Genesis, the first book of Hebrew Scripture, also serves as the first book

of the Torah or Law of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch. The Torah
was called the Law by Jesus, the concrete expression of God's will. The
Law of Moses includes the Books of
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Hebrew Scripture or Tanakh is composed of the Law or Torah,

the Prophets or Neviim, and the Writings, the Kethuvim or
Hagiographa. The Torah is followed by the Prophets beginning
with Joshua of the Former Prophets and Isaiah of the Latter Prophets,
and then the Writings which begin with Psalms and the Wisdom
Literature in Hebrew Scripture, our Old Testament of the Bible.

The book was first called "Genesis" - ΓΕΝΕΣΙΣ - in the Greek Septuagint
translation, as it presents both the origin of the world and mankind,
and in particular, the Hebrew people. The book in Hebrew was known
by its opening expression, "In the beginning" (as above). Genesis 1-11
traces the primeval history of creation, from Adam and Eve through
Noah and his sons to Terah; and Genesis 12-50 recounts the patriarchal
history of Israel, beginning with Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, and
Joseph.

The Book of Genesis presents essential religious teachings about God

and his relation to man: his creative activity through which all things
are made and on which they all depend; the creation of man in God's
image and likeness; the institution of marriage as the union of one man
with one woman; the fall of man from his original state of innocence
through pride and disobedience, and its consequences on Adam and Eve
and the human race; and God's loving kindness and continual offer of
reconciliation through covenants with Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Moses was the author - in the sense of originator and collector of
traditions - of the Torah or  ‫ּתֹורﬣ‬.
ָ This is revealed in the text of the Law
(Exodus 17:14, Exodus 24:4, Exodus 34:27-28, Leviticus 26:46, Numbers
33:2, Deuteronomy 31:9, Deuteronomy 31:24-26); the Prophets (Joshua
1:7-8, 8:31-32, 8:34, 23:6, I Kings 2:3, Daniel 9:11, 9:13); and as we
learn from Jesus and the New Testament writers (John 1:45, John 5:46,
Acts 3:22, Romans 10:5, Romans 10:19, First Corinthians 9:9, 2
Corinthians 3:15). Characteristics of ancient Hebrew language, as well
as common themes that course through the Torah, support one original
author for the Law of Moses or Pentateuch. Modern theory suggests
the text of the Pentateuch developed through the ages.

The primeval story of creation in Genesis has been compared to other

ancient literatures, such as the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, the
Atrahasis Epic, and the Babylonian Enuma Elish, as well as ancient
writings of Egypt and Greece. These diverse writings indicate the
universal concept of God and the creation of the world. What is unique
is that the Book of Genesis records only one God, the Lord God of
Israel.

Seven key themes of Hebrew Scripture are initiated in the Book of

Genesis and are developed throughout the Torah: God is one; the
goodness of creation and the world; God's undying love for his creation
mankind in spite of man's sin and disobedience; God presides with
justice and mercy; God is active in history by making covenants with
Israel, his chosen people; the proper response of obedience to God's
Word through observance of traditions and institutions will bring
blessings; the gift of Hope through prophecy of the coming Messiah.
The first three chapters of Genesis are the best known of Hebrew
Scripture: Chapter One presents God's creation of the world. In Genesis
1:14, God designated appointed times - moadim -  ‫מֹועֲ ִדים‬  - for His
creation. Genesis 1:26-27 relates that God decided to make man
in our image and likeness. The idea of human dignity, that we are
created in the image of God (1:27), supports the theological basis for
human equality and the core principle of liberty in Western Christian
civilization, as found in the Declaration of Independence of the United
States of America. Chapter Two provides further detail on the creation
of man and woman. Chapter Three records the temptation and fall of
our first parents, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden. The first line of
Genesis is truly one of the most famous lines of Hebrew Scripture
Genesis 3:15 has been given a messianic interpretation, and has
become known as the "First Gospel," or the Protoevangelium - the first
announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, of a battle between the
serpent and the Woman, and of the final victory of a descendant of
hers. The presence of the ancient Hebrew epicene personal pronoun
that begins the second sentence of Genesis 3:15 explains the Latin
Vulgate and Douay-Rheims female interpretation of the word ("she" -
referring to the Woman), and the Revised Standard Version and NIV
male interpretation of the word ("he" - referring to the seed or offspring
of the Woman).

