1Why This Commentary?
149God Does Not Eat
2Who Is This Torah Commentary For?
150Why Does the Torah Permit Alcohol?
3To Jewish Readers:
151How Much Charity Are We Obligated to Give?
4To Christian Readers:
152ESSAY: The Sabbatical Year Cancels Poor People’s Debts
5To Non-Religious Readers:
153What Does “There Shall Be No Needy among You” Mean?
6The Torah Is Not Man-Made
154It’s All about Loans
7Man-Made or God-Made: Why It Matters
155ESSAY: If the Sabbatical Year Annuls Loans, Will People Still Give Loans to the Poor?
8How Was the Torah Transmitted?
156Moral Limitations on Slavery and Indentured Servitude
9Reason, Torah, and God
157When a Slave Does Not Want to Leave His Master
10Why Read The Rational Bible?
158The Torah’s Holidays
11Some Details
159The First Festival of the Year: Passover (Pesach)
12Why Exodus Was Volume 1
160The Power of Ritual
13BC or BCE?
161The Torah’s Behaviorist Approach to Happiness
14God as “He”
162The Third Festival: Sukkot, the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles)
15On How to Read This Commentary
163Demands on Judges
16The Use of Post-Biblical Jewish Sources
164ESSAY: Justice Comes before Everything—Including Compassion
17Preface
165ESSAY: On Executing an Israelite Idol Worshiper
18Why Moses Introduced New Laws and New Ideas
166The Torah’s Moral Innovations in Charging the Accused
19Did Moses Write Every Word of Deuteronomy?
167Why the Witnesses Must Cast the First Stones
20On the Need to Explain the Torah
168Why the Rest of the Community Must Also Cast Stones
21Moses’s First Address
169ESSAY: How Do We Know the Right Thing to Do If the Torah Doesn’t Specifically Tell Us?
22ESSAY: A Good Society Is Unattainable without Wisdom
170ESSAY: Freedom and Theocracy
23ESSAY: Fear of God Is Morally and Psychologically Necessary
171If the Israelites Want a King . . .
24Was Sending Spies into Canaan God’s Idea or Moses’s?
172ESSAY: The Torah’s Limitations on a King’s Wealth and Power
25ESSAY: When Anger—Divine and Human—Is Appropriate
173The King Is Subject to God’s Laws, Just as Every Other Israelite
26When God Does Not Listen
174ESSAY: The Banning of the Magical Arts
27God Is Not Ethnocentric, and Israel Is Not to Expand beyond the Promised Land
175The Role of the Prophet
28Another Moral First
176How to Identify a False Prophet
29Who Complains?
177What to Do with a Person Who Commits Homicide Unintentionally
30ESSAY: The Moral Problem of Killing “Men, Women, and Children” in the Torah
178The Lesson of Moses: To Know God Is to Love God
31The Torah and Monotheism
179On Pitying Murderers
32Moses Blamed the Israelites for Not Being Allowed to Enter the Promised Land
180Private Property
33ESSAY: Do All of the Torah’s Laws Have Reasons?
181The Meaning of God’s Promise of Victory
34A Nation’s Greatness Comes from Its Moral Power
182People Who Were Exempted from Battle
35ESSAY: Does God Answer Our Prayers?
183The Frightened Are Exempted from Military Service
36When Nations Forget Their Past, They Cease to Exist
184Laws of War
37ESSAY: Are We to Fear or Only Revere God?
185ESSAY: Morality and Moses’s Order to Wipe Out the Canaanites
38The Power of the Ear versus the Power of the Eye
186ESSAY: The Earliest Known Ban on Rape in Time of War
39God Is Not Physical
187You May Love One Wife More, but You Cannot Favor Her Offspring
40ESSAY: Can Other Nations Worship the Sun and the Moon?
188Love versus What Is Right
41Moses Expressed His Anger at the Israelites (Again)
189The “So What?” Principle
42A Good God Does Get Angry
190The Wayward Son—and the Centrality of Parental Authority
43What Happens When Jews Abandon God
191ESSAY: Parents Are Not Permitted to Kill Their Children
44How to Find God
192Putting the Bodies of Those Executed on Display . . .
45God’s Promise That the Jews Will Not Perish
193. . . Is an Affront to God
46On Blind Obedience
194ESSAY: Neither Sex May Wear the Clothing of the Other Sex
47The Ten Commandments
195Releasing a Mother Bird Prior to Taking Her Young
48ESSAY: Commandments Imply a Commander
196ESSAY: God Made Order by Making Distinctions: Do Not Mix That Which Is Distinctive
49Many People Reject the Idea of Commandments
197A Husband Claims He Was Cheated When He Paid to Marry a Virgin: The Torah Sought to Protect Wives—I
50Commandment One: The First Statement
198The Torah Sought to Protect Wives—II
51First Be Grateful
199The Torah Sought to Protect Wives—III
52The Ten Commandments: One of the Two Purposes of the Exodus
200ESSAY: Were Past Generations Unsophisticated for Valuing Virginity?
