Torah Portion
The Torah's Truths
Are With Us Always
away in a house of treasures.
Yet there are other lessons for us to
be derived from the simple instruction
given to the king. For example, the
Torah scroll written must be copied
from the original, not created anew,
lest it lose its authenticity. But each
king and each generation must write
their own copies of the Torah and not
his weeks's parsha states
merely inherit them from their par-
at Deuteronomy 17:18-
ents. How we bring Torah into our
20: When (the king) is
everyday lives is unique to each of us.
seated on his royal throne,
Rabbi Stuart Kelman asks, "What
he shall have a copy of this Torah
to make of these two Torahs? One
written for him on a scroll by the
Torah lies in the azara, an
levitical priests; let it remain
enclosure in the Temple
with him and let him read it
court — perhaps the Aron
all his life so that he may
HaKodesh (Holy Ark) of
learn to revere the Lord his
today's synagogue — and
God, to observe faithfully all
that is the original; the other
the words of this Torah as
is the portable Torah and the
as these laws. Thus he
king reads from it. It is
will not act arrogantly
interesting that the original
his brothers, nor deviate
stays locked so that future
from this commandment to
generations can authenticate
the right or to the left, to the
their version and copy from
RABBI
end that he and his descen-
it. One Torah is carried on
NORMAN T.
dams may long reign in the
the street; the other is kept
ROMAN
midst of Israel."
at
home. The one at home is
Special to the
Moses tells his people that
the locus for humility where
Jewish News
_Thonce they have occupied the
the individual king (and we)
promised land and God has
are judged ("thus he will not
chosen a king for them, their new
act arrogantly"); the one in the day-to-
leader (as it was commanded for them
day marketplace is the authority, the
as well) should "write" a copy of the
document/standard that we (and the
scroll as the ultimate mitzvah of
king) use to judge others."
studying, reaching and living by
As we enter Elul, beginning the
Torah. Indeed, the Torah was to be
thoughtful month that precedes the
the constitution, and all would abide
High Holy Days, let us remember
by its word. Since the king is to be
Moses' teaching to all the children of
'one of your own people" (verse 15),
Israel throughout the generations. Let
what is expected of the king in the
us remember the two Torah scrolls we
matter of Torah is to be expected of us
write and study — those of our pri-
also.
vate and public lives — and let us
The rabbis understand Moses to be
rejoice in that inheritance. Fl
urging that the king (and we as well)
should actually possess two copies of
the Torah: a private one and a public
one. While it is important that the
"Torah be preserved in the Temple (or
The king's Torah was to be writ-
archives of the home), it is also neces-
ten in the presence of priests as
sary that it be carried with us at all
witnesses; whom would you
times. The Talmud (Sanhedrin)
choose to be the proper witnesses
describes a portable Torah for the king
for the symbolic Torah of life
to wear, in the form of an amulet,
you choose to write? Some rabbis
which undoubtedly contained not the
comment that the portable Torah
entire text but the 613 letters of the
was to be a summary — which
Ten Commandments (corresponding
verses of the Torah do you wear
to the 613 mitzvot of the whole Torah
on your arm (as an amulet or in
itself). This portable source of God's
a briefcase)? If you could speak
teaching and justice reminds leader
to the world's kings, queens,
and people alike that the knowledge
presidents and prime ministers,
gained from the entire Torah must be
which teachings of the Torah
shared in public and not merely stored
would you cite to improve their
leadership?
Norman T. Roman is rabbi of Temple
o spa nnim e n ces s w o , Amo sst aMt
Kol Ami.
Shabbat Shofiim:
Deuteronomy 16:18-
21:9;
Isaiah 51:12-52:12.
----
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