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Share(ג) אפילו בכפרים שאין נמצא להם ס"ת כשר אין מברכין עליו:
(ד) אם נמצא טעות בספ' תורה בשעת קריאה מוציאין ס"ת אחרת ומתחילין ממקום שנמצא הטעות ומשלימין הקורים על אותם שקראו במוטעה ואם נמצא טעות באמצע קריא' הקורא גומר קריאתו בספ' הכשר ומברך לאחריה ואינו חוז' לברך לפניה:
(3) Even in villages that do not a valid Torah scroll, they should not recite the blessing upon [reading from] it.
(4) If an error was found in a Torah scroll during the reading, they should take out another Torah and begin reading from the place where the error was found, and complete the number of aliyot that are left from those who already read in the Torah that had an error. And if the error was found in the middle while the reader was reading, they should finish their reading in the valid Torah and recite the blessing [that's recited] afterwards, and they should not go back and recite the blessing [that's recited] before.
(כה) היסוד השמיני
היות התורה מן השמים והוא שנאמין כי כל התורה הזאת הנתונה ע"י משה רבינו ע"ה שהיא כולה מפי הגבורה כלומר שהגיעה אליו כולה מאת ה' יתברך בענין שנקרא על דרך השאלה דבור... וכי הוא היה כמו סופר שקוראין לו והוא כותב כל מאורעות הימים הספורים והמצות ולפיכך נקרא מחוקק ואין הפרש בין ובני חם כוש ומצרים ושם אשתו מהטבאל ותמנע היתה פלגש ובין אנכי ה' אלקיך ושמע ישראל כי הכל מפי הגבורה והכל תורת ה' תמימה טהורה וקדושה אמת
(25) The eighth principle That the Torah is from Heaven and that is that we believe that this Torah that is given to us through Moshe, our teacher - peace be upon him - is completely from the mouth of the Almighty; which is to say that it all came to him from God, may God be blessed, in a manner that is metaphorically called speech. ...And [we believe] that [Moshe] was like a scribe who is dictated to and writes down all of the events, the stories and the commandments. And therefore [Moshe] is called the engraver. And there is no difference between "And the sons of Cham were Kush and Mitsrayim" (Genesis 10:6), "and his wife's name was" Meheitabel" (Genesis 36:39), "And Timnah was his concubine" (Genesis 36:12) [ on the one hand] and "I am the Lord, your God" (Exodus 20:2) and "Hear Israel" (Deuteronomy 6:4) [on the other]; since they are all from the mouth of the Almighty and it is all the Torah of God - complete, pure and holy truth.
בָּעֵי רָבָא מִקְרָא מְגִילָּה וּמֵת מִצְוָה הֵי מִינַּיְיהוּ עֲדִיף מִקְרָא מְגִילָּה עֲדִיף מִשּׁוּם פַּרְסוֹמֵי נִיסָּא אוֹ דִּלְמָא מֵת מִצְוָה עֲדִיף מִשּׁוּם כְּבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוֹת בָּתַר דְּבַעְיָא הֲדַר פַּשְׁטַהּ מֵת מִצְוָה עֲדִיף דְּאָמַר מָר גָּדוֹל כְּבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוֹת שֶׁדּוֹחֶה אֶת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה
On the basis of these premises, Rava raised a dilemma: If one must choose between reading the Megilla and tending to a met mitzva, which of them takes precedence? Does reading the Megilla take precedence due to the value of publicizing the miracle, or perhaps burying the met mitzva takes precedence due to the value of preserving human dignity? After he raised the dilemma, Rava then resolved it on his own and ruled that attending to a met mitzva takes precedence, as the Master said: Great is human dignity, as it overrides a prohibition in the Torah. Consequently, it certainly overrides the duty to read the Megilla, despite the fact that reading the Megilla publicizes the miracle.
דְּאָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה יִישַׁר כֹּחֲךָ שֶׁשִּׁבַּרְתָּ:
Reish Lakish says: What is the meaning of that which is stated: “The first tablets, which you broke [asher shibbarta]”? These words allude to the fact that God approved of Moses’ action, as if the Holy One of Blessing, said to Moses: May your strength be straight [yishar koḥakha] because you broke them.
כְּתָב לְךָ אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, לָמָּה אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּתָב לְךָ, וְהָכְתִיב (שמות לב, טז): וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹקִים הוּא חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת, וּכְתִיב (דברים י, ד): וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל הַלֻּחֹת כַּמִּכְתָּב הָרִאשׁוֹן, אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּתָב לְךָ תּוֹרָה נְבִיאִים וּכְתוּבִים שֶׁיִּהְיוּ בִּכְתָב, אֲבָל הֲלָכוֹת וּמִדְרָשׁ וְאַגָּדוֹת וְהַתַּלְמוּד יִהְיוּ עַל פֶּה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיָּדַע משֶׁה, הִתְחִיל אוֹמֵר: טוֹב לִי כִי עֻנֵּיתִי, (תהלים קיט, עב): טוֹב לִי תוֹרַת פִּיךָ.
