My wife and I recently decided we'd like to give our young children a more explicit introduction to moral values and figured that the torah would be an excellent vehicle (plus it would introduce the kids to torah). The problem was that neither my wife nore I is by any means a torah scholar - I'm a reform Jew and hadn't really done any bible study since hebrew school many, many years ago. I don't know enough to interpret the biblical texts myself and the full Talmud is far more than I was looking for. So, I went looking, in vain I feared, for a volume that would provide an accessible introduction to the bible.
Well, I'm happy to report that Fields' book met and exceeded my requirements. Each chapter contains a summary of the torah portion, an identification of key themes, summaries of select classical and modern commentary and a list of thought-provoking questions - perhaps 5-7 pages in all per parsha.
I've only had the book for a couple of weeks but already feel I've gotten my money's worth. I can in a brief time review the week's torah reading and then discuss it with my kids (who are too young to read the book themselves). They're learning and I am too.
Serious scholars may find this "Cliff's Notes" approach too superficial, but for a beginner like me, it's just right.
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