Rabbi Eli L. Garfinkel is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth El in Somerset, New Jersey. He is the author of three books used by the Ramah camps: Mikraot Ramah, a summer camp commentary on the Torah for teen campers and adult staffs; Dim’ot Ramah, a companion volume on Lamentations; and Torat Ramah, a commentary for younger campers.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Genesis
Bere’shit
Summary
Torat Yisrael: What Is the Torah’s Foundation?
Eretz Yisrael: What Is Israel’s Claim to the Land?
Am Yisrael: Farming and the Jews
Mäshevet Yisrael: Is the Creation Story Literally True?
Noä
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Ark Was No Cruise Ship
Eretz Yisrael: The Olive Branch
Am Yisrael: Should Jews Be Fruitful and Multiply?
Mäshevet Yisrael: Did the Story of Noah’s Ark Really Happen?
Lekh Lekha
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Loving and Hating the Jews
Eretz Yisrael: Walk the Land
Am Yisrael: Heritage Is an Inheritance
Mäshevet Yisrael: It’s All about Relationships
Va-yera’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Radical Hospitality
Eretz Yisrael: Lot’s Wife
Am Yisrael: The People Who Escaped from the Sword
Mäshevet Yisrael: Arguing with God
H¿ayyei Sarah
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Talk Is Cheap
Eretz Yisrael: ¿evron, City of Tears
Am Yisrael: Gifts for Rebecca, Gifts for All
Mäshevet Yisrael: Marriages Are Miraculous
Toledot
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Rumor Mongers and the Big Lie
Eretz Yisrael: Re¿ovot, City of Innovation
Am Yisrael: God Is With the Pursued
Mäshevet Yisrael: Reacting to Dishonesty
Va-yetse’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Tzaddik Makes the City
Eretz Yisrael: Brawn over Brains?
Am Yisrael: All of Israel Is Connected
Mäshevet Yisrael: Sleep and Radical Amazement
Va-yishlah¿
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Don’t Rely on Miracles
Eretz Yisrael: Rely on Miracles
Am Yisrael: A People Gets Its Name
Mäshevet Yisrael: Some Things Never Change
Va-yeshev
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Don’t Rest on Your Laurels
Eretz Yisrael: The Yom Kippur War
Am Yisrael: A Successful People
Mäshevet Yisrael: Dreams
Mikkets
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Crazy Bell
Eretz Yisrael: Fighting Anorexia
Am Yisrael: Insults against Our People
Mäshevet Yisrael: The Power of Hope
Va-yiggash
Summary
Torat Yisrael: How to Criticize
Eretz Yisrael: The Catholic Church and Israel
Am Yisrael: The Need for Jewish Neighborhoods
Mäshevet Yisrael: Giving Ourselves a Jump Start
Va-yeh¿i
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Judah and Self-Restraint
Eretz Yisrael: Snake on the Road
Am Yisrael: War, Peace, and Justice
Mäshevet Yisrael: Torah Study vs. Gainful Employment
2. Exodus
Shemot
Summary
Torat Yisrael: God Needs Public Relations Help
Eretz Yisrael: Egypt in Israel
Am Yisrael: Can Two Nations Live in One Country?
Mäshevet Yisrael: Was the Burning Bush a Gas Plant?
Va-’era’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: An Urgent Morning Meeting
Eretz Yisrael: Speaking Truth to Power
Am Yisrael: Believe It and Not
Mäshevet Yisrael: No, the Nile Is Not Yours!
Bo’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Jewish Karma
Eretz Yisrael: A Real Locust Plague in the Negev
Am Yisrael: A Source of Light
Mäshevet Yisrael: Haste Is for Slaves
Be-shallah¿
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Four Kinds of People
Eretz Yisrael: Humility in Victory
Am Yisrael: Does God Test Us?
Mäshevet Yisrael: Why Is God Silent?
Yitro
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Jethro the Curious
Eretz Yisrael: Israel’s Supreme Court
Am Yisrael: A Deal We Couldn’t Refuse
Mäshevet Yisrael: Sometimes Less Is More
Mishpatim
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Law Is Life
Eretz Yisrael: The President’s House
Am Yisrael: Taking the Torah Seriously, Not Literally
Mäshevet Yisrael: The Death Penalty
Terumah
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Who Lives in the Sanctuary?
Eretz Yisrael: Trees of Israel
Am Yisrael: Volunteering Is Noble
Mäshevet Yisrael: Our Insides and Outsides Should Match
Tetsavveh
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Does God Need a Nightlight?
Eretz Yisrael: Olive Nation
Am Yisrael: A People Compared to Olives
Mäshevet Yisrael: Beware of the Anti-Intellectual
Ki Tissa’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Are All Perspectives Equally Valid?
Eretz Yisrael: The Israel Museum
Am Yisrael: Three Books of Rosh Hashanah
Mäshevet Yisrael: Can We Be Forced to Sin?
Va-yak’hel
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Problem with Democracy
Eretz Yisrael: The Bezalel Institute
Am Yisrael: Giving Too Much
Mäshevet Yisrael: Doing Too Much Is Like Doing Nothing at All
Pekudei
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Beyond Reproach
Eretz Yisrael: The Third Temple
Am Yisrael: When Is Compromise Possible?
