Monday, November 28, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
What it means
If you are confused by usage of this word, you’re probably on the right track. Grammatically, the wordshould mean any instruction, but in actual usage:
- The title Torah often refers specifically to the Five Books of .
- Torah can also refer to the entire Written Torah, meaning the entire canonized scripture.
- Torah can also refer to the above plus the Oral Torah, which includes:
- the compilation of laws and rulings known as , along with other accepted compilations,
- the discussion and debate of that material, known as or ,
- the stories and their lessons that are collected in the Talmud and Midrashic works,
- any other teaching that has been accepted by a long-term consensus of the observant Jewish community, because it is based firmly on some precedent, or because it has been demonstrated to emerge by accepted means from previous texts and opinions.1
What’s so special about it?
“If someone tells you there is wisdom among other peoples, believe him . . . If someone tells you there is Torah among other peoples, do not believe him . . .”—2
Torah, it seems, is distinct from what we generally call wisdom. Our sages go so far as to say that Torah precedes all existence,3 that it contains the blueprint for the cosmos,4 and that the very existence of the cosmos is contingent upon Torah.5
Even the term “divine wisdom” is insufficient. Our universe, after all, is composed of divine wisdom. Our environment, our bodies and the very psyche with which we observe all of these are of unfathomable design. “How wondrous are Your works, O 6 Yet the laws of nature are not the laws of Torah.,” the Psalmist declares. “You made all of them with wisdom!”
Human wisdom can be described as the ability to predict the outcomes of this wondrous design. We take note of its patterns and extrapolate into the future. We strive to know enough about what is to predict what will be—and therefore, what could be if we make informed choices. Nevertheless,what should be is decided by means that are not related to knowledge or wisdom.
For example, wisdom tells you that how you treat others is bound to come back to you. It’s up to you to decide whether you want that coming back or not. Possessing property that doesn’t belong to you might not be a good idea—for you or for the people around you. It’s up to you to decide whether or not to suffer the consequences for the sake of the immediate benefits.
Torah, on the other hand, doesn’t simply inform, it instructs, “Don’t steal.” It’s nice to know that respect of private property benefits you and the society in which you live, but that’s not the reason you refrain from stealing. You don’t steal because that is your Creator’s will.
Torah as Oneness
A construction worker looks at a blueprint and sees a building; an architect listens to the builder and understands what he really wants. The Torah is like the architect—which is why studying it tells us not only what is, butwhat should be. Torah is the Creator sharing His innermost desire with the created.
The seed of Torah was planted with the experience at Sinai, recorded in the Five Books of Moses. But the voice of Sinai continues to be heard in each generation as students of the Torah unfold the DNA of that seed, discovering new meanings that were always meant, new applications that had always lay dormant.7 After all, the ultimate instruction is that which lifts the student to a vantage point from which he can discern his own evaluation, using the same tools as the teacher.
What’s in it for us
When you immerse yourself in Torah, your goal is not simply to amass information, but to gain a sense of how the Creator of the Universe relates to His creations. To think in a G‑dly way. It is a sharing of spirit, until the same preferences and desires breathe within the two of you. His thoughts are your thoughts and your thoughts are His. There is no comparable union to be found in any other wisdom.
Posted by Igor at 9:04 AM