The fall of Adam and Eve led to a geometric progression of sin. Noah is
introduced (Chapters 6-9) as the one righteous man. The history of
Noah is marked by the Hebrew lunar calendar, for the word for new
moon, month -  ‫ח ֶֹדׁש‬  - ḥodesh - is recorded in Genesis 7:11. God finally
brought judgement through the Flood, but saved Noah and made a
Covenant (9:8) with Noah, his family, and all living creatures. Eber (an
eponym for Hebrew) was a descendant of Shem (10:21, 11:16). In spite
of man's disobedience, God remains faithful to his creation, the human
race. The consistent pattern of covenant, fall, judgement, and
redemption that is evident in Genesis persists throughout Hebrew
Scripture.

The Patriarchal History of Israel began with Abraham in Chapter 12:1-2,

when God urged Abram to "Go forth from this land of your kinsfolk
(Haran) and from your father's house to a land (Canaan) I will show
you, and I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you." In
Chapter 14:18-20, we read of Melchizedek, the King and Priest of
Salem, who brought out bread and wine, and who typified Christ
(Hebrews 7). The institution of slavery is recorded in Genesis, for the
vanquished became slaves to the victors. God warns Abram - "Know for
certain that your descendants shall be strangers in a land not their own,
where they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years"
(Genesis 15:13). The Lord God made his Covenant with Abraham first in
15:18 and changed his name to Abraham in 17:5. Abraham was called a
"friend of God" throughout Scripture (2 Chronicles 20:7, Isaiah 41:8,
James 2:23). Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for the sin of
sodomy (19). Abraham had two sons, Ishmael by Hagar and Isaac by his
wife Sarah. Chapter 21 describes the birth of Isaac and the plight of
Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham is tested through Isaac (22). Abraham
bought land in Hebron (23) as a burial plot for Sarah. Isaac and Rebecca
had Esau and Jacob (25). God first refers to his Commandments in
Genesis 26:5. Jacob returned to Haran and had twelve sons by his wives
Leah and Rachel and their maidservants. God renamed Jacob "Israel"
(35:10), the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Chapters 37 to 50
primarily cover the saga of the virtuous Joseph, who is sold into slavery
by his own brothers (Genesis 37:28)!
The Book of Genesis is the subject of many artistic endeavors; the
painting of Joseph's dream of the sun, moon, and eleven stars in
Genesis 37:9 by Vincent Van Gogh entitled "Starry Night" in 1889 is one
of the most famous.

The following Scripture is the Authorized King James Version of the Holy
Bible, now in the public domain, and the New International Version.
King James I commissioned a group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to
establish an authoritative translation of the Bible from the ancient
languages and other translations at the time, and the work was
completed in 1611. The original King James Bible included the
Apocrypha but in a separate section. A literary masterpiece of the
English language, the original King James Bible is still in use today.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica - The International Bible Society.
All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of Biblica -
The International Bible Society. Chapters 5 and 12-50 are from the King
James Bible, and Chapters 1-4 and 6-11 are the NIV version
At the end of the book of Genesis, the patriarch Jacob blesses
his twelve sons, each one according to their individual
personality. They will each become the head of a tribe. He
offers them criticism for their faults and encouragement for
their strengths. Rabbi Simcha Bunem of the 18th century says
that it is as if God is an overflowing pool of blessing, and
Jacob’s job was to make each blessing flow into the unique
vessel that was each one of his children. Thus ends Genesis,
setting up the story of the Exodus with the liberation from
Egypt and the giving of the commandments.

Jewish people reread the book of Genesis each year during the
fall into the beginning of winter in synagogue. Christians and
Muslims turn to these stories as well. What are we supposed
to learn from this book of Scripture?

