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Shareכִּי לֶקַח טוב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם.
תּורָתִי אַל תַּעֲזבוּ:
עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ.
וְתמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר:
דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נעַם
וְכָל נְתִיבותֶיהָ שָׁלום:
For I [God] give you good instruction:
My Torah - do not abandon it.
It is a tree of life to those who hold onto it, and those who uphold it are happy.
Its ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all its paths are peace.
Questions for Discussion:
1) What does it mean that the Torah is a "tree of life"?
2) How do you understand Torah as "instruction"?
(י) כִּ֣י תִשְׁמַ֗ע בְּקוֹל֙ ה' אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר מִצְוֺתָיו֙ וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו הַכְּתוּבָ֕ה בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֶּ֑ה כִּ֤י תָשׁוּב֙ אֶל־ה' אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ (פ)
(יא) כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹֽא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא׃
(יב) לֹ֥א בַשָּׁמַ֖יִם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲלֶה־לָּ֤נוּ הַשָּׁמַ֙יְמָה֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃
(יג) וְלֹֽא־מֵעֵ֥בֶר לַיָּ֖ם הִ֑וא לֵאמֹ֗ר מִ֣י יַעֲבָר־לָ֜נוּ אֶל־עֵ֤בֶר הַיָּם֙ וְיִקָּחֶ֣הָ לָּ֔נוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵ֥נוּ אֹתָ֖הּ וְנַעֲשֶֽׂנָּה׃
(יד) כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃ (ס)
[This is Moses speaking at the end of his life as he reviews the Torah before the entire nation]
(10) So listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and keep His commandments and laws which are written in this book of the Teaching. For you will return to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
(11) Surely, this commandment which I command you today is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach.
(12) It is not in the heavens, so you can say, “Who will go up to the heavens and get it for us and teach it to us so that we can follow it?”
(13) Neither is it beyond the sea, so you can say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea and and get it for us and teach it to us so that we can follow it?”
(14) No, this thing is very close to you. In your mouth and your heart - you can do it.
Questions for Discussion:
1) What final message is Moses trying to convey to the Israelites about the Torah?
2) What is his worry, and what is the solution?
(כב) בֶּן בַּג בַּג אוֹמֵר, הֲפֹךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ.
[This is from "Ethics of the Fathers" - the Greatest Hits album of the Jewish Talmudic sages of the first centuries of the common era and their favorite sayings]
(22) Ben Bag Bag says: Search in it [the Torah] and search in it, since everything is in it.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה:
Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to be involved with words of Torah.
Questions for Discussion:
1) How can "everything" be in the Torah? What does Ben Bag Bag mean?
2) What does it mean to be "involved with" (or "engrossed in") words of Torah?
Those who interpret verses metaphorically said that water here is referring to nothing other than Torah.
[This is the Midrash on the "Song of Songs"]
Just as water goes from one end of the earth to the other,
so does Torah go from one end of the earth to the other;
Just as water is a life source,
so is Torah a source of life;
Just as water is free to all,
so is Torah a free commodity;
Just as water comes from heaven,
so too is the Torah's origin in heaven;
Just as water makes many sounds,
so is the Torah heard in many voices;
Just as water quenches one's thirst,
so does Torah satisfy the soul;
Just as water cleanses the body from impurity,
so does Torah cleanse the soul;
Just as water originates in tiny drops and accumulates into mighty streams and rivers,
so the Torah is acquired word by word today, verse by verse tomorrow;
Just as water descends from a high altitude,
so does Torah depart from haughty individuals and remain in individuals who are humble and modest;
Just as water is not kept in silver or gold vessels, but the simplest [clay],
so Torah is retained by those who are simple;
Just as a scholar is not embarrassed to ask a student, 'pass me some water,' a scholar is not embarrassed to learn from a student a chapter, a verse, a word, or even a letter;
Just as someone who does not know how to swim is drowned in water,
so is Torah - if one doesn't know how to 'swim' one can drown in it.
Questions for Discussion:
1) What is the purpose of the Torah being compared to water? Why this particular symbolism?
