Is Torah Wisdom Accessible?
Rabbi Reuven Mann
The Mission of Bnei Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael
In this week’s Parsha, Nitzavim, Moshe continues to instruct the people about their well-being and future in Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). His approach is unique. He does not focus exclusively, as most leaders would, on the practical aspects of running a country; although he does explicate important details pertaining to the judicial system and the monarchy. His main focus of interest is on the ability of the people to adhere to the commandments and also incorporate into their behaviors the wisdom of Torah.
Beyond the numerous material benefits that will flow from observing the Torah and Mitzvot (commandments) is the issue of whether Bnei Yisrael (the Children of Israel) will endure in the land Hashem promised to their forefathers. We must remember that Bnei Yisrael are a very special kind of nation. We did not become a national entity through any type of “natural” development. We may properly regard ourselves as a society which was created by Hashem.
Had He not redeemed us from Egypt, brought us to Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah, and become our G-d, we would not be around today; for we would have simply died out without anyone having heard of us. We owe our very existence as a nation to the Creator of the Universe, Whose Will it is that we should live in Eretz Yisrael and fulfill the mission He has assigned to us.
The only way we can achieve this is by observing the Revelation He has bequeathed us. We cannot redefine Jewishness in accordance with the contemporary value system that dominates Western society. It is only by acknowledging the Divine origin of Torah and dedicating ourselves to its fulfillment that we can become a truly Jewish People. Yet, simple performance of the commandments, while absolutely essential, is by itself not sufficient.
The Profound Wisdom of Torah
Aside from the religious obligations that are conveyed in the Torah is the matter of the Chochmat HaTorah (Torah Wisdom). The Torah contains the most profound wisdom about all aspects of human existence, and the study of it leads to great human enlightenment.
In fact, Moshe implores Bnei Yisrael:
And guard and perform them (the Mitzvot) for it is your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of the nations; who will hear all of these statutes, and they will say, ‘Surely a wise and discerning nation is this great People’ (Devarim 4:6)
It therefore seems that when we expound about the meaning of certain Mitzvot or about the beliefs and values of Judaism, we must do so in a manner that evokes enormous respect for the great wisdom which they reflect.
Torah is Within Reach
In this week’s Parsha, Moshe addresses this issue. He says,
For this Mitzvah that I command you this day; is not too wondrous (Nifleit) for you nor is it far away. It is not in heaven; that you might say ‘Who shall go up to heaven and take it for us and communicate it to us that we might do it. And it is not on the other side of the sea; that we might say, ‘Who will go for us to the other side of the sea and take it for us and communicate it to us that we might do it’. For the matter is very close to you; in your mouth and heart to do it. (Devarim 30:11-14)
This is an extremely challenging statement. What did Moshe seek to convey by telling us that the Torah is “not in heaven” or “on the other side of the sea”? Does any sane person imagine that it is? What is the meaning of these challenging words?
In my opinion, Moshe is addressing himself to those who deny that there is any rationality that is comprehensible to man in the Torah. Such people are not saying that the Torah is not sensible but are rather asserting that it consists of deep mysteries that are beyond the ken of ordinary humans.
The two analogies Moshe provides depict the Torah as being “in heaven” or “across the sea.” The first idea is that ordinary humans, even highly intelligent ones, cannot figure out the philosophy of the Torah and only someone on the level of prophecy could discover its deeper wisdom and hopefully share it with us.
In the description of the Torah as being “across the sea” the idea is that we have the potential to unlock the secrets of Torah, but it would require such arduous and backbreaking efforts that it would be practically unfeasible.
HaGaon HaRav Nachum Rabinowitz ZT”L describes the matter this way:
There are people who are not prepared to acknowledge that the Torah has already been brought down from heaven, and human beings can learn it, understand it, internalize it, and fulfill it. These people believe that the Torah must be something ‘heavenly’, exclusively supernatural ‘wondrous’ as Rashi says, ‘concealed from you.’ … But the true Torah is not like that at all. In the final words that Moshe spoke to the Jewish People, he repeats and emphasizes that the Torah was given to be studied and understood. One can penetrate to the truth – ‘For the matter is very close to you’…Hashem has given us the Torah not so that we should be wondering, confused and astonished, but only that the light of Torah should enlighten our eyes and hearts to make us wise and enable us to distinguish between truth and falsehood. (Ner LeNetivati: Drashot for the Weekly Parashot (Hebrew) by Rav Nachum Eliezer Rabinowitz, p. 428)
According to this understanding, Moshe is seeking to disabuse us of this false orientation towards Torah. He is describing for us the true character of Judaism. It is not an unknowable and mysterious religion which is contrary to reason and must therefore appeal to blind faith. Nor should the Torah leave us in a state of bafflement about the meaning of the commandments. To the contrary, Judaism contains the profound philosophy of life which can illuminate all of man’s paths and enable him to achieve the true purpose for which Hashem created him.
The Path to Enlightenment and Purpose
The basic theme of the High Holiday season is the Coronation of Hashem as the Melech HaOlam (King of the Universe). This also entails the obligation to recognize that He created man and implanted within him a divine soul, which it is his duty to perfect. How are we to achieve that? By embracing the Torah He revealed to us which contains the road map towards the proper service of Hashem.
Thus, Hashem gave us the Book of absolute wisdom and the intellectual tools we need to study and understand it. Therefore, a major aspect of our Teshuva (repentance) at this time must be a determination to apply ourselves to the learning of Torah with a new sense of seriousness and commitment. Above all, we must be motivated by the desire to internalize its wisdom and apply it to all areas of human life. So that those who observe us will declare us to be a “wise and discerning People” and they too will be drawn to the appropriate service of Hashem.
May Hashem assist us in this noble endeavor.
Shabbat Shalom.
Questions? Comments?
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—Rabbi Reuven Mann