TORAH PORTION]

Torah Tradition
Is Available To All

RABBI MORTON F. YOLKUT

Special to The Jewish News

"For this commandment
which I command you this
day, is not too hard for you,
neither is it far off It is not in
heaven . . . neither is it beyond
the sea . . . For it is very close
to you, in your mouth and in
your heart to do it."
(Deuteronomy 30:11-14).

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oses is approaching
the very end of his
life and is pas-
sionately concerned about his
people's future. He does not
want them to forsake the
Torah and tradition given to
them at Sinai. With the pres-
cience of the greatest of pro-
phets, he deals with the
unasked questions of all
future generations. His
answers and arguments are
as relevant today as they were
when uttered thousands of
years ago.
Moses first explains what
the Torah is not, and only
after dealing with these
misconceptions, does he ex-
plain what the Torah is.
"It is not too hard for you,
neither is it far off." How
often does one hear that
Torah is some esoteric, mystic
doctrine, to be comprehended
only by a select few. That it is
too difficult, too removed and
"far off."
Nothing could be further
from the truth. The ac-
cessibility of the Torah, its
availability to all, is the first
fundamental doctrine of
Judaism. The Torah is "an in-
heritance of the congregation
of Jacob!' Each Jew can and
should claim that precious
legacy.
"It is not in heaven." This
is the second misconception
addressed by Moses. Many
have argued that the Torah
can only be observed by those
select few who live a heaven-
ly life, who are very pious and
divorced from the realities of
the world.
Moses answers: "It is not in
heaven." The commandments
are meant for men and not for
angels, for sinners as well as
saints, for laymen as well as
scholars. The Torah was given
to and designed for ordinary
men and women engaged in
the real world and not to the
spiritual recluse living in his
self-imposed little paradise.
The Torah is not "in heaven,"
but right here on earth

Rabbi Yolkut is rabbi of
Congregation B'nai David.

teaching us how to live and
work and play.
Finally, Moses tells his peo-
ple that "it is not beyond the
sea." There are those in every
generation who imply that
Judaism can live and flourish
in any country as long as it is
"beyond the sea." How often
have we heard the refrain
that Judaism was fine for the
shtetl of Eastern Europe but
it is not at all relevant in
suburban America? And to-
day do we not know of people
who are more concerned
about the distintegration of
Jewish life in the Soviet
Union than they are about
the assimilation rampant in
our own community? The
Torah was not meant for
those "beyond the sea" but
rather for home consumption.
The Jewish way of life and
Torah is not too hard; it is not
in heaven, and it is not

Shabbat Nitzavim
Deuteronomy
29:9-30:20
Isaiah 61:10-63:9.

beyond the sea. It is here and
relevant and accessible. And
thus Moses concludes: "The
word is very near unto you, in
your mouth, and in your
heart that you may do it." It
is lived in words, in thought
and especially in action.
This is the message Moses
delivered to his people and to
all subsequent generations.
This is the essence of
Judaism, a doctrine for every
Jew no matter his station in
life, his intellectual or moral
stature, or the country in
which he lives.
It is a tradition which is
available to all which
demands words and heart and
action. It is a guide to be us-
ed, employed in all the situa-
tions and vicissitudes of mun-
dane life. Judaism then is not
pious platitudes, but daily liv-
ing by the teachings of an
eternally relevant Torah. ❑

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SYNAGOGUES

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Shaarey Zedek
Youth Choir

Congregaton Shaarey
Zedek is organizing its youth
choir for boys and girls 9 to 13
(grades 4 through 7).
Rehearsals will be held 11
a.m.-noon Sunday mornings.
For information, call the can-
tor's secretary, 357-5544.

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