Most of them will probably remember many of the stories from Genesis, a few from Exodus, and a smattering of the portions thereafter. Eisen's book is not written as a primer for the Torah itself. Rather, his challenge is to contemporize and individualize the very reading of the Torah, with the hope that Jews will consequently find themselves both personally and communally fulfilled. Central to Eisen's argument about ritual, community, and sacrifice is a synopsis of points made by the social scientists Robert Bellah, Herbert Gans, and Michael Walzer. In the conclusion to this chapter, Eisen makes the interesting and challenging case that Judaism sees love and passion as principally concerned with obligation and the desire for the good.
Numbers depicts our ancestors' wandering in the wilderness.
They engage in politics to seek God's redemption. The discussion of politics as it relates to contemporary Jewry cannot avoid the inevitable tension between Americans and Israelis concerning Zionism, aliyah , and the peace process. Regarding American politics, Eisen's view is that Jews need not necessarily speak in one, unified voice. He alludes to Simchat Torah, when we end the reading of Deuteronomy and immediately begin with a reading of Genesis.