Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom the Eternal singled out, face to face, for the various signs and portents that the Eternal sent him to display in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and his whole country, and for all the great might and awesome power that Moses displayed before all Israel.
Devarim 34:10-12
For hundreds of years, we Jews have followed the custom of completing the yearly Torah reading in the synagogue on the day of Simchat Torah, only to immediately begin all over again. Why the rush? There is nearly no time to contemplate what one has read the previous year! What is the point of reading something which, for lack of time, cannot even sink in? What, in fact, is the meaning of this annually repeated reading, which is nothing but superficial?
There is indeed a need to learn Torah in depth; no doubt this is included in the commandment to study Torah. It should result in discovering the many possibilities for understanding the text. But this method of study also poses a danger. It could easily result in stagnation of the text.
When a text is studied in a particular way and repeated several times to allow it to sink in, what can result is a dogmatic understanding of it. One keeps repeating a specific interpretation, which consequently imprisons the mind and blocks receptivity to totally new ideas and opinions. Once this happens, the essential nature of the Torah is lost.
The possibility of chidush (novelty) – of looking into the same text with completely different eyes – is crucial. The call for new interpretations, and not just repeating what we or others have said, is fundamental to genuine Torah learning. Surely, one needs the background to know how to accomplish this, and only proper study can guarantee an authentic new elucidation and insight; but without novelty, Judaism will be unable to survive.
Do Not Listen to the “Lions”
Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi (1513-1586) – disciple of Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575), author of the Shulchan Aruch – makes this point extremely clear:
Concerning our faith in the [contemporary] human being, it is said in Parshat Nitzavim, “And not with you alone did I establish a covenant …but with those who are here with us and with those who are not here today….”[1] Therefore each one of us, our children and grandchildren, until the conclusion of all the generations.. are duty-bound to examine the secrets of the Torah on our own… Nor ought we be concerned about the interpretations of others – even if they preceded us – preventing our own individual investigation. Much to the contrary… just as [our forebears] did not wish to indiscriminately accept the truth from those who preceded them, so it is fitting for us….Only on the basis of gathering many different opinions will the truth be tested. Thus, it is valuable to us…to investigate [the meaning of the Torah] in accordance with our own mind’s understanding. And even if in the course of investigation into the secrets of the Torah…we err, it will not be judged….because our intent was for the sake of Heaven. But we shall be guilty if we desist from investigating the secrets of our Torah by declaring: The lions have already established supremacy, so let us accept their words as they are….Rather, it is proper for us to investigate and analyze according to our understanding and to write our interpretations for the good of those who come after us, whether they will agree or not….And do not be dismayed by the names of the great personalities when you find them in disagreement with your belief; you must investigate and choose, because for this purpose were you created and wisdom was granted you from Above…[2]
The Blessing of Being “Fixed”
Indeed, this great wisdom is often forgotten in certain religious circles.[3]Â The quick reading of the Torah is to prevent the text from settling in our minds in a particular fashion. It functions as a first reading in the sense that it has the impact of something totally new. Often, a first encounter is the most exciting one. It keeps all possibilities open; nothing has yet been fixed or determined. As when one is struck by a lightning bolt, one is suddenly enlightened by an overwhelming understanding that may override all earlier insights. Getting used to a text often means killing it. Familiarity breeds contempt.
This, then, could be the purpose of the quick Torah reading in a synagogue. It is not conventional Torah learning, but rather somewhat of a wake-up call. It functions therapeutically in that we are shocked by the text before we even have a chance to get used to its deeper content. And although we have read it for many years, the fact that the story appears again an entire year later, and no earlier, gives us a chance to forget it and then rediscover it as never before. In this way, it remains fresh and continues to amaze the reader with its multiple possibilities and its grand image. This is the true joy of Simchat Torah’s rush.
Questions to Ponder
- Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi states that those who err in the course of investigation into the secrets of the Torah will not be judged if their intent was for the sake of Heaven. How can we ensure that in our search for the truth our intent is for the sake of Heaven?
- Based on the logic that an annual Torah reading provides each individual a chance to forget and then rediscover it as never before, might it be worth considering reintroducing a triennial Torah cycle (finishing the entire Torah in three years rather than one), as was practiced in some communities from the time of Ezra until the Middle Ages, and which is practiced today in many non-Orthodox communities?[4]
Notes
[1] Devarim 29:13-14.
[2] R. Eliezer Ashkenazi, Ma’aseh Hashem, commentary on Parashat Balak, section 31. See also Rabbi Moshe Shmuel Glasner (1856-1924) in his introduction to Dor Revi’i on Chullin.
[3] Note the controversy surrounding Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik’s most original Chamesh Drashot) Jerusalem: Tal Orot Institute, 1974). Translated into English under the title The Rav Speaks: Five Addresses on Israel, History, and the Jewish People (New York: Toras HoRav Foundation, 2002). Rabbi Eliezer Menachem Shach, former head of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Berak, severely criticizes Rabbi Soloveitchik for devising “from his own mind [ideas] that were not handed down to us from earlier generations” (Letters and Articles, vol. 4, pp. 35-40). Compare this with Rabbi Soloveitchik’s statement: “Halakhic man is a man who longs to create, to bring into being something new, something original. The study of Torah, by definition, means gleaning new, creative insights from the Torah…” (Halakhic Man, Philadelphia, PA: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1983, p. 99). Still, even Rabbi Soloveitchik often deviated from this very notion. See, for example, Rabbi Dr. David Hartman’s severe critique of Rabbi Soloveitchik’s understanding of novelty and its limitations in The God Who Hates Lies: Confronting and Rethinking Jewish Tradition (Woodstock, VT: Jewish Lights Pub, 2011). See also Nathan Lopes Cardozo, Jewish Law asRebellion: A Plea for Religious Authenticity and Halachic Courage (Jerusalem: Urim Publications, 2018), chap. 51-54.
[4] See Mishne Torah, Hilchot Tefilla 13:1.