"Write for yourself these commandments": Why did the Holy One of Blessing write "for yourself", as it is written, "and the writing was God’s writing, incised upon the tablets." And it was also written, "The LORD inscribed on the tablets the same text as on the first..." Rather, thus said the Holy One of Blessing: 'Write for yourself Torah, Neviim, and Ketuvim that were written (on the first), but the halakhot, midrash, aggadah, and Talmud should be only (transmitted) orally. When Moshe knew this, he began to say: "It was good for me that I was humbled, (so that I might learn Your laws.)": Good that I learned Your Oral Torah.
אָמַר רַבִּי אַחָא עַם הָאָרֶץ שֶׁקּוֹרֵא לְאַהֲבָה אֵיבָה, כְּגוֹן וְאָהַבְתָּ וְאָיַבְתָּ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְדִלּוּגוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יִשָֹּׂשׂכָר תִּינוֹק שֶׁקּוֹרֵא לְמשֶׁה מַשֶׁה, לְאַהֲרֹן אַהֲרַן, לְעֶפְרֹן עֶפְרַן, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְלִיגְלוּגוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה... וְרַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי, אֲפִלּוּ הַתִּינוֹק מְדַלֵּג עַל הָאַזְכָּרָה כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים וְאֵינוֹ נִזּוֹק, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְדִלּוּגוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה.
Rabbi Aḥa said: An ignoramus who calls love hate, e.g. [instead of] “you shall love” [ve’ahavta], [he says] “you shall hate” [ve’ayavta], the Holy One blessed be He says: His mistake [dilugo] is beloved to Me. Rabbi Yisakhar said: A child who calls Moshe Masheh, Aharon Aharan, Efron Efran, the Holy One blessed be He says: His ridicule [liglugo] is beloved to Me....
The Rabbis say: Even if a child skips the mention of God’s name several times he is not harmed. Moreover, the Holy One blessed be He says: His omission [dilugo] is beloved to Me.
God has hidden His face from the world and delivered mankind over to its own savage urges and instincts. This is why I believe that when the forces of evil dominate the world, it is, alas, completely natural that the first victims will be those who represent the holy and the pure. To each of us as individuals, perhaps this brings no comfort. Yet as the destiny of our people is determined not by worldly but by otherworldly laws, not material and physical but spiritual and godly, so must the true believer see in these events a part of God's great leveling of the scales, in which even human tragedies weigh little. But this does not mean that the devout among my people must simply approve what is ordained and say, "The Lord is just and His decrees are just." To say that we have earned the blows we have received is to slander ourselves. It is a defamation of the Shem Hameforash, a profanation of His Holy Name — a desecration of the name "Jew," a desecration of the name "God." It is one and the same. God is blasphemed when we blaspheme ourselves...
I am happy to belong to the unhappiest of all peoples in the world, whose Torah embodies the highest law and the most beautiful morality. Now this Torah is the more sanctified and immortalized by the manner of its rape and violation by the enemies of God.
Being a Jew is an inborn virtue, I believe. One is born a Jew as one is born an artist. One cannot free oneself of being a Jew. That is God's mark upon us, which sets us apart as His chosen people. Those who do not understand this will never grasp the higher meaning of our martyrdom. "There is nothing more whole than a broken heart," a great rabbi once said; and there is also no people more chosen than a permanently maligned one. If I were unable to believe that God had marked us for His chosen people, I would still believe that we were chosen to be so by our sufferings.
I believe in the God of Israel, even when He has done everything to make me cease to believe in Him. I believe in His laws even when I cannot justify His deeds. My relationship to Him is no longer that of a servant to his master, but of a student to his rabbi. I bow my head before His greatness, but I will not kiss the rod with which He chastises me.
I love Him. But I love His Torah more. Even if I were disappointed in Him, I would still cherish His Torah. God commands religion, but His Torah commands a way of life — and the more we die for this way of life, the more immortal it is!
And Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: A single regret or pang of guilt in one’s heart is preferable to many lashes administered by others that cause only physical pain, as it is stated: “And she chases her lovers, but she does not overtake them; she seeks them, but she will not find them; and she will say ‘I will go and return to my first husband; for it was better for me then than now’” (Hosea 2:9). Remorse is more effective than any externally imposed punishment listed in the verses that follow (Hosea 2:11–19). And Reish Lakish said that in the Bible, it seems that such remorse is preferable to one hundred lashes, as it is stated: “A rebuke enters deeper into a person of understanding than a hundred lashes to a fool” (Proverbs 17:10).
When I [wrote Tumah and Taharah: Ends and Beginnings, my original piece justifying Niddah], I thought that God's Torah was as complete as God: inerrant, invulnerable, invariable truth. I thought that I, the erring, bleeding, mutable creature, had to bend myself to this truth. Whatever I was or saw that did not fit had to be cut off, had to be blocked out. The eye--or the I--was alone at fault. I tried to make a theology to uphold this truth, and as hard as I tried to make it truthful, it unfolded itself to me as a theology of lies.
