Image: A group of Jews studying Torah together (Photo by Linda Burnett, all rights reserved)
What does the word “Torah” really mean?
Jews use the word in multiple ways, and it can be very confusing to those who haven’t spent a lot of time inside the community. Let’s unpack those multiple meanings:
FIVE BOOKS – The first five books of the Bible are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. They are what is written in the Torah Scroll that you see in the synagogue. We have gone to great lengths to preserve the written words exactly as they have come down to us. The words are Hebrew. Some of them are hard to translate. More of them are hard to understand. Some of them are extremely upsetting. But we preserve them all.
ORAL TORAH – The “Oral Torah” is a body of literature that has come down to us from ancient times. The idea is that Moses didn’t write everything down; some laws and interpretations of the law were handed down from Moses, to Joshua, and on down to us:
Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, and Joshua to the Elders, and the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be deliberate in judgment, raise up many disciples and make a fence for the Torah. – Pirkei Avot 1:1
Originally it was not written down – hence the name “Oral Torah” – but periodically our community faced a crisis in which the leaders feared the knowledge might be lost, and that wisdom was recorded. Oral Torah includes the Talmud and other writings.
A WAY OF LIFE – Beyond any written sources, many communities and families hand down understandings of how Torah is to be lived. While scholarly members of those communities usually can tie those understandings back to written sources, the majority of Jews simply live the traditions as they were taught them. We see this in the way a particular community understands the practice of keeping kosher: this many hours between meat and milk, this way of preparing the kitchen for Passover, these heckshers (rabbinical certifications) are acceptable and those are not. Another community will disagree: no, more hours between meat and milk, etc. A third community or household might say, no, the point of kashrut is to move us towards vegetarianism or veganism! In all cases, the speakers will regard what has been handed down to them, or what they have adopted after study as Torah.
So if someone explains something to you by saying, “It’s Torah!” it is perfectly OK for you to say to them, “Tell me more.” Maybe they will point you to a verse in the book of Exodus. Maybe they will cite a passage from Talmud. Maybe they will say, “That’s what my rabbi / my grandmother taught me.” All are legitimate.
However, “legitimate” does not mean that it is written in stone. Talking to other Jews about Torah is one way to learn. Studying with a rabbi (or many rabbis) is another way to learn. Reading the texts for yourself, or better yet, studying them with other Jews, is an excellent way to learn. Experimenting with your own practice is another way to learn.
Ultimately, living a life of Torah means engaging with it, both Written and Oral Torah, and including the handed-down traditions that have no text. Engaging with it may mean saying, “Yes, I will commit to that!” or it may mean, “Goodness, no, that conflicts with everything else I know about Torah!” It may even mean saying, “I will commit to that for now, and continue to learn.”
Torah is a path towards holiness, not just a list of laws. In the book of Exodus in the story about receiving Torah on Mt. Sinai, there is a wonderful verse:
וַיִּקַּח סֵפֶר הַבְּרִית, וַיִּקְרָא בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם; וַיֹּאמְרוּ, כֹּל אֲשֶׁר-דִּבֶּר יְהוָה נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע.
And he took the book of the covenant, and he read so that the people could hear, and they said, “All that the Eternal has said, we will do and we will hear.” – Exodus 24:7
“We will do and we will hear.” – This, after hearing a reading of Torah! This was the beginning of a process of Torah: hearing and doing and hearing and doing and so forth and so on, through all time.
Torah doesn’t stop. It isn’t a frozen thing. It is a way of life and a process of engagement with holiness. As Hillel said:
This is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it. – Shabbat 31a
Once again, thank you Rabbi Ruth for helping explain this! I’ve been learning so much these past few years by being involved with interfaith studying. Being a life-long Lutheran, I have found a deeper understanding of my own faith by learning alongside my Jewish friends. Please excuse my naïve attempt at understanding Torah. I like to think of Torah as Psalm 34:8 – Taste and you will see that the Lord is good.
I will try to articulate what my friend Rabbi Alan Shavit-Lonstein has tried to teach me regarding understanding the meaning of Torah.
To appreciate and understand Torah Law, first you must come to do it, to be involved in it, to go for it, to embark on that meal, to enjoy it and then to realize what incredible inspired meaning there is in everything that is in Torah. Rabbi Alan emphasizes that it is hard to explain – you have to do! It is through engaging with Torah Law, through enjoying your Jewish way of life, through the practice of our Jewish tradition, that we can appreciate how fortunate and priviledged we are to have the Torah to guide us through our lives.
“Whatever God says, we will DO and then we will understand.”
I am copying this from my notes so I hope this makes sense! He uses some Hebrew words and expressions that I don’t know how to spell – I write them down phonetically so I am too embarrassed to write them here because no one would know what I was saying!
I know that there is such a complexity to the definition of Torah; my understanding is so basic being a Christian but can I say that I so admire and respect the Jewish faith and traditions and am thoroughly enjoying learning more by studying with Jewish people and hearing their stories. I have always felt welcome even when I was the only Christian in the room and I find it so invaluable to learn about each other (all faith traditions) from the people themselves by sharing our stories together.
Peace,
Diane
This must be the reason a Rabbi is never seen explaining the “new” testament on Sunday morning television or most days of the week. Here is one big hug for you Rabbi Ruth Adar.