Renewing Our Bond With Oral, Written. Torahs
❑
Continued from preceding page
Harvesting A Jewish Garden
add wonderful color to your sukkah.
Strawflowers are another thing that
could be planted with the idea of
hanging them to dry in the sukkah.
The rules about fields are only
some of the rules about agriculture
that reenforce Jewish concepts
about tzedakah. However, these are
particularly relevant to Shavuot and
can help to make a holiday that is
not easily celebrated in the United
States even more relevant.
Through the acts of discovery
and analysis that are the methods
of the Oral Torah, learning becomes
experiential and the concepts
become internalized, personalized;
the Torah becomes "my" Torah.
Both Torahs remain the life
source of the Jewish people. The
Torah represents the eternal womb
of Klal Yisroel nurturing our nation's
'If I had enough breath
left in me for only one
last word I'd say to my
son, study the Talmud
. . . (it) is Jewish identity
pure and everspringing'
— Herman Wouk
O
Continued from preceding page
consider: not necessarily because
the poor will come to their gardens,
but because of the value that is
transmitted. Each of these
categories allowed the poor to work
for their own food without having to
beg or ask for help.
In the spring when we plant our
gardens, perhaps part of the family
plan could be to donate a certain
part of the fresh harvest to a local
food bank. Fresh vegetables are a
rare commodity and most welcome.
The other concept that can easily
make your garden Jewish is
planting it with the idea of using
some of your harvest to decorate
your sukkah. Gourds, pumpkins,
and peppers are all crops that can
intellect and connect him with a true
and profound understanding of
God's original message. This should
explain why the Talmud has been
the focus of study in Yeshivot for
thousands of years. One who
reaches the heights of talmudic
scholarship, would, therefore, be
able to understand the true meaning
of the Written Torah in its entirety
which includes its practical and
mystical levels.
Jewish daily law or talmudic
jurisprudence is, therefore,
manifested through these two
mutually dependent Torahs.
In addition, talmudic
jurisprudence is unique in that the
purpose of Jewish law is to develop
proper moral and ethical behavior
within mankind. This is why
talmudic law deals not only with the
affairs of man vis-a-vis his fellow
man, through a discussion of such
issues as property rights, laws of
acquisition, damages etc. but also
with man's duties of prayer, ritual,
ceremony and faith.
As the noted author Herman
Wouk has written, "If I had enough
breath left in me for only one last
word I'd say to my son, study the
Talmud . . . above and beyond all its
other intellectual and cultural
values, the Talmud is Jewish identity
pure and everspringing."
w
Devorim 5:14) but the text never
defines work. Concerning Yom
Kippur, the Torah decrees "you shall
afflict yourselves" (Vayikra 16:31)
but does not explain what
constitutes affliction. Through the
utilization of the Oral Torah's God-
given methodology of decoding the
Written Torah, a true definition of
work and a full understanding of the
laws of Yom Kippur are derived. The
Oral Torah, therefore, enables one
to explain the exact meaning,
context and character of the original
text.
The Oral Torah (Talmud) serves
as our eternal daily handbook, that
if studied, digested and reviewed
often enough, will penetrate man's
❑
historical experience. The Written
Torah represents the highest level of
communication from God to man. It
is God's actual blueprint of life
expressed in a spiritual language
form.
The Written Torah is expressd
in such an esoteric form that it
presupposes the existence of the
Oral Torah (Talmud) which gives
instruction in decoding its
messages. The Oral Torah was
transmitted from God so that man
would be able to understand and
interpret the pragmatic applications
of the Written Torah.
For instance, the Written Torah
states that one shall not perform
work on Shabbat (Shemot 20:10.
very existence and providing the
Jew with the ability to develop
human nobility and dignity. On
Shavuot, we, as Jews are asked to
renew our individual and collective
bond with our holy Torah. May we,
the Jewish nation once again merit
a reaffirmation of our commitment to
our precious Torah in its entirety.
Shavuot Scramble
The Wilderness
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THE JEWISH NEWS
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The Torah was given in the
wilderness, a free and public
place so that everyone wishing to
accept it could do so. Why was it
not given in the Land of Israel?
So that no nation of the world
could claim that it was given in its
territory, and all could claim it
belonged to them. Another reason
was to avoid dissension among
the tribes. The Torah is likened to
the desert, to fire, and to water.
They are free to all who come
into the world. So also are the
words of the Torah.
PUZZLE BY JUDY SILBERG LOEBL
27676 Franklin Road
Southfield, Michigan 48034
May 25, 1990
Associate Publisher Arthur M. Horwit%
Jewish Experiences for Families
Adviser Harlene W. Appelman
Staff Writer Steve Hartz
52
FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1990
Directions: The letters in each column go into the squares directly below them, but not necessarily in
the order they appear. A black square indicates the end of a word. When you have placed all of the letters
in their correct squares you will be able to read quotations about the holiday of Shavuot.
ANSWERS ON PAGE 58