As Shavuot approaches, it seems like a good time to think about our relationship with Torah, and our role in that relationship.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of chapter 3 in the Laws of Torah Study, Rambam writes:<\/p>\n
Israel was crowned with three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship. The crown of priesthood \u2013 Aharon got, as it is said, \u201c\u2026him and his seed after him, a covenant of eternal priesthood\u201d (Bamidbar 25:13). The crown of kingship, David got, as it is said, \u201chis seed will be forever\u2026\u201d (Tehillim 89:34). The crown of Torah is set aside, ready and waiting for all of Israel<\/strong>, as it is said, \u201c\u2026 Torah, an inheritance<\/strong> for the congregation of Israel\u201d (Devarim 33:4). Anyone who wants, will come and take. <\/em><\/p>\n One obvious contrast between these \u201ccrowns\u201d is in their availability to the populace: priesthood and kingship are limited to certain families, while Torah is for all. And another difference: two crowns are simply handed over, for eternity; the third is waiting to be claimed \u2013 and the pasuk<\/em> about it makes no guarantees of forever.<\/p>\n Not because the Torah is not ours forever, G-d forbid, but perhaps because \u201cforever\u201d depends on us.<\/p>\n Torah is our inheritance, but just like inheriting the Land of Israel didn\u2019t mean much until we staked our claim through active conquest, we have to actively claim Torah to fully possess it.<\/p>\n How?<\/p>\n Pirkei Avot 6:6 mentions the same three crowns and offers a staggering list of 48 \u201cthings\u201d through which one acquires the crown of Torah. I\u2019d like to offer some reflections inspired by just a few(ish):<\/p>\n \u201cTalmud<\/em>\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 In case it wasn\u2019t obvious, we are reminded that \u201clearning\u201d is a necessary step in Torah acquisition.<\/p>\n So many of us go through life observing but not learning Torah. If we do attend a class, we want our Torah handed to us in a neat package, a 5 or 45-minute soundbite, with a feel-good message and a nice bow on top. But learning<\/em> is a process, not an outcome. It isn\u2019t always neat, and doesn\u2019t always offer immediate inspiration. Sometimes, we just have to jump in and see what develops \u2013 and whatever develops, is ours.<\/p>\n \u201cHearing with the ear, arrangement of lips, understanding of the heart\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 Acquiring Torah requires more than just listening. It\u2019s a fully-body experience \u2013 and not just shuckling<\/em>.<\/p>\n We have to talk, putting something into the process ourselves rather than just sitting back to receive what\u2019s given. We have to plumb the depths of the text to bring it into the depths of our hearts.<\/p>\n \u201cFear (<\/strong>\u05d0\u05d9\u05de\u05d4), fear (<\/strong>\u05d9\u05e8\u05d0\u05d4), humility, joy\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 At the beginning of my post-high school studies in Israel, I found the pages upon pages of Hebrew in Abarbanel\u2019s commentary incredibly daunting \u2013 worth two different words for \u201cfear,\u201d not to mention \u201chumility.\u201d So I set a goal: by the end of my time there, I would be able to read Abarbanel like a book. (Okay, it is <\/em>a book. But you know what I mean.)<\/p>\n As it happened, when it was time to return to America, I found myself packing Abarbanel\u2019s commentary on Bereishit into my carry-on as my chosen airplane reading. I owned<\/em> that Abarbanel, in a sense far beyond the fact that I\u2019d purchased the volumes. What had been scary was still awe-inspiring, but by viewing that fear as a motivator rather than an obstacle, it came to bring great joy \u2013 and we can accomplish that shift for any piece of Torah study, large or small.\u00a0(Of course, plenty of passages remain daunting, reminding me to maintain a healthy sense of awe and humility at how much more there is to conquer.)<\/p>\n \u201cArgumentation of students\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 I love to talk, but few things frustrate me more as a teacher than talking for an hour straight. Occasionally, an adult student will apologize for asking a question or pushing back on a point, and I want to laugh \u2013 and hug them.<\/p>\n Please ask! Comment! Argue! How else can either of us truly own what we think we\u2019re learning?<\/p>\n I can say stuff, but until I\u2019m challenged, I can\u2019t be sure of my rights to (or the rightness of<\/em>) what I\u2019ve said. I can hear stuff, but if I don\u2019t push and dig into it, it will never be mine.<\/p>\n \u201cScripture, Mishna\u2026 minimal sleep\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 I remember fondly my ongoing debate with a teacher about the (perceived) differences between learning Gemara and Tanach. \u201cNobody loses sleep trying to figure out a pasuk<\/em> like they do trying to work through a sugya<\/em>!\u201d he insisted. \u201cActually, last night I couldn\u2019t fall asleep, wondering why Unkelos translates the same phrase differently in different pesukim<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n I never did figure it out, but twenty years later, I still feel an extra connection to the phrase. The effort I invested made it mine \u2013 and the same type of conquest works in whatever area of Torah one might choose to pursue.<\/p>\n \u201cPatience\u201d<\/strong> \u2013 I once had several advanced students insist they\u2019d gotten the \u201cgist\u201d of a comment in Rashbam and were ready to move on \u2013 but they\u2019d all failed to notice the word \u201cno,\u201d which of course altered Rashbam\u2019s entire point.