Torah Learning
Our Rabbanim, the Most Reliable Source of Truth
Receiving the Torah is a vast program in which work is required on oneself, especially on a large number of character traits such as fear, modesty or anger. However, a Mishna in Pirkei Avot enumerates the 48 ways which allow the receiving of the Torah and in the first place, Torah study. For the Jewish people, it is only through the study of holy texts that Jewish wisdom can be understood, and even more so, the infinite wisdom of Hashem. The Talmud teaches that the first sentence to be taught to a child who knows how to speak is "Torah tsiva lanu Moshe morasha kehilat Yaakov" : "The Torah was ordained to us by Moshe and it is the inheritance of the assembly of Yaakov."
The Torah is addressed to all and it is a living document, it is the sap of the Jewish nation. And it is our duty to engage in its study and practice as it is written, "You shall think of it day and night".
One should not hesitate to embark on the pretext that one will never be a true scholar because for Hashem, every word of study pronounced is precious and eternal. The Torah helps to acquire wisdom. Some will point out that experience is also a way. Judaism favors the first solution. Because even if we can learn from experience, there is a risk of "unwanted effects".
For example, let's take the story of Adam and Chava in Gan Eden, which begins a bit like a fairy tale. In a beautiful garden, there were two trees. Hashem told Adam that the tree of life (symbolizing access to wisdom through Torah) was meant to be eaten, while the Tree of Knowledge (representing access to wisdom through experience) was to be avoided. Unfortunately, Adam failed and ate from the Tree of Knowledge. Our fault is that we want to learn everything through experience. Many say to themselves: when I earn money, I will take the time to study. But first I have to do my experiment. To this, our Sages reply: "I must not say I will study when I have time because perhaps you will never have time!"
The Torah is a tree of life, it is not an abstract text. Its study makes us discover the essence of Judaism which is our own essence. The first paragraph of the Shema contains 48 words, corresponding to the 48 paths of wisdom. The wisdom of the Torah is infinitely vast. We must search tirelessly for what it hides from deep down. Trying to buy everything yourself is a task you will never get over, however, you cannot be satisfied with just about anything. It therefore requires an investment, which is going to get the education from where it is, among the Rabbanim.
Hashem's transmission of his message to the Sages is a fundamental doctrine of the Jewish faith. The Sages of the Talmudic era were of a caliber that we can’t even imagine. Their inheritance has been perpetuated from generation to generation, from master to student until today. The Torah tells us that in each generation, our Rabbanim are the most reliable source of truth.
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Friday December 13th, 2024 at 16:11 *Shabbat ends at 17:15 *
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