I think the point of reading Genesis — and its overarching

teaching for us — is threefold. First, Genesis teaches us how
the Israelites saw their place in the world: where they came
from and their relationship to other people. Secondly, Genesis
tells us that we are all one human family going back to Adam
and Eve, made in the divine image. From there the family tree
breaks out into tribes that become nations. We are all related
to each other, even those Midianites and Edomites over there.
Finally, Genesis mirrors back to us that we are a mess. Our
family is full of strife. Brother is fighting against brother,
sibling rivalry is rampant, and even the holiest people in the
world — Abraham and Sarah, Rebecca and Isaac, Jacob, Leah,
and Rachel, and Joseph, Judah, and their brothers are deeply
flawed. Genesis teaches us the truth about the state of our
world and the human condition. It doesn’t ignore problems; it
confronts them, but it does so in a context I believe we need
to hear.

The modern tendency is to dehumanize our enemies. We don’t

think of our enemies as people. “They behave like animals,” we
claim, and they may! Reading Genesis shocks us back into a
reality that is both ancient and universal, which says we are
all one human family. That person over there that you are
thinking of as less than human is actually your cousin. If you
go back far enough, Jacob and Esau are brothers, Isaac and
Ishmael are brothers, Sarah and Hagar have children with the
same man, and our tribes are all related to each other. The
conflicts are real — full of violence and hate — but so are the
family ties. Even David and Goliath, the Rabbis teach, are
actually the descendants of Ruth on the one hand and Orpah
on the other, the daughters-in-law of Naomi. Our battles are a
family affair.
What would happen in our world if we saw our conflicts as part
of a larger family instead of dehumanizing the Other? What if
we took the teaching of Genesis seriously in the area of
international relations and conflict resolution? I think — if we
saw ourselves as one family with each person made in God’s
image — we would be more prone to work it out and slower to
resort to violence.

Jacob blesses each one of his sons in the traditional portion

read this week in synagogues around the world. Dinah, Jacob’s
daughter, is left out as she does not become the head of a
tribe, but in my imagination, I see Jacob blessing her, too. In
any case, these tribes will not be at peace with each other,
despite their father’s efforts. They are related, but often the
most bitter battles are ones of love, disappointment, and close
family. Jacob tries to bless, guide, and control each child’s
future.

A story told to me by my colleague Rabbi Jonathan Kraus

drove home how personal the lesson of Genesis can be. A
father in his congregation has a son son with Down’s
Syndrome. When talking about the continuous care for his son,
the father said, “They’re all God’s kids. We just get to look
after them for a little while.” In other words, even our own
children are not really our own. They are not extensions of
ourselves to possess and control. We are all part of one family,
but we are all ultimately God’s children. International relations
or parenting: in God’s sight it is all the same thing.

Your neighbor is not less than human, but a person made in

God’s image that is part of the human family tree, and your
child is not your possession but a child of God, who you get to
look after for a little while. From a God’s point of view, so to
speak, it’s all one family. It doesn’t matter if you are talking
about nations or your own household. The purpose of Genesis
is to teach us a new golden rule: “they’re all God’s kids.”
What would happen if we all saw each other that way? Perhaps
we would be gentler.

2.Exodus .

The Book of Exodus is the second Book of the Law of Moses, also known
as the Torah or Pentateuch. The Law includes the Books of Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The book received the name of Exodus from the Greek word for
departure. Hebrew Scripture actually named its books from the first key
word of each book, and thus the book is named Shemot, or "the names."

The Book of Exodus, along with Genesis, is one of the best known books
of the Old Testament. The Book describes how God through Moses lead
the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and led them across the Red
Sea to freedom, towards the Promised Land. Beginning in Exodus 5:1,
God repeatedly sends Moses to Pharaoh to advise him, "Let my people
go."

