What is the Torah and what does it teach?

I was recently asked one whopper of a group of questions: What is the Torah? What does it teach? What is the written and the “oral” Torah? How do the teachings affect you? Anyone who knows even the slightest bit about the Torah can understand the rather expansive nature of this line of inquiry. I will give it my best shot to do these questions justice, yet keep them concise.

The “People of the Book” are, in fact, a people with many books, and these have served us as cornerstones of Jewish life through the ages. The Bible contains the Written Law, and an Oral Law, handed down from generation to generation, existed alongside it, most noticeably in the set of books known collectively as the “Talmud.” This huge compendium of Jewish law and lore was written in a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic. Although it probably received its final written form in the middle of the 5th century CE, the Talmud has generated a flow of commentaries that continues to this day.

The word torah comes from yarah, meaning “to shoot out the hand as pointing, to show, indicate”, “to teach, instruct”, “to lay foundations”, 'to sprinkle, to water,” and “to shoot as an arrow.” The basic concept is “instruction” or “teaching” another. While it can also be translated as “law,” the emphasis is on instruction.

In its most limited sense, “Torah” refers to the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, containing narratives, and statements of law and ethics. Collectively these laws, usually called commandments or mitzvot, are sometimes referred to as the Law of Moses, Mosaic Law, or Sinaitic Law. Yet the concept of Torah is much broader than these five books of Moses.

Traditionally, the Torah has been seen either as a document that was entirely revealed to Moses by G!d on Mount Sinai, along with the entire Oral Torah (the Mishnah and other works of Rabbinic literature which build upon the written Torah), or that Moses completed the Torah during the wilderness journey, including what was revealed on Mount Sinai. Historians and literary critics have long noted historical inaccuracies and duplications that indicate a composite text, and suggest that the Torah includes sources from the period of King David and King Solomon (around 1000 BCE), from the 17th century BCE during the reign of King Josiah, and from the 6th century BCE during the Babylonian exile.

The Oral Torah is a legal commentary on the written Torah, explaining in minute detail how its commandments are to be carried out. As far back as the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, the Oral Torah, even more than the Bible, has been recognized as being the key in  maintaining Jewish cohesion. Over the millennia, a variety of literary genres grew alongside the Talmud and its commentaries. These include legal responsa written by prominent rabbis on questions of law and religious practice, calculations of new moons and Jewish holidays, Jewish ketubot, and commentaries on the Bible. All of these works have helped Jews around the world to base their communities on the cornerstones of Jewish laws, traditions, and values.

How do the Torah teachings affect me? This is the most expansive question. It is akin to asking Rabbis Shammai and Hillel to summarize the Torah while standing on one foot. To answer it, I must ask, “At its most basic, what is the Torah trying to teach us? How does it instruct us to live righteously? What are the most essential Torah principles and values?” For answers, I look to the concept of core values. Core values serve as a guide, a moral compass for how to live one’s life, to help make decisions in good and difficult times. Is it possible to extract a small set of essential core values from the expanse of writing over millennia we call Torah? If so, how does one go about determining what is a core Torah value?

Dr. Hershey H. Friedman posits that if a law or general principle is emphasized by being repeated and found in different parts of Scripture, it is very likely a core value. Likewise, if the Talmudic sages were willing to supersede or override a Torah law in order to protect a general principle, that would also suggest an essential core Torah value. In his examination of the Torah, the Hebrew Scriptures, and the Talmud, he found the following six core values as essential: compassion, peace, human dignity, integrity, justice, and industriousness. Others have declared justice, equality before the law, loving-kindness, social welfare, and the ideals of peace and political freedom as the essential and basic core values of the Torah.

Rabbi Sidney Schwarz, in his book, Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World, has identified kavod habriot (dignity of all creatures), chesed (lovingkindness), lo ta’amod (you shall not stand by idly), darchei shalom (the ways of peace), and ahavat ger (loving the stranger) as five essential Torah values.

Louis Jacobs, in The Book of Jewish Values, identifies 11 core values: Limmud ha’Torah (Study of Torah), Ahavat ha’Shem (Love of G!d), Yirat shamayim (Fear of Heaven), Kiddush ha’Shem (Sanctification of the Name), Bittahon (Trust in G!d), Kedusha (Holiness), Anava (Humility), Ahavat re’a/Ahavat yisrael (Love of Neighbor), Rachamanut (Compassion), Emet (Truth), and Shalom (Peace, Wholeness).

Rabbi Mark Diamond has compiled this list of top ten Jewish values from the website, www.Jewish.com: V’ahavta l’rayaha kamokha (Love of others), Tzedakah (Justice/responsibility), Gemilut chasadim (Kindness/compassion), Talmud Torah (Love of learning), Hakhnasat orhim (Welcoming guests/ strangers), Shalom bayit (Peace/harmony in home/family), Tikkun olam (Repairing the world), Pikuah nefesh (Sanctity of life), Shemirat lashon (Sanctity of language), Anava (humility).

We find some crossovers and many similarities in these various lists of core Jewish values in our Torah, written and oral. I think my favorite list comes from Rabbi Gelberman, z’l. He spoke frequently of these values: “Never instead of…always in addition to”; “We are all partners with G!d”; “I am my brother’s brother”; the importance of joy in all things; “G!d is within”; Hineni; and “The 11th  Commandment: Thou shalt have purpose.”

Remembering Hillel’s famous reply to the Gentile who demanded he teach all of Torah while standing on one foot: “Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself. That is the whole of Torah. The rest is commentary. Now go and study it” (Shabbat 31a), we see that these “one foot Judaisms” are simple, direct, and profound. Some say too simplistic, yet they leave us free to shape a Jewish life around principles and values rather than tradition.

I am not opposed to tradition; I just do not think it is superior to principles and values. Tradition is our record of the way our ancestors lived these principles in the past. They are catalysts to our own creative and informed responses based on a cumulative history and experience  of being in the world, of being spiritual humans. In my mind, tradition should never become fixed forms to be imitated, as rote, kevah, motions without heart and intellect. I agree with Rebbe Gelberman, who said, “I am free to reject anything in my tradition which is no longer useful to me. ... Maybe someday you and the tradition will meet again. Or better, create new traditions that will be more inspiring and more meaningful to you.”

Another way of seeing the teachings of the Torah, written and oral, is as the Jewish people’s ancient and ongoing effort to do tikkun v’teshuvah: to repair and return. The rest is commentary. Can I reduce Judaism to tikkun v’teshuvah? Yes, as a “standing on one foot” response.

These Torah core values which I have listed are those which most profoundly affect me, inspire me, and motivate me in every part of my daily life.