’s life (as opposed to limiting this to rituals and religious celebrations). Throughout the book, Leviticus emphasizes the dignity of human beings and what this means for our personal interactions with one another. It can and ought to be taught (in an age-appropriate manner) to young children, and that is what this book strives to do.

As with both its predecessors, this book of life lessons derived from the Bible is meant for elementary school students and their parents. One arguably simplistic approach to looking at Numbers is to see it as a story of a sinful people and a wrathful God. However, the stories in Numbers are rarely black and white. This book strives to examine Numbers in more nuanced depth, while keeping the life lessons simple and easy to understand. By doing so, this book can serve as a valuable guide to parents and students alike as they learn the text of Numbers and gain new insights into it.

No matter how many times you have read stories from the Bible, there is always something new to learn from the lives of its characters and the challenges they face. This is especially true for the book of Exodus, and this second Curious Student's Guide will help your children glean new insights into the Exodus narrative. This book will guide your children to these lessons by first summarizing key stories from Exodus and then asking thought-provoking questions. Consider the following example: Every reader of Exodus knows that Moses is its hero, but how many are aware of Miriam's heroism? Miriam is six years old when Moses is born. Very often, adults tell six-year-old children that they are too little to do this or that. But it is Miriam who approaches Pharaoh's daughter after she pulls baby Moses from the river to ask, "Shall I go and get you a Hebrew woman to nurse the child for you?" How dare any slave, especially a child, speak to Pharaoh's daughter and tell her what to do? Miriam dares, and by highlighting her bravery, this book challenges young readers to think about what they can accomplish by speaking up. With this Curious Student's Guide in hand, your children will discover similarly important life lessons they can apply to their own lives.

One of the most common phrases in the Torah is “And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying . . .” So many of the Torah’s commandments are introduced in this way. These words represent God speaking to Moses and instructing him what to repeat or teach to the Jewish people. Yet, this phrase is not found at all in Deuteronomy, and this helps explain why this book is so very different from the other books of the Torah. Deuteronomy is Moses’s book. It is the record of Moses’s final speech to the Jewish people before his death. But this leads to a very basic and very fundamental question. Why are the words of man, even a man as great as Moses, part of God’s holy Torah? A very good question, a powerful one indeed. And while we may not come up with a good or satisfying answer, this book examines and presents life lessons just as important as those found in any other biblical text.

Leviticus has been called irrelevant, primitive, and a backwater of the Bible, even by scholars and people of faith who treasure Scripture. Many find it alienating, or, at minimum, confusing. In Leviticus: You Have No Idea Rabbi Maurice D. Harris offers readers surprising new ways of looking at the Bible's least popular (and least understood) book. Grounded in his progressive religious values and beliefs, Rabbi Harris approaches the various laws, rituals, and stories of Leviticus with an open-minded curiosity about what we can learn today about life, ethics, God, and higher meaning by studying this text. Taking the Bible seriously but not literally, Harris uses a plain-spoken, accessible style to explain confusing elements of Leviticus. He explores topics that matter to many of us in contemporary society, including LGBT equality, the dangers of religious fundamentalism, the impacts of childhood trauma, criminal justice reform, and more. With this book, the author invites us into an ancient text that, read with care, challenges us to be better people and help repair this broken world.

This comprehensive introduction to all the books of the Bible, including the Apocrypha, is written in a clear, easy-to-read style, and is an ideal learning tool for laity, students, adult study groups, and ministers. The one-volume format is convenient for individual study groups, and this revision reflects the most up-to-date biblical scholarship. Based on the NSRV Bible. Notes; index; charts.

“Women of the Word will help all who read it to find their way deeper into the Word of God without having to be seminary educated, a genius, or even an especially good student.” —Kathy Keller We all know it’s important to study God’s Word. But sometimes it’s hard to know where to start. What’s more, a lack of time, emotionally driven approaches, and past frustrations can erode our resolve to keep growing in our knowledge of Scripture. How can we, as Christian women, keep our focus and sustain our passion when reading the Bible? With over 250,000 copies sold, Women of the Word has helped countless women with a clear and concise plan they can use every time they open their Bible. Featuring the same content as the first edition, and now with added study questions at the end of each chapter, this book equips you to engage God’s Word in a way that trains your mind and transforms your heart.