God appeared to Moses in the Burning Bush (3:1-6), and commissioned

Moses to free his people. God instructed Moses in his dealings with the
obstinate Pharaoh. The solemn Jewish Feast
of Passover or Pesach -  ‫ ֶּפסַח‬, called Πάσχα or Pascha in the Greek
Septuagint, was instituted by God as a Memorial to commemorate the
Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, where they had been slaves before
God rescued them. On the night of First Passover (Exodus 12:1-28),
Moses and the Israelites were instructed to sacrifice a healthy year-old
male lamb, and take hyssop and sprinkle the blood of the Paschal Lamb
on the overhead and two doorposts, so that the destroying angel would
pass over their houses and strike only the Egyptians. They were to
celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread  ‫ ַה ַּמּצֹות‬ - HaMatzot for seven
days following Passover, during which they were to eat matsah, the
unleavened bread (Exodus 12:15-17). After He led them across the Red
Sea, God guided them by sending a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of
fire by night. To feed the Israelites, God told Moses he would rain down
bread from heaven to feed the Israelites. God fed them manna -  ‫מָן‬ from
heaven, and on the sixth day, God gave them a double portion of manna
(Exodus 16:4-5), so that they could rest and observe the Sabbath of the
Lord. God also had Moses strike a rock to give them water (Exodus
17:6).

Upon reaching Mount Sinai, God said to Moses: "Now therefore, if you
will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own
possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be
to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (19:5-6). God then gave
Moses on Mount Sinai (19:20) the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-
17). Moses wrote down the words of the Lord and the Sinai Covenant
was ratified by the people (24:7) and renewed in 34:27-28. God then
instructed Moses to make a Sanctuary - "so that I may dwell in their
midst. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the
pattern I will show you." (25:8-9). The Tabernacle
or mishkan -  ‫ ַהמִּשְׁ כָּן‬ - the Dwelling Place, consisted of two rooms
divided by a veil: the Holy of Holies and a Holy Place, with an Outer
Courtyard. The Holy of Holies would hold the Ark of the Covenant, in
which were housed the Ten Commandments; the Holy Place would hold
the Menorah or Golden Lampstand, the Altar of Incense, and the Table
of Showbread or the Bread of the Presence - ‫ ֶלחֶם ָּפנִים‬ .

Exodus 28 describes the fashioning of the Breastplate of Aaron with its

twelve stones, each stone representing one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Exodus 28:30 reveals the significance of the breastplate: "And you shall
put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they
shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron
shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before
the Lord continually."

Ḥallah (Challah) - ‫ ַחלָּה‬ - was a cake or loaf of unleavened bread to be

offered to the Lord. The plural of Ḥallah is Ḥallot -  ‫חַּלֹות‬, as in
unleavened cakes of bread - ‫חַּלֹות מַצ ֹּת‬ - Ḥallot Matzot. "With bran flour
make unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread
with oil" (Exodus 29:2). See also Exodus 29:23, Leviticus 2:4, and
Numbers 15:20.

However, in an act of disobedience, the people built a golden calf

(Chapter 32) and suffered punishment; the calf is destroyed and the
guilty died at the hands of the Levites. After God appeared to Moses
alone in a fifth theophany (33:17-34:9), the Israelites finally built the
Sanctuary or Tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant, in which God
filled the Dwelling with his presence.

One first reads of Joshua, son of Nun, in Exodus 17:9. Joshua later had
the priests march around Jericho for seven days with the Ark of the Lord
prior to defeating the city (Joshua 6). David brought the Ark to
Jerusalem as described in 2 Samuel 6 and I Chronicles 17. It was
David's son Solomon who built the Temple of cedar to finally house the
Lord and the Ark of the Covenant (I Kings 8). Jeremiah hid the Ark
around 587 BC just prior to the Babylonian invasion and destruction of
the Temple, as described in 2 Maccabees 2.

