Simchat Torah 5776

On Simchat Torah, Sunday night and Monday, we read the final parashah of the Torah, in which we find:"Moses commanded us the Torah; an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." (Deuteronomy 33:4)

Most famously this becomes the text for the universally recognized 613 Torah commandments, 365 negative and 248 positive, stated by Rabbi Simlai in Babylonian Talmud, Makkot, 23b.

This occasions talmudic summaries of the lessons of Torah, starting with King David reducing them to 11 in Psalm 15. Interestingly, Ps. 15 lists exclusively moral traits for us to follow, without mentioning a single ritual. The Talmud can clearly be interpretated as teaching that the entirety of Torah is reducible to morality, a principle restated by Reform Judaism's emphasis on the prophets.

One interpretation of this verse is to begin teaching children the forms of letters and the simple blessings of enjoyment: viz. ha-motzi for bread, p'ri ha-etz for fruit, etc., from the time they begin to speak. It begins with teaching the letters and the sounds, so that every child gets the basics from an early age.

The Torah Temimah goes on to explain this beautifully, "We see that this education process is to implant and to root in the child's soft heart the greatness of the holiness of our Torah in general, in order that this idea will be a seal on his heart later when he goes out among people. There's no reason to elaborate further to a child whose brain is not yet prepared to absorb exalted ideas. Therefore try hard to teach him the basics in simple words that he can understand."

The Talmud says that Rav Hamnuna copied our verse on parchment 400 times, and gifted it to children in particular to remember the inheritance we are given. In other words, it's the responsibility of adults, particularly parents and grandparents, to teach correct conduct to children, and connect that with the holiness of Torah that teaches us the principles for living.

Torah Temima cites here the talmudic story in Shabbat 31a of the heathen who approaches Hillel and asks to learn the Torah while Hillel stands on one foot. Hillel says, "What is hateful to you do not do to your neighbor. All the rest is commentary. Go and learn."

Too frequently that last part is omitted, as though the Golden Rule would suffice. But it does not, because the world is a very complex place, and even if we have the motivation to live ethical lives the actual practice might be difficult to determine. Therefore Jews study Torah throughout our lives, lifelong learners,to appreciate the complexity of applying our ethical ideals in the real world in which we live.

Chag sameach.