53ESSAY: Commandment Two: Having No Other Gods Is as Important as Belief in the One God
201The Penalty for Adultery Applies to the Man and the Woman
54ESSAY: Education as a False God
202Engagement Is Tantamount to Marriage
55ESSAY: Art as a False God
203Rape and the Involuntary Loss of Virginity
56ESSAY: Love as a False God
204Marriage to the Former Wife of One’s Father Is Forbidden
57ESSAY: Intelligence as a False God
205ESSAY: The Mamzer: A Seemingly Insoluble Moral Problem in the Torah
58ESSAY: Science as a False God
206What Does “Congregation of the Lord” Mean?
59God Cannot Be Depicted Physically
207Three Possible Approaches to the Dilemma
60Does God Get “Jealous”?
208Do Not Hate Those Who Enslaved You
61What Does It Mean to “Hate God”?
209Cleanliness Is Next to Godliness
62ESSAY: Commandment Three: The One Commandment Whose Violation God Will Not Forgive
210A Runaway Slave May Not Be Returned to His Master
63Commandment Four: The Sabbath, the One Ritual in the Ten Commandments
211Cult Prostitution
64ESSAY: Shabbat in My Life, Part I:—“God Is Higher Than the Angels”
212ESSAY: Divorce
65ESSAY: Shabbat in My Life, Part II: When I Decided I Would Observe Shabbat the Rest of My Life
213Can a Person Divorce for Any Reason?
66ESSAY: Commandment Five: Parents Are the Only People We Are Commanded to Honor
214Can Only a Man Initiate a Divorce?
67In the Torah, Mother and Father Are Equals
215A Man May Not Remarry the Woman He Divorced If She Remarries and Is Widowed or Divorced
68We Are Not Commanded to Love Our Parents
216A Man Is Obligated to Make His Bride Happy
69Parents Should Be Honor-Worthy
217Preserving a Borrower’s Dignity
70The Second Five Commandments—How We Are to Treat Fellow Human Beings
218A Ban on Kidnapping People to Sell as Slaves
71Murder: The Great Evil
219“Remember What God Did to Miriam”—the Importance of Memory
72ESSAY: Is Murder Forgivable?
220A Man’s Home—Even the Home of a Poor Man in Debt—Is Sacrosanct
73The Sixth Commandment Prohibits Murder, Not Killing
221You May Not Take Advantage of a Borrower
74The Seventh Commandment: Adultery
222You May Not Abuse Your Worker—Jew or Non-Jew
75The Eighth Commandment: Stealing
223You May Not Delay Payment to Your Workers
76The Ninth Commandment: Lying
224ESSAY: Neither Children nor Parents May Be Punished for the Others’ Crimes
77The Tenth Commandment: Coveting Anything That Belongs to One’s Neighbor
225Do Not Oppress the Most Vulnerable
78God Wants Us to Have a Good Life
226Corporal Punishment of Criminals
79Are We to “Revere” or “Fear” God?
227The Dignity of a Punished Man Must Be Preserved
80ESSAY: The Jewish Credo (the Sh’ma): There Is Only One God
228Levirate Marriage: Marrying the Widow of One’s Brother
81ESSAY: Love of God Does Not Come Naturally
229What If a Man Doesn’t Want to Marry His Brother’s Widow?
82The First Lesson
230What Does the Widow Do When Her Brother-in-Law Refuses to Marry Her?
83The Second Lesson
231When Noble Ends Do Not Justify Ignoble Means
84The Third Lesson
232The Overriding Significance of Honesty in Business
85ESSAY: Is God Lovable?
233Evil Must Be Remembered
86Parents as Teachers of Moral Character
234The Feast of Weeks—Shavuot
87ESSAY: Ritual and Faith, Judaism and Christianity
235Prescriptive versus Spontaneous Prayer
88The Mezuzah
236ESSAY: Happiness Is a Moral Obligation
89Success, Gratitude, Memory, and Faith
237Tithing
90On God Described as “Jealous”
238ESSAY: The Need to Explain the Torah’s Teachings and Offer Them to the World
91On God’s Threat to Wipe Out the Israelites
239Twelve Cursed Actions
92ESSAY: Faith Demands Good Works
2401. Constructing a False God
93ESSAY: Explain Your Religion (or Nation) to Your Children, or There Will Eventually Be No Religion (or Nation) to Explain
2412. Cursing One’s Parents
94Did the Israelites Commit Genocide?
2423. Violating Private Property
95Intermarriage with Idolaters
2434. Tricking Those Who Do Not See
96The Power of Wives
2445. Oppressing the Least Protected Members of Society
97Outside of Israel, Paganism Is to Be Tolerated
2456. Sleeping with the Wife of One’s Father
98God Chose the Jews Because They Weren’t Special
2467. Bestiality
99Man and God (Like Husbands and Wives) Have a Contract
2478. Sleeping with One’s Sister
100ESSAY: God Rewards Good—and That Is a Good Thing
2489. Sleeping with One’s Mother-in-Law
101No Infertility?