The Book of Exodus serves as a type for events in the New Testament.
Typology in Biblical studies finds an Old Testament story serving as a
prefigurement or symbol for an event in the New Testament. St. Paul
explained it best when, referring to Jesus Christ, he wrote that "Adam
is the type of one who is to come" (Romans 5:14). The sacrifice of the
Paschal lamb at Pesach or Passover prefigures the sacrifice of Christ,
the Lamb of God, for the Redemption of mankind. The crossing of the
waters of the Red Sea from Captivity to the Promised Land in the Book
of Exodus prefigures the waters of Baptism transforming one from the
captivity of original sin to freedom in new life in Christ in the Gospels of
the New Testament. The manna (Exodus 16:31 ff) is a figure of the
Eucharist. The Ark of the Covenant is named in association with the
woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 11:19-12:6.

The Book of Exodus is frequently quoted in the New Testament, as in the

following three examples. Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6 as proof of the
Resurrection, since the Patriarchs long dead live on in God who is God
of the living (Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26, and Luke 20:37). The Ten
Commandments are frequently referred to, as in Matthew 19:18f, Mark
10:19f, and Luke 18:20f, when Jesus answered the young man who
asked him, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" St. Paul in
Second Corinthians 3:7-18 cited Moses in Exodus 34:33 ("He put a veil
over his face") to explain the Jews' inability to recognize Jesus as the
promised Messiah.

The following Scripture is from the Authorized King James Version of

the Holy Bible, now in the public domain. King James I commissioned a
group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative
translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other
translations at the time, and the work was completed in 1611. The
original King James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate
section. A literary masterpiece of the English language, the original
King James Bible is still in use today.
3.Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus is the third of five books of the Law of Moses,
also known as the Torah or Pentateuch. The Law includes the Books
of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Book
in Hebrew is named after the first word Wayiqra, "and he called" - as
the Lord called the Israelites to be a holy nation. The Greek Septuagint
called the Book Λευιτικον after the priestly tribe, the Levites, and this
was translated to Leviticus in the Latin Vulgate version of the
Holy Bible.

The above image shows the seven Festivals of the Lord (Leviticus 23) on
the Hebrew calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle. A new moon
would begin a new month, and the months were first numbered
according to their order. The first month to be named was Abib (Exodus
13:4), which became known as Nisan after the Babylonian Exile. The
First Book of Kings is noted for retaining three of the original names of
the months of the lunar cycle: Ziv, the second month (which became
Iyar) in First Kings 6:1; Ethanim, the seventh month (Tishri) in 8:2; and
Bul, the eighth month (Chesvan) in 6:38. The adopted monthly names of
the modern Hebrew Calendar were not recorded until the Post-Exilic
Books of the Restoration, such as Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and
Zechariah.

The Book of Leviticus opens with God calling Moses from the
Tabernacle. Leviticus is a book about the rites of Jewish liturgy. It
contains laws about worship in general and rules and customs on
ceremonies in consecrations and sacrificial offerings. Behind the
various offerings lies a deep conviction that God is the Lord of all
creation. The laws pertaining to religious observances are generally
divided into the following parts: Rituals concerning Sacrifices
(Chapters 1-7); Ceremony of Ordination of Priests (8-10), which begins
with the ceremonial consecration of Aaron the Levite (8:1-36); Laws
regarding Legal Purity (11-16); the Laws of Holiness (17-26), such as
Chapter 24:5-9 which describes the Bread for the Tabernacle; and
Chapter 27 on Vows and Tithes. The Book of Leviticus closes with the
following: "These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded
Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai" (27:34).

The defining word in Leviticus is  ‫קָדוֹׁש‬ - qadosh - holy, which occurs 77
times, more than any other book of the Bible!
The Lord God directs us three times: "Be holy, for I am holy" (11:44,
11:45, 19:2).

Leviticus 2:12 describes the Firstfruits -  ‫ִּּכּורים‬

ִ ‫ב‬ - Bikkurim of an
offering to the Lord. Firstfruits is one of the seven Festivals of the Lord,
a Spring Feast in the month of Nisan. Firstfruits in the Greek Septuagint
is called ἀπαρχή - aparché.

