A treasure trove of forty-three religious, wisdom, riddle, and trickster Jewish folktales that have been told near the hearth, at the table, and in the synagogue for centuries. Sheldon Oberman, a master storyteller, retells the tales with simplicity and grace, making them perfect for performing and reading aloud. Peninnah Schram, herself an acclaimed storyteller and folklorist, provides lively notes and commentary that examine the meaning of each tale and its place in history.

Solomon and the Ant, using the Bible as a dialogue partner, examines stories from the Qur'an, their drama, characters, and meaning. Although some qur'anic stories have close biblical parallels, here Penchansky examines stories without biblical precursors. Qur'anic narratives in dialogue with biblical texts enhance understanding. Penchansky chooses biblical stories that address similar questions about the nature of God and God's interaction with people. Solomon matches wits with an ant, a bird, and the queen of Sheba. Magical creatures, the jinn, are driven out of heaven by fiery meteors. Moses, on a quest, meets a mysterious stranger. The Bible offers parallels and connections. Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Matthew, and other biblical books, contrast with the qur'anic text, comment on the qur'anic story, and supplement it. - Separated by space and time, the Bible and the Qur'an faced similar issues. - Both the Bible and the Qur'an adapted material from their surrounding culture while at the same time distinguishing themselves from that culture. - Rather than addressing this cultural confrontation with rigid certainty, the Bible and the Qur'an are ambiguous and multivocal. - The Bible and the Qur'an are layered, containing stories within stories, fragments, and structural abnormalities. These features contribute to meaning. Penchansky's analysis of these stories makes the Qur'an accessible and compelling to nonspecialists and students.

The book, "" Antiquities of the Jews; Book - VIII "", has been considered important throughout the human history, and so that this work is never forgotten we have made efforts in its preservation by republishing this book in a modern format for present and future generations. This whole book has been reformatted, retyped and designed. These books are not made of scanned copies and hence the text is clear and readable.

Solomon and the Ant, using the Bible as a dialogue partner, examines stories from the Qur’an, their drama, characters, and meaning. Although some qur’anic stories have close biblical parallels, here Penchansky examines stories without biblical precursors. Qur’anic narratives in dialogue with biblical texts enhance understanding. Penchansky chooses biblical stories that address similar questions about the nature of God and God’s interaction with people. Solomon matches wits with an ant, a bird, and the queen of Sheba. Magical creatures, the jinn, are driven out of heaven by fiery meteors. Moses, on a quest, meets a mysterious stranger. The Bible offers parallels and connections. Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Matthew, and other biblical books, contrast with the qur’anic text, comment on the qur’anic story, and supplement it. • Separated by space and time, the Bible and the Qur’an faced similar issues. • Both the Bible and the Qur’an adapted material from their surrounding culture while at the same time distinguishing themselves from that culture. • Rather than addressing this cultural confrontation with rigid certainty, the Bible and the Qur’an are ambiguous and multivocal. • The Bible and the Qur’an are layered, containing stories within stories, fragments, and structural abnormalities. These features contribute to meaning. Penchansky’s analysis of these stories makes the Qur’an accessible and compelling to nonspecialists and students.

Bronson, who is well known for his interesting stories of science, ventures into the world of ants and describes the different kinds, from devastating army ants to slave-making ants who kidnap the offspring of other tribes.

From the Arctic to South Africa - one finds them everywhere: Ants. Making up nearly 15% of the entire terrestrial animal biomass, ants are impressive not only in quantitative terms, they also fascinate by their highly organized and complex social system. Their caste system, the division of labor, the origin of altruistic behavior and the complex forms of chemical communication makes them the most interesting group of social organisms and the main subject for sociobiologists. Not least is their ecological importance: Ants are the premier soil turners, channelers of energy and dominatrices of the insect fauna. TOC:The importance of ants.- Classification and origins.- The colony life cycle.- Altruism and the origin of the worker caste.- Colony odor and kin recognition.- Queen numbers and domination.- Communication.- Caste and division of labor.- Social homeostasis and flexibility.- Foraging and territorial strategies.- The organization of species communities.- Symbioses among ant species.- Symbioses with other animals.- Interaction with plants.- The specialized predators.- The army ants.- The fungus growers.- The harvesters.- The weaver ants.- Collecting and culturing ants.- Glossary.- Bibliography.- Index.