Book Summaries

Reading the bundle, you will discover the secrets which were always there, from the Creation of Man, through the very first laws given in the ancient codex and what can be applied to our day to day lives.

Reading this book you will discover:

• God needed Adam and Eve to tend the earth, so he arranged for them to get kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
• Cain was God’s favourite. Why else would he build the first civilisation on Earth?
• How did Noah manage to keep all animals from eating one another on the ark?
• Jacob swindled Esau out of his birthright, but Esau was twice as successful in life than Jacob ever was.
• Joseph is considered righteous, but how does turning the entire Egyptian population into indentured servants play into his righteousness?

Reading this book you will discover:

• Did Moses actually stammer, or was it just performance anxiety?
• Why was Aaron chosen to become the high priest when he was but an uneducated slave?
• What did God actually tell Moses on the mount?
• Why were Moses’ children called “Zipporah’s children”?
• Why were the Israelites punished, but not Aaron who actually smelted the Golden Calf?

Reading this book you will discover:

• Are the priests an allegory for celestial guides, while our fears are interpreted as sins that need to be cleansed so we could reach our goals in life?
• Why were Aaron’s sons consumed by fire, was that a testament to the allegory of being of impure thoughts and letting your sins control you?
• Is the atonement to God, to society or onto ourselves? Why would it matter if one apologises?
• Are sacrifices really flesh and blood, or it is enough that we figuratively do so to clear ourselves of any hurdles along the way?
• If the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) is so important, which has led to the likes of Lent and Ramadan, why was it never mentioned in Deuteronomy, which is supposed to be “Moses’ Law Book”?

Reading this book you will discover:

• Why would the Israelites prefer the clergy to control them, when what they needed were actual chieftains or kings?
• Why did Moses meet with Jethro, but not his daughter, his own wife Zipporah?
• Did God really make a pestilence rampage through the Israelite camp because they made a fuss over fresh produce?
• Why was Miriam infected with leprosy when Moses himself cared very little for his wife and never defended her honour?
• Were the Israelites destined to roam the desert for 40 years, only because Moses decided to change God’s decree, or was there something more meaningful underneath the surface?

Reading this book you will discover:

• Was Moses the right leader or just the best choice at that time?
• What can we learn from Moses’, Aaron’s and Joshua’s leadership styles in this day and age?
• Did Moses make up his own rules to maintain control, while God said something else entirely?
• Why was Joshua allowed to enter Canaan, while Moses wasn’t? Was it deliberate?
• Was the prophecy of the Promised Land fulfilled over 1,500 years ago by the sons of Ishmael and Esau?

Reading this book you will discover:

• Was Joshua following the footsteps of his mentor, Moses, or his own path as he saw fit?
• Did Joshua fulfil his promise of conquering the entire land, and if so - what can we learn from it about the modern Levant?
• If Joshua was the rightful leader, why was Caleb waging his own wars? What can we learn about decentralised government and leadership?
• Was Joshua a religious leader, and if not, why did the clergy continue being the ruling class with a secular chieftain? What can we learn about the separation of state and religion?
• How did Joshua’s leadership style differ from Moses’? Was Joshua a high-level general like Patton, a coward like Chamberlain or a lion waiting for an opportunity like Churchill?

Reading this book you will discover:

• Is Judges the most “Girl Power” book of the Late Bronze Age period?
• Did all the judges believe in one God, or were there idolaters in between? What can we learn about religious freedom in the time of chaos?
• Was the parable of the trees an ancient Akkadian fable, demonstrating foreign elements which have become staples among the Israelites?
• Was Samson an Israelite? Was he a self-indulgent dictator, a foreign king or a hated judge?
• Does the Jewish Valentine’s, Tu B’Av, hide a shady past?