Leviticus 16:1-34 is the first reading on the Day of Atonement -  ‫יֹום‬

‫כִּּפּור‬ - Yom Kippur - the holiest day in Judaism, and occurs on the tenth
day following Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, in the month of Tishri. The
intermediate ten-day period of repentance, a return to the Lord, is
known as Teshuvah - ‫תְּ ׁשּובָה‬.

Leviticus relates the laws pertaining to proper conduct. Leviticus calls

for us to help the poor (19:10) and to love our neighbor as ourselves
(19:18)! The traditional laws on marriage, and the prohibitions against
adultery, incest, and homosexuality are explicit in Leviticus Chapters
18-19. We are to refrain from tattoos (19:28) or consult fortune tellers
(19:31).

Leviticus 23 lists the Festivals of the Lord. In addition to the weekly

Sabbath or Shabbat - ‫שַׁ בָּת‬, "These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the
sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times" (23:4):
the seven yearly Feasts of the Lord include Passover, the Feast of
Unleavened Bread, the First Fruits, Pentecost or Shavuot (Feast of
Harvest or Weeks), Rosh Hashanah or New Year's Day (Yom Teruah -
Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement, and the Feast
of Ingathering, Booths or Tabernacles known as Sukkot.

Leviticus 24:5 also refers to Ḥallah (Challah) - ‫ ַחלָּה‬ - a cake or loaf of
unleavened bread to be offered to the Lord on the Sabbath. "And you
shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes of it; two tenths of an ephah
shall be in each cake." The Bread of the Tabernacle was to be offered
each Sabbath as a sign of the everlasting Covenant between God and
Israel (24:5-9). See also Numbers 15:20.

Chapter 25 describes the Year of Jubilee, occurring every 50 years. The

word Jubilee is derived from the Hebrew word ‫יֹובֵל‬ - jobel - which
means "ram's horn." The shofar -  ‫ׁשֹופַר‬ - (Leviticus 25:9) on the Day of
Atonement trumpets the beginning of the Jubilee year. Leviticus 25:10
declares Liberty - ‫דְּ רֹור‬ - deror - in the Year of Jubilee - "Proclaim
liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof" - a
founding principle of Western civilization, and which is inscribed on the
Liberty Bell of Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States of America were written.

The Book of Leviticus also serves as a reference point for the New
Testament, especially when there is reference to sacrifices, feasts or
liturgy, such as the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:24),
when the ritual of the sacrifice of two turtledoves or two young pigeons
is recalled (Leviticus 12:8). Christ makes the precept to love your
neighbor (Leviticus 19:18), the second greatest commandment (Matthew
22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27), and this precept echoes throughout the
New Testament (Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8). Leviticus is
particularly evident in the Book of Hebrews, where Jesus Christ is the
perfect Sacrifice to God our Creator.

The following Scripture is from the Authorized King James Version of

the Holy Bible, now in the public domain. King James I commissioned a
group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative
translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other
translations at the time, and the work was completed in 1611. The
original King James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate
section. A literary masterpiece of the English language, the original
King James Bible is still in use today.
4. Numbers

The Book of Numbers is the fourth Book of the Law of Moses, also
known as the Torah or Pentateuch. The Law includes the Books
of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The Book of Numbers was named after the first key word Bemidbar in
Hebrew Scripture, which appropriately means "in the desert," the place
where the Israelites spent forty years following the Exodus. The book is
called Numbers because of the two censuses taken of the twelve tribes of
Israel during their journey towards the Promised Land, following the
Exodus from Egypt. The first census begins the Book and was taken in
the Sinai desert in the year following the Exodus; the second census
begins in Chapter 26 and occurs on the plains of Moab. The Book has
three parts: the Israelites in the Sinai Desert (1:1-10:10); in Kadesh
(10:11-21:35); and on the Plains of Moab (22:1-36:13), near the Dead
(Salt) Sea.

Perhaps the most famous passage from Numbers is the Priestly

Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26, which is found throughout the liturgies
of Judaism and Christianity:

May the Lord bless you and keep you;

may the Lord cause his face to shine upon you and be gracious
to you;
may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you
peace."

