Although this book is pure fiction, none of the phenomena it describes are beyond the possible. Super intelligence, telepathy, other dimensions, intelligent extraterrestrial life, travel through wormholes and living in good health for hundreds of years are no longer just the imaginings of science fiction wonks. We are on the brink of the incredible. Best,

Influenced by A. J. Jacobs's The Year of Living Biblically, Harrell managed to recruit 20 members of his Boston congregation to join him in a month-long effort at living Levitically. Holiness was the ultimate goal, but so was learning. People who take the Bible seriously never know what to do with the book of Leviticus. And yet Leviticus is historically considered by Jews, and thus by Jesus, as the pivotal book of the Hebrew Bible. It's impossible to fully comprehend such key New Testament terms as sacrifice, atonement, or blood without some understanding of Leviticus. The "second greatest commandment," which Jesus said was "Love your neighbor as yourself," comes from Leviticus (19:18). As a longtime minister and preacher who had successfully skirted Leviticus for most of his life, author Daniel Harrell wanted to come to grips with all that Leviticus teaches -- not just loving neighbors, but the parts about animal sacrifice, Sabbath-keeping, skin diseases, homosexuality, and stoning sinners, too. Yet rather than approaching Leviticus with a view toward mitigating its commands, he decided to simply obey them. The surprising lessons they learned impressed on Harrell both the power of obedience and the necessity of grace. This book traces the adventures of a group of people eager to understand the Bible by living it.

Written in a lively and compelling style, this book explains the hidden relationship between Judaism and the world of infectious disease. It combines history, medicine, science, and religion and gives us a new appreciation of how Jews and Judaism have been deeply shaped by plagues and pandemics, from ancient times up to the present.

Although this book is pure fiction, none of the phenomena it describes are beyond the possible. Super intelligence, telepathy, other dimensions, intelligent extraterrestrial life, travel through wormholes and living in good health for hundreds of years are no longer just the imaginings of science fiction wonks. We are on the brink of the incredible. Best,

An indispensable resource for everyone who cares about the Jewish future. “Every passage of Torah has the potential to be someone’s personal story and teaching—and that definitely includes you as a teenager. If you read these stories, and if you really let these holy texts into your mind and into your soul, your life will be deeper and richer, and even happier.” —from the Introduction Young people need to be included in the struggle for meaning, for the right questions to ask and the search for useful and relevant answers. This is the book that has been missing from the ever-expanding bookshelf of Torah commentaries—a collection of messages on each Torah portion, specifically for today’s teens. It shows them how each Torah portion contains worlds of meaning for them, for what they are going through in their lives, and how they can shape their Jewish identity as they enter adulthood. Addressing the concerns of young adults, it shows how the Torah can help teens deal with issues including: Interpersonal relationships Social justice Sexuality and gender issues Personal ethics Responsibility to family Community and the Jewish people Body image Tattoos Community service The meaning of faith Authority and rebellion The role of ritual Personal theology Prayer Civility Living safely Dealing with disabilities Challenges of eating morally This groundbreaking spiritual resource is truly transdenominational—including the insights of over 100 Jews who identify as Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, post-denominational and “just Jewish.” They are rabbis, cantors, educators, authors and community leaders. Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Renewal, post-denominational and “just Jewish.” They are rabbis, cantors, educators, authors and community leaders.

The nature of learning theories; Thorndike's connectionism; Guthrie's contiguous conditioning; Skinner's operant conditioning; Hull's systematic behavior theory; Tolman's sign learning; Classical gestalt theory; Lewin's field theory; Freud's psychodynamics; Functionalism; The emergence of mathematical models; Current developments: I. Reinforcement and drive; Current developments: II. Some persisting issues; Retrospect and prospect.