Mending the Fence

About the Book

The Talmud is described, & why it modified a few of the Torah´s laws. Without this 63 volume work, Judaism could not have survived. A chapter discusses prayer. Precautions to be used in requesting heavenly favors, & prayers of praise. An example of the many proofs of GOD´s existance is given. David´s very revolutionary contributions to individual devotion. The short chapter on customs presents the pros & cons. A knowledge of what is required, in order to live an ethical life, is important. The giants of Judaic thought in the post-biblical age are discussed, & how they influence what we do today. The 3 considered foremost in the pre-Talmudic, middle & modern eras are deliberated upon. A short walk thru the Torah is taken; touching briefly upon the characteristics & contributions of each of the 5 books. All, with their historical narrative & laws, were written by Moses, but add ethical thoughts unique to each. The separation of the Torah´s mitzvoth from the narrative makes up most of the book. Bible passages where each law appears is shown, with a brief discussion of how applied to today´s situations. The 613 mitzvoth are again listed, in digest form, without commentary. Only the first biblical verse where found is shown. Each topic covered by mitzvoth is listed, in alphabetical order, with the Torah book, chapter & verse where it appears. A very helpful & concise reference source. A bibliography concludes the book. A guide to anyone filling in the blanks in his knowledge of Judaism.

About the Author

Born in Atlanta, Georgia to a moderately orthodox family. Received B.S. degree in geological engineering, then called into the U.S. Air Force for 2 years. After military service, started a company importing earth science instruments with $1,600; sold it 12 years later for $234,000. (both figures small compared to today's business deals, but big money then). Concurrently with the instrument business, started a petroleum exploration company successful in finding 8 new oil fields and pools out of 13 attempts since 1968, while inventing a most precise geochemical method for locating deep and shallow oil deposits. Since has taught university courses, written business videotape script and laboratory workbooks for geochemical courses