This Priestly Blessing also happens to be the earliest Biblical passage

ever discovered in an archeological find. Two silver amulets were
uncovered in a burial chamber on the western slope of the Hinnom
Valley in Jerusalem. These have been dated from about 600 BC, and are
considered Pre-exilic, as they are inscribed in Hebrew consonantal
text.

Numbers 4:5-15 details the handling of the Tabernacle when the

Israelites were breaking camp - 4:7 describes the veiling of the Table of
Showbread or the Bread of the Presence when carried out of
Tabernacle. In Numbers 8:15-16, the Lord tells Moses to purify the
Levites, and then to commission them to "enter upon their service in the
meeting-tent. You shall purify them and offer them as an offering;
because they, among the Israelites, are strictly dedicated to me; I have
taken them for myself in place of every first-born that opens the womb of
the Israelites."

Numbers 15:20 refers to Ḥallah (Challah) -  ‫ ַחלָּה‬ - a cake or loaf of

unleavened bread to be offered to the Lord on the Sabbath: “Speak to
the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When you enter the land where I
bring you, then it shall be, that when you eat of the food of the land, you
shall lift up an offering to the Lord. Of the first of your dough you shall
lift up a cake as an offering; as the offering of the threshing floor, so
you shall lift it up. From the first of your dough you shall give to the
Lord an offering throughout your generations" (Numbers 15:18-21). See
also Numbers 6:15 and 6:19. Numbers 15:37-41 is the third part of the
Shema prayer. The purification rite of the ashes of the red heifer is
described in Numbers 19.

Moses and Aaron would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land for
striking the rock twice instead of speaking to it during the water famine,
as directed by the Lord (20:11-12). It is on the Moab plains that one
reads the oracles of Balaam (22:2-24:5); the idol worship of Baal at
Peor, with the punishment of the offenders by Phinehas, grandson of
Aaron (25); and the appointment of Joshua Son of Nun as successor to
Moses (27:12-23). Numbers 29:1-6 describes Rosh Hashanah, the New
Year beginning on the first day of the seventh month, the Feast of
Trumpets, with the Sounding or Blast - ‫תְּ רּועָה‬ - Teruah of the Trumpet.
Numbers 29:7-11 is one of the readings on the Day of Atonement.

Chapters 27 and 36 enumerate an important principle of inheritance

relating to Zelophehad’s daughters. There was a concern if a family had
no male heir, a daughter could receive the inheritance, but only as long
as she married within her own tribe! For if she married outside her own
tribe, that tribe would lose property to a foreign tribe or nation. This
principle had important implications not only in the East but in
Medieval Europe as well. For instance, Matilda, the only daughter of
Henry I of England married Geoffrey of Anjou in 1028, and left England
for France for over ten years! It is believed that may have had an impact
on the blessing of King Stephen of England (1135-1154) by Pope
Innocent II.

An important lesson for all of us, the Israelites wandered in the desert
for 40 years because of their disobedience to the Lord. But God is
faithful to his Covenant, and the themes of covenant, sin, punishment,
and redemption persist throughout Numbers and the entire Old
Testament.

Moses is described as meek in Numbers 12:3, a virtue described in the

Beatitudes (Matthew 5:5) and attributed to Jesus, who is "meek and
humble of heart" (Matthew 11:29). Moses is further described as the
servant of the Lord in Numbers 12:7. An important passage in light of
the New Testament is Numbers 21:4-9, where Moses lifted up the bronze
serpent, so that the people may live. This passage is interpreted in
Wisdom 16:5-12, which explains that it is not the bronze serpent that
cured the Israelites, but the mercy of God. This passage is referred to in
the Gospel of John, as it typifies Christ raised on the cross, the source of
salvation for those that look to him with the eyes of faith: "And just as
Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be
lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life"
(John 3:14-15).

The following Scripture is from the Authorized King James Version of

the Holy Bible, now in the public domain. King James I commissioned a
group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative
translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other
translations, and the work was completed in 1611. The original King
James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate section. A literary
masterpiece of the English language, the original King James Bible is
still in use today.

