I don’t know what other teachers do during the summer, but I’ve been studying the Old Testament Scriptures again in preparation for my 5th /6th Grade Religion class in September. Our curriculum this year is very much Scripture focused and I want to be at the top of my game. While I have studied Scripture for thirty-seven years and have preached it for thirty-two years, there is always more to learn. This book, The Five Books of Moses: A Translation and Commentary, (2004) is a study of the Pentateuch translated and enhanced with extraordinary comments by Dr. Robert Alter who is the Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley where he has taught since 1967. I can tell you the book is hard! I have to put on my thinking cap to get through it, but I think as teachers we should also challenge ourselves as much as we challenge our students.

Written By: Father Lance W. Harlow

Date Published: August 1, 2024