Leviticus

Leviticus has been called ＂irrelevant,＂ ＂primitive,＂ and ＂a backwater＂ of the Bible, even by scholars and people of faith who treasure Scripture. Many find it alienating, or, at minimum, confusing. In Leviticus: You Have No Idea Rabbi Maurice D. Harris offers readers surprising new ways of looking at the Bible’s least popular (and least understood) book. Grounded in his progressive religious values and beliefs, Rabbi Harris approaches the various laws, rituals, and stories of Leviticus with an open-minded curiosity about what we can learn today about life, ethics, God, and higher meaning by studying this text. Taking the Bible seriously but not literally, Harris uses a plain-spoken, accessible style to explain confusing elements of Leviticus. He explores topics that matter to many of us in contemporary society, including LGBT equality, the dangers of religious fundamentalism, the impacts of childhood trauma, criminal justice reform, and more. With this book, the author invites us into an ancient text that, read with care, challenges us to be better people and help repair this broken world.

Maurice D. Harris is a rabbi and writer living in Eugene, Oregon. A graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, he has worked as a congregational rabbi and religious educator. He is the author of Moses: A Stranger among Us, also from Cascade Books.