24910. Murdering a Person in Secret
102ESSAY: Does Mitzvah Mean “Commandment” or “Good Deed”?
25011. Accepting a Bribe in a Murder Case
103Everyone Is Tested
25112. “This Teaching” (“This Torah”)
104Man Needs Much More Than Bread for a Meaningful Life
252The Importance of This Verse to Christian Theology
105Fear of a Just God Is Morally Necessary
253The Blessings for Obedience (Verses 1–14)
106ESSAY: Be Thankful—Even If You Don’t Feel It
254The Most Audacious Prediction in History
107God Wants Us to Enjoy Life
255The Blessings
108Belief in God Means Living by God’s Laws
256The Curses for Disobedience (Verses 15–68)
109The Rich Need God as Much as the Poor Do
257The Listed Punishments Are of This World, Not the Next
110How the Successful Can Avoid Self-Worship
258Additional Curses
111Godless Nations Really Do Perish
259The Sin of Not Serving God in Joy and the Sin of Ingratitude
112Deuteronomy 9:3 to 9:6—Four Important Verses
260Epilogue: The Curses: A True Story
113Why Did God Choose This Unimpressive People?
261People Rarely Appreciate What They Receive for Free
114Essay: How Are People to Regard Their Nation’s Past?
262Once Again—the Danger of Following One’s Heart
115On Arguing with God—or Parents
263What Does the Blotting Out of One’s Name Mean?
116Moses’s Three Arguments on Behalf of Sparing the Israelites
264Things That Are Unknowable
117What Are Verses 6–9 Doing Here?
265Impediments to Loving God
118Is There a Contradiction as to Where Aaron Died?
266God’s Instructions Are from Heaven—but Not in Heaven
119ESSAY: Why Did Moses Tell the Israelites That He Saved Them?
267ESSAY: Everything in Life Is a Choice—Including Life
120ESSAY: The Five Things God Wants from Us
268ESSAY: Teach the Founding Texts to Every Generation or You Will Cease to Be a Nation
121The Commandments Are for Our Sake, Not God’s
269When God Hides His Face
122God Is First and Foremost a Judge. Thank God.
270Courage: The Rarest, and Most Important, of the Moral Qualities
123God Loves the Stranger—the Only God Who Ever Did
271Why Moses Called on Heaven and Earth as Witnesses
124Empathy Is Important, but Not Enough
272Part I: Introduction to Moses’s Poem (Verses 1–3)
125The Torah’s Three Commandments of Love
273Part II: A Faithful God and a Faithless People (Verses 4–9)
126Miracles Alone Do Not Produce Faith
274ESSAY: God Made the Jews—and the West Was Made by Those Who Believed in the Jews’ God
127Are These Rewards That God Promises Believable?
275Part III: The Goodness of God (Verses 10–14)
128Evil and Famine
276Part IV: Israel’s Prosperity and Apostasy (Verses 15–18)
129ESSAY: Life Consists of Both Blessings and Curses
277Part V: God’s Responses to Israel’s Apostasy (Verses 19–22)
130On Destroying Canaanite Gods in the Holy Land
278Part VI: The Execution of God’s Judgment (Verses 23–25)
131Sacrifice, Not Prayer, Was Permitted in One Place
279Part VII: Why God Did Not Permit Israel to Be Decimated by Its Enemies (Verses 26–33)
132Only the Torah Banned Human Sacrifice
280Part VIII: God Will Ultimately Save Israel (Verses 34–38)
133God Wants Happy People
281ESSAY: What Is Revenge? Is It Reserved to God Alone?
134ESSAY: Religion, Like Everything Worthwhile, Demands Sacrifices
282Part IX: God’s Nature and His Vengeance (Verses 39–44)
135Slaves, Too, Are to Rejoice
283Part X (Conclusion): God’s Deliverance of Israel (Verse 43)
136ESSAY: The Torah, Vegetarianism, and the Value of Animals
284Moses Could See the Promised Land—but Not Enter It
137On Not Eating Blood
285Moses’s Farewell Address
138The Essence of Ethical Monotheism
286Introduction (Verses 2–5)
139ESSAY: Why People Add to and Subtract from God’s Laws
287The Order of the Blessings
140Why Would God Test Us?
288Epilogue
141ESSAY: The Morality of a Seemingly Immoral Law
289Moses’s Death
142No Self-Laceration in Mourning
290Few of Us Enter Our Promised Land
143Jewish Chosenness
291Moses Died Alone
144ESSAY: Kosher Animals
292People in Positions of Authority Should Not Seek to Be Loved
145Four-Legged Land Animals (Verses 5–8)
293ESSAY: The Greatness of Moses
146Birds (Verses 11–18)
294Genesis
147Winged Insects (Verses 19–20)
295About the Author
148Why Not Boil a Kid in Its Mother’s Milk?
296Notes