Mäshevet Yisrael: Only the Rich, Smart, and Strong Need Apply
3. Leviticus
Va-yikra’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Courtesy Is God’s Calling Card
Eretz Yisrael: Courtesy Comes in Different Flavors
Am Yisrael: Animal Sacrifice vs. Prayer
Mäshevet Yisrael: Confession Is Good for the Soul
Tsav
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Courteous Clothing
Eretz Yisrael: The Nation’s Sweet Aromas
Am Yisrael: What the People Are Expected to Know
Mäshevet Yisrael: The Study of Torah Replaces Sacrifice
Shemini
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Silence in the Face of Tragedy
Eretz Yisrael: No Pork on My Fork
Am Yisrael: The Pig Is More than Unkosher
Mäshevet Yisrael: Alien Fire
Tazria‘
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Caring for the Sick
Eretz Yisrael: Finding a Leper’s Lonely Grave
Am Yisrael: Tearing of Clothing
Mäshevet Yisrael: Life after Serious Illness
Metsora‘
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Grammar School
Eretz Yisrael: Tzara’at and Malicious Gossip
Am Yisrael: Money Should Be No Object
Mäshevet Yisrael: Intellectual Modesty
’Ah¿arei Mot
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Can There Be Repentance without Sacrifice?
Eretz Yisrael: The Silence of the Judean Desert
Am Yisrael: The World’s Unwilling Scapegoat
Mäshevet Yisrael: No Copying!
Kedoshim
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Cause and Effect?
Eretz Yisrael: Living in the Midst of Horrific Places
Am Yisrael: Desire and Self-Denial
Mäshevet Yisrael: What Is Kedushah?
’Emor
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Physical Perfection
Eretz Yisrael: Pilgrimage
Am Yisrael: A People Needs a Calendar
Mäshevet Yisrael: There are Good Arguments and Dangerous Arguments
Be-har
Summary
Torat Yisrael: An Interesting Point of Law
Eretz Yisrael: The Sabbatical Year Today
Am Yisrael: The Jubilee Year
Mäshevet Yisrael: Slavery and Moral Trajectory
Be-h¿ukkotai
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Hostility to God?
Eretz Yisrael: Food Insecurity
Am Yisrael: Curses and Contracts
Mäshevet Yisrael: Is There Such a Thing as Divine Punishment?
4. Numbers
Be-midbar
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Why Count?
Eretz Yisrael: The Israel Defense Forces
Am Yisrael: Counting the Victims
Mäshevet Yisrael: When Does Real Adulthood Start?
Naso’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Adultery Is Idolatry
Eretz Yisrael: The Blessing of Peace
Am Yisrael: The People’s Blessing
Mäshevet Yisrael: Holy Disconnection
Be-häalotekha
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Meat Plague
Eretz Yisrael: Trumpets and Sirens
Am Yisrael: Who Were the Riffraff?
Mäshevet Yisrael: Second Chances
Shelä-Lekha
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Self-Esteem Can Be Selfish
Eretz Yisrael: A Land that Flows with Milk and Honey
Am Yisrael: The Wandering People
Mäshevet Yisrael: The Priceless Shabbat
Korah¿
Summary
Torat Yisrael: A Jewish Perspective on Death
Eretz Yisrael: Hospitals Give Hope for the Future
Am Yisrael: A Reverse Memorial
Mäshevet Yisrael: Desperation Is Forbidden
H¿ukkat
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Honoring Your Parents
Eretz Yisrael: ZAKA and Terrorism
Am Yisrael: It’s Not about Show Business
Mäshevet Yisrael: Moses and His Achilles’ Heel
Balak
Summary
Torat Yisrael: God Does Not Prevent Sin
Eretz Yisrael: Israel’s Architecture
Am Yisrael: A Nation that Dwells Apart
Mäshevet Yisrael: Public Morality
Pinh¿as
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Avoiding Trickery
Eretz Yisrael: An Egalitarian Society
Am Yisrael: We Do Not Need a Pope
Mäshevet Yisrael: The New Month
Mattot
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Two Kinds of Promises
Eretz Yisrael: The Rebirth of Hebrew
Am Yisrael: From Pharaoh to the Faeroes
Mäshevet Yisrael: Since When Is Vengeance Allowed?
Mase‘ei
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Refuge Cities
Eretz Yisrael: A Nation of Refuge
Am Yisrael: The Jewish People Is a Shelter
Mäshevet Yisrael: Why Do We Incarcerate?
5. Deuteronomy
Devarim
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Rebuke and Suffering
Eretz Yisrael: The Negev Desert
Am Yisrael: Storytelling Is Peoplehood
Mäshevet Yisrael: Better Never than Late
Va-eth¿annan
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Does God Hate Idols or Idolaters?
Eretz Yisrael: Astronomy Is a Mitzvah
Am Yisrael: The Shema
Mäshevet Yisrael: God’s Invisibility
‘Ekev
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Does Prayer Work?
Eretz Yisrael: Wild Beasts
Am Yisrael: Humility Is a Duty
Mäshevet Yisrael: Our People’s Fate Depends on Us
Re’eh
Summary
Torat Yisrael: Choices
Eretz Yisrael: Jerusalem
Am Yisrael: Jews Can Be Wrong about Israel and Judaism
Mäshevet Yisrael: Vegetarianism
Shofetim
Summary
Torat Yisrael: A Double Serving of Justice
Eretz Yisrael: Fruit-Bearing Trees Are Priceless
Am Yisrael: A People Dedicated to Life
Mäshevet Yisrael: Some Are Guilty, All Are Responsible
Ki Tetse’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Rebellious Son
Eretz Yisrael: The Sanhedrin
Am Yisrael: Banning the World’s Oldest Profession
Mäshevet Yisrael: Cleanliness Is a Prerequisite for Holiness
Ki Tavo’
Summary
Torat Yisrael: The Seventy Faces of the Torah
Eretz Yisrael: Are Jews Obligated...