I do not believe the laws of purity will ever be reinstated, nor should they be. The worlds reflected in such rules are not worlds we inhabit. Neither should we seek to replicate such worlds. They are unjust.
In the mind of God, according to a midrash, is a Torah of black fire written on white fire. In the hands of Jews is a Torah written in gall on the skins of dead animals. And the miracle is that the fire of God's Torah flickers through our scroll. I continue to learn the purity texts, hoping for some yet unglimpsed spark, but that is not enough. I must learn what purity can mean in my own world and in the most human world I can envision. For if ours is a Torah of and for human beings, it may be perfected only in the way that we perfect ourselves. We do not become more God-like by becoming less human, but by becoming more deeply, more broadly, more comprehensively human.
We must keep asking the Torah to speak to us in human, this crude jargon studded with constraints and distortions, silences and brutalities, that is our only vessel for holiness and truth and peace. We must keep teaching each other, we and our study partner the Torah, all that it means to be human. Human is not whole. Human is full of holes. Human bleeds. Human births its worlds in agonies of blood and bellyaches. Human owns no perfect, timeless texts because human inhabits no perfect, timeless contexts. Human knows that what it weds need not be perfect to be infinitely dear.
Sacred need not mean inerrant; it is enough for the sacred to be inexhaustible. In the depths of Your Torah, I seek You out, Eheyeh, creator of a world of blood. I tear Your Torah verse from verse, until it is broken and bleeding just like me. Over and over I find You in the bloody fragments. Beneath even the woman-hating words of Ezekiel I hear You breathing, "In your blood, live."
^the metaphor from the pasuk from Jeremiah is used throughout the Gemara, and the Torah is only ever the rock, and the hammer is often the Torah scholar. This instance literally is advocating the Torah scholar breaking the Torah into pieces.
Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: They place on the Sanhedrin only one who knows how to render a carcass of a creeping animal pure by Torah law. The judges on the Sanhedrin must be so skilled at logical reasoning that they could even produce a convincing argument that creeping animals, which the Torah states explicitly are ritually impure, are actually pure. Rav said: I will discuss the halakha of the creeping animal and render it pure, i.e., I am able to demonstrate how it is possible to construct such a proof:
And here is the real challenge: where are places where Torah's brokenness is, possibly, a good thing (or at least has a silver lining)?
The first purpose of this treatise is to explain the meanings of certain terms occurring in books of prophecy... to a religious person for whom the validity of our Torah has become established in their soul and has become actual in their belief—such a person being perfect in their religion and character, and having studied the sciences of the philosophers and come to know what they signify. The human intellect having drawn them on and led them to dwell within its province, they must have felt distressed by the externals of the Torah....
Hence they would remain in a state of perplexity and confusion as to whether they should follow their intellect, renounce what they knew concerning the terms in question, and consequently consider that they have renounced the foundations of the Torah. Or they should hold fast to their understanding of these terms and not let themselves be drawn on together with their intellect, rather turning their back on it and moving away from it, while at the same time perceiving that they had brought loss to themself and harm to their religion. They would be left with those imaginary beliefs to which they owe their fear and difficulty and would not cease to suffer from heartache and great perplexity.
In the main, however, the process of coming to write this book has been for me a gradual process of refusing the split between a Jewish and feminist self. I am not a Jew in the synagogue and a feminist in the world. I am a Jewish feminisit and a feminist Jew in every moment of my life. I have increasingly come to realize that in setting up Judaism and feminism as conflicting ideologies and communities, I was handing over to a supposedly monolithic Jewish tradition the power and the right to define Judaism for the past and the future. "Judaism was a gift that I could fit myself into or decide to reject. It was not a complex and pluralistic tradition involved in a continual process of adaptation and change – a process to which I and other feminist Jews could contribute. Like the wicked child of the Passover Seder, I was handing over Judaism to them, denying my own power as a Jew to help shape what Judaism will become.
...For me, the move toward embracing a whole Jewish/feminist identity did not grow out of my conviction that Judaism is 'redeemable', but out of my sense that sundering Judaism and feminism would mean sundering my being. Certainly, I did not become a feminist Jew by adding up columns of sexist and nonsexist passages in the Bible and tradition and deciding the nonsexist side had won. Judaism is, I shall argue, a deeply patriarchal tradition. To change it will require a revolution as great as the transition from biblical to rabbinical Judaism precipitated by the destruction of the Second Temple.
To leave with a thought: Does the Torah's brokenness open up new possibilities for Torah? Perhaps, our "perplexity" and "heartbreak" with and over Torah opens up new avenues to new Judaisms, with deep roots in our tradition, but that embrace Torah in all it's brokenness. We stand in the rubble of the tablets, claiming the brokenness of Torah as our own.
"There's nothing more whole than a broken heart."
