For Groups, Classes & Homeschool
Read It Together
The Go Further edition of The Lamp of Darkness is the full novel with a study companion built in. For every chapter you get the texts the story draws on, from Tanakh, Talmud, Midrash, and the commentators, often quoted in full, and questions for discussion and reflection.
- Every chapter’s sources, so readers can see what is history and what is story
- Two kinds of questions: personal reflection, and close reading of the texts
- 348 pages, paperback. Made for study groups, classrooms, and the kitchen table
A Taste of the Study Material
Chapter 1 · A Shepherd’s Inheritance
Reflective
Lev lives life within a very limited horizon, longing for something larger. He watches the road to see travelers, values his friendship with Seguv even though he sees him only passing through, and lives on daydreams of what might be. Nevertheless, when Uriel offers him the opportunity to actually enter a larger world he is frightened and upset. Why? What do you dream about and what can that teach you about yourself?
Textual
What can the various names of the prophets teach us about the role which they played in their society?
From the sources
Why are Israel’s kings anointed with afarsimon oil, and not the oil Moshe made in the wilderness? The edition sets out the answer from the Talmud (Horayot 11b) and the Rambam (Laws of Kings 1:10), side by side with the scene in the novel.
For Homeschool Families
We were a homeschool family ourselves. The Lamp of Darkness is told by a twelve-year-old, and it follows the history in the book of Kings, in the days of King Ahav. The novel teaches the history, the land, and how the prophets lived; the Go Further material lets a parent or an older student check every detail against the sources.
A note for parents: the story follows the book of Kings, so it includes idolatry at court, a drought, and real danger. Parents who know I Kings 16–18 will know what to expect.
Groups of ten or more
If your group reads the book together, Dave will join you for a 30-minute video visit.
Visiting Jerusalem?
Groups can spend an evening in the authors’ world, at Dave’s home in Jerusalem: a talk on the world of the prophets, questions, and signed books.
Ask about a video visit or an evening in Jerusalem