Suppose you got a phone call and a voice you'd never heard before said that he really wanted to meet you and it was very important (for your sake) that the two of you get together. You arranged a time at a local cafe and you cautiously sat down a cross from this very ordinary looking man. After sipping from his coffee, he leaned across the table toward you and said, "I'm God." What do you suppose the very next words to come out of His mouth should be? No doubt He would know that you have a lot of questions, and so He starts at the beginning...

Exodus is about leaving. In Hebrew, the title of this story is Shemot, which means, "The names." So typical of the Western thinking to concentrate on the what, when the focus of God is upon the who. This particular Exodus story is about the deliverance of Israel (God's Chosen Ones) from Egypt (in Hebrew, Mitz Rah-im or the land of many evils). I can dig it. There is a lot in this story to which I should be able to very intimately relate.

The book of Leviticus is the first book of Torah that Jewish children begin to study at the age of three. This is because only those who are pure can truly understand what is pure. The rest of us, ages 4 and up, are tainted in our understanding by self-justification and selfish motivation. The teachers of these little ones have a very special job: they are intent to learn from their pupils more they expect to impart. In Judaism, it is the one who asks questions that is wiser than the one who gives answers. I look forward to our learning from one another.

Lots of folks kinda glaze over when we begin to read the book of Numbers. It's sorta like driving through Wyoming. But if you're from Wyoming, you might be offended at such a statement. Most people who are bored with driving through the state have a negative perspective simply because that's all they're doing: driving through. Why don't you take a minute to stop for a while. Get out of the car and look around. You'll find that there is a lot more here to see and know than you were expecting... and I'm talking about the Bible... not Wyoming.

Deuteronomy is like the sum-up. It's a cap-stone of the Torah, presented largely as a lecture from Moses to the people of Israel, the second generation, who were brought up in the wilderness experience. It is a reminder of where we have been and an introduction to where we are going. It is about sitting up straight, minding your manners and becoming the people of God.