<\/p>\n If we don\u2019t cultivate the patience to really pay attention when we learn, we will not <\/em>get the gist, and will certainly miss whatever real insight could have been gleaned. There are centuries\u2019 worth of Torah wisdom waiting for us to grab on \u2013 but we can\u2019t claim that heritage in an instant.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cLoving the rebukes\u2026 not being arrogant in his learning\u2026\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Most of us accept that Jewish studies for children or adolescents involve learning to read and analyze texts independently, at least to some extent, but it\u2019s a much harder sell in adult education. Though some adult learners relish the opportunity to struggle through a text independently before reviewing it, many disregard the very idea. Some simply don\u2019t feel the thrill (yet?); some say they don\u2019t have enough time to invest. And then there\u2019s this one: \u201cOh, no, not me; I don\u2019t have the skills!\u201d<\/p>\n Nobody is born with the skills \u2013 but everybody can develop them. The first step is accepting the possibility of being wrong, taking the risk of reading a text or offering an answer even when we\u2019re not sure, being open to supportive guidance and correction even if it might leave the occasional bruise on our egos. Like my yoga teacher says, \u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of falling.\u201d Every attempt is a step in the right direction, building (metaphorical) muscles and the ability to stand more firmly as we grow.<\/p>\n \u201cAsks and answers, hears and adds\u2026\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Jewish Action<\/em> magazine recently featured a series of articles portraying \u201ca Tanach revolution\u201d (Gil Student, Winter 2018, p.19) \u2013 largely centered around active engagement with texts. Nechama Leibowitz, especially, was known for her emphasis on active learning; in particular, her use of questions and answers. \u201cPassivity\u2026 leads people to think they can learn effortlessly, without exertion, without a spiritual struggle with the text\u201d (ibid. p. 21). She didn\u2019t hand down neatly packaged analyses or messages; she challenged her students and left them with questions. And they came back for more.<\/p>\n Of course, sometimes we don\u2019t go for more. It\u2019s not easy to truly be active in our learning; we don\u2019t always feel like struggling, and sometimes there are practical obstacles. But as we prepare to renew our acceptance of the Torah, it\u2019s worth thinking about how we might transcend passive acceptance and actively acquire what\u2019s sitting there waiting for us.<\/p>\n Like one adult student who didn\u2019t grow up with a Torah education, who \u2013 after being Shabbos-observant for almost ten years \u2013 felt it was time she learned how to read sources on her own rather than relying on others to hand her Torah. And so each week, she would painstakingly read through pesukim<\/em> and commentaries with me, using word lists and guiding questions to make her way through.<\/p>\n This approach to learning may not produce a \u201crelevant\u201d lesson at the end of each hour; depending on one\u2019s starting point, it might not even produce a coherent read of two lines of Rashi. But if we\u2019re using our tools for acquisition, then at the end of each hour, a little less Torah is just sitting around waiting to be claimed.<\/p>\n It can be daunting. Sometimes it can be almost impossible, trying to find the time and whatever degree of guidance we might require. But the Mishna tells us the crown of Torah is greatest specifically because it demands so much. And we can start small: Follow along on the handout at that shiur<\/em>; bring it home to review and share with a friend. Read a few pesukim <\/em>on the parsha<\/em> and notice<\/em>: Is there an idea or anomaly that jumps out? Start a notebook of Torah thoughts and questions; even if there\u2019s no time to explore them (yet), that notebook brands a person as committed to active ongoing engagement with Torah study.<\/p>\n And what an example for the next generation, if individuals and communities could demonstrate that commitment.<\/p>\n Little by little, we can take the crown of Torah, staking our claim for all eternity.<\/p>\n Sarah C. Rudolph is a Jewish educator and freelance writer. She has been sharing her passion for Jewish texts of all kinds for over 15 years, with students of all ages. Sarah\u2019s essays have been published in a variety of internet and print media, including Times of Israel, Kveller,\u00a0Jewish Action<\/a>, The Lehrhaus, TorahMusings, and more. Sarah lives in Cleveland with her husband and four children, but is privileged to learn online with students all over the world through\u00a0www.TorahTutors.org<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0www.WebYeshiva.org<\/a>. She is also Editor-At-Large at Deracheha:\u00a0womenandmitzvot.org.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As Shavuot approaches, it seems like a good time to think about our relationship with Torah, and our role in that relationship. At the beginning of chapter 3 in the Laws of Torah Study, Rambam writes: Israel was crowned with three crowns: the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of kingship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133529,"featured_media":62003,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-shavuot"],"yoast_head":"\n
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