Customer Reviews

God's Mailbox: More Stories About Stories in the Bible

5 star:		(2)
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3 star:		(1)
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I was struggling to help my 6 year old understand, at her level, the meaning behind the ten commandments and other bible stories. This book hit the nail on the head. Everyone needs to read the section on the 6th commandment ("You Shall Not Murder"). We take turns reading it and each chapter has enabled us to have fabulous discussions. This book is a gem that we will treasure.

Another excellent volume by Marc Gellman (the other is DOES GOD HAVE A BIG TOE?). His stories are midrashim, that is, stories about Bible stories, or more precisely, Torah stories. Gellman's creativity and sense of humor make these stories worth telling and retelling. Children and adults find something in them which helps make sense of our often-chaotic lives. My personal favorites are "Smack The Coconut" (about how Adam and Eve met, but also about how human beings find one another); "Painting People Purple" (you'll have to read it to find out); and "The Commandments on Moses' Sleeve" (did you know about Commandments XI - XVI?) I have used many of Gellman's stories when working with both students and their parents, whether as a brief sermonette, or to comment on the Torah portion of the week, as well as teaching religious school classes. The responses have ranged from "Thanks - now I understand that Parshat" to "Where can I get a copy of that book for my kids?"

The story about Adam and Eve was great! After that it just got worse and worse. I suggest if you have the book, just read the story about adam and Eve.