5. Deuteronomy

The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth and final Book of the Law of
Moses, also known as the Torah or Pentateuch. The Law of Moses
includes the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. The Torah is followed by the Book of Joshua in Hebrew
Scripture, our Old Testament of the Bible.

The Book of Deuteronomy was known as Hadabarim in Hebrew

Scripture, which means "the Words," namely, the words Moses spoke to
the people in the fortieth year following the Exodus, on the other side of
the Jordan River from the Promised Land. It is known as Deuteronomy
(Second Law) because Moses recaps the Ten Commandments and the
Laws governing the Covenant between God and the Israelites. There
were also additional Laws in the Deuteronomic Covenant not present in
the Sinai Covenant, such as the provision for warfare to allow the
conquest of Canaan; a provision for Kingship; and the law given for
one Dwelling Place.

The Book is organized into three discourses of Moses: Historical

Review and Exhortation (1:1 - 4:43), God and His Covenant (4:44 -
11:32), Exposition of the Law (12:1 - 26:19), as well as a prolonged
Epilogue (27:1-34:12).

Moses emphasizes the Covenant with God and includes the second
rendering of the Ten Commandments (5:6-21), as well as
the ‫שְׁ מַע‬ - Shema (6:4), the expression of faith in the ONE Lord God of
Israel:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."

The complete Shema prayer includes Deuteronomy 6:4-9 at first,

Deuteronomy 11:13-21 as the second part, and Numbers 15:37-41 for
the third part.

The Book of Deuteronomy in a sense provides a bridge, for it serves

both as a summary of the Providence of God towards his chosen people
in the Torah, and as a prologue to the theological History of the
Israelites in the Promised Land. For example, in Deuteronomy 8:3,
Moses reminds the Israelites how God fed them manna in the desert for
40 years. 12:11 points to one "place where he dwells," a place of
centralized worship, accomplished with the building of Solomon's
Temple (I Kings 5-8). Chapter 17 speaks of the role of a King should the
people decide on one and the three provisions of a just king; and
Chapters 28-30 prophetically warn of an Exile if the people forsake
their Covenant with God.

Moses offered excellent medical advice on Marine Life (14:9-10), which

remains just as relevant today!

Deuteronomy 26:5-9 describes "a wandering Aramean" and affords a

summary history of the Patriarchs' arrival in Egypt and the Exodus to
the land of milk and honey. Chapters 28 to 30 summarize for the
Israelites the consequences of their behavior: he calls for the Israelites
to be faithful to the Covenant, and promises blessings for obedience, if
they listen to the "voice of the Lord" (28:1, 30:8, 30:10). The Chapters
express the conditional nature of the promise of the Land, as it
emphasizes the correlation between faithfulness to the Covenant and
settlement in the Land, or between infidelity and Exile. God offers mercy
to his people Israel if they are repentant and turn again to the way of the
Lord (30:1-10). The final portion of Deuteronomy (Chapters 31-34)
relates the last acts of Moses, the commission of Joshua, the Song of
Moses and his death.

The Book of Deuteronomy is often quoted in the New Testament, as

noted in the following three examples. When asked which is the first
commandment of all, Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Mark 12:29-30
cited the Shema prayer of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - "Hear, O Israel! The
Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Therefore, you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
mind and all your strength." Jesus answered the devil in the first
temptation (Matthew 4:4) by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, "It is written,
'man does not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceeds
from the mouth of God.'" The prophecy of Moses in Deuteronomy
18:15-19 was appreciated as a Messianic prophecy both by the
Israelites and the Apostles (John 6:14) and by the early Christian
Church (Acts 3:22-23 and 7:37).

The following Scripture is from the Authorized King James Version of

the Holy Bible, now in the public domain. King James I commissioned a
group of Biblical scholars in 1604 to establish an authoritative
translation of the Bible from the ancient languages and other
translations, and the work was completed in 1611. The original King
James Bible included the Apocrypha but in a separate section. A
masterpiece of the English language, the original King James Bible is
still in use today.