God's Garden

A good story has the power to delight, to teach, to captivate the mind and heart. The stories in God's Garden do all this and more--they engross children and adults in the narrative of the Bible. Based on the midrashic tradition, these modern stories complement each weekly Torah portion--filling in details "missing" from our sacred text, elaborating on biblical figures, and highlighting Jewish values.

God's Garden invites readers and listeners to live with and in the biblical text, to ask questions and imagine answers: What happened to Joseph on his way to Egypt? What occurred in Moses' childhood to create in him the compassion and sensitivity to others' suffering that were the necessary qualities of a leader chose by God?

Each story is accompanied by:

• An introduction with key information about the story's biblical background

• Values drawn from the story (The story of Joseph the dreamer demonstrates the value of helping others while dealing with our own hardships. The story of Joshua emphasizes our need to protect people in danger, and to ensure that children, the sick, and the elderly are cared for.)

• Discussion questions linking the story to contemporary life

• A list of story-telling props and tips

A values index and a glossary increase the effectiveness of God's Garden as an educational tool.

In the classroom, as part of a family Shabbat service, or as the source of a weekly bedtime story, God's Garden will entrance children of all ages in the wonder of Torah.