ICJudaism: A Teacher’s Guide to Judaism
Hosted by ICTeachers Formerly: Mike’s Rough Guide to Judaism
Disclaimer:
The contents of these pages represent the author’s personal views, experience and
understanding.
There are bound to be some things here that some Jews would disagree
with.
Torah 3
For progressive Jews, Torah is understood as a text that was written by humans beings with the benefit of divine inspiration and through which the voice of God may be heard.
For Jews of both camps, Torah is something to be studied, rejoiced in and studied
again. Milton Steinberg (1903-
To the Book of Deuteronomy, Torah is the life and good which is set before man as an alternative to death and evil; at the same time it is Israel’s wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the nations.
To the Prophet, it is the water for which all men thirst, the bread for which they starve—which is yet dispensed without silver or price.
To the Psalmist, it is the light in which he sees light, or alternatively the spiritual sustenance whose taste is sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
To a Rabbi of ancient days, it is something to be delved into further and further, since all things are in it; something over which a man may grow grey and old, never stirring from its contemplation, knowing that he can have no better pursuit or rule.
To mediaeval Jews in their ghettos it is, by the testimony of a folk-
To the modern Hebrew poet, Bialik, it is a great flame kindled on high altars in olden days.
And to all generations of Jews from Isaiah on, it is the word of the Lord destined in the end to regenerate man and society.
Each week, during the part of the service when the Torah is read we read a prayer that includes the words:
It is a tree of life to all who grasp it and those who hold fast to it are happy. Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace. There is great peace for those who love Your Torah, and for them there is no stumbling.
