Don't Take Yourself Lightly - Everything Is For You!
Anyone who has any degree of familiarity with Jewish sources knows that there are disputes about almost every issue. 2 Jews - 635 opinions. But there are certain truisms that are uncontested. An example of this is the belief that if not for Torah there would be no world. The creation of the world and it's continued existence hinge upon the acceptance of the Torah. So the purpose of the world is the Torah. Right?
Well, not exactly. Eliyhu Ha-Navi was asked the following question [Tanna D'bei Eliyahu chapter 14]. Is the Torah here for the Jews or are the Jews here to keep the Torah. Is the Torah the end [as one with a solid Jewish education might intuitively say] or the means by which the end [i.e. the Jews] can properly function. Hey, let's "cut to the chase", who does G-d love more, us or the Torah? Eliyahu answered that THE JEWISH PEOPLE are the ultimate purpose of creation and the Torah was given to help us fulfill our potential! G-d loves us more than he loves His holy Torah.
Whoa!!!!!!!
And that is why Chazal say [see Psachim 49a] that a Torah scholar is "married" to the Torah. Just as a wife is to be an ezer k'negdo [helpmate] for her husband, helping him achieve his spiritual goals, so too the Torah is a Torah scholar's "wife", helping him achieve his goals.
In our Theocentric religion we must never lose sight of the centrality of man.
[Based on Alei Shor Vol. 2 Pages 19-20]
Well, not exactly. Eliyhu Ha-Navi was asked the following question [Tanna D'bei Eliyahu chapter 14]. Is the Torah here for the Jews or are the Jews here to keep the Torah. Is the Torah the end [as one with a solid Jewish education might intuitively say] or the means by which the end [i.e. the Jews] can properly function. Hey, let's "cut to the chase", who does G-d love more, us or the Torah? Eliyahu answered that THE JEWISH PEOPLE are the ultimate purpose of creation and the Torah was given to help us fulfill our potential! G-d loves us more than he loves His holy Torah.
Whoa!!!!!!!
And that is why Chazal say [see Psachim 49a] that a Torah scholar is "married" to the Torah. Just as a wife is to be an ezer k'negdo [helpmate] for her husband, helping him achieve his spiritual goals, so too the Torah is a Torah scholar's "wife", helping him achieve his goals.
In our Theocentric religion we must never lose sight of the centrality of man.
[Based on Alei Shor Vol. 2 Pages 19-20]
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