To be Jewish is to Seek Knowledge
I hope your Passover was as enjoyable as ours.
Passover is considered the birth of our nation collectively and this Passover our family experienced a birth and added measure of life and blessing – a new baby boy!
The baby is keeping us busy – thank G‑d – so I’ll keep my words brief this week. We look forward to sharing the bris together with you:
This week’s Torah portion marks the half-way-point in terms of the number of words in the Torah
What this means is that the words on this week’s Torah Portion “inquire he inquired” mark the halfway point of a word count in the Torah. The first “inquire” completes the first half of the five books of Moses; the second “inquire” begins the second half of the Torah
Biblical commentators, sensitive to the fact that even minor, seemingly coincidental aspects of the Torah, contain layers of significance, address the symbolism behind the fact that the halfway point of Torah is between these words “inquire he inquired.” One of the beautiful explanations is given by one of the great Chassidic masters.
He suggests that the Bible is attempting to teach us that the entire Torah – both halves of it – revolves around inquiry, the search to learn, grasp and internalize the truths and perspectives of Torah. To be Jewish is to forever remain a student of Torah wisdom.
And thus, as we have just completed the festival of Passover - the birth of our People - we now begin the process of spiritual, personal, and intellectual growth. This means that this time period is propitious for Torah study.
So maybe this Shabbat is the time to commit to taking the time to study the Torah and incorporate its timeless messages and lessons in our daily lives.
In this way we will all be ready to celebrate the upcoming holiday of Shavuot the day on which we received the Torah on Mount Sinai – the day we go t married to G‑d.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick
