By Rabbi Abraham Unger, Ph.D.
Executive Director
This Week’s Torah Portion
Both Letter and Spirit
The Torah is known as a revealed code of law. It is the constitution of the Jewish people. But is the letter of the law its sole goal? Is there anything deeper to living a Torah life than fulfilling a body of codified ritual? Clearly, the Torah hopes that humankind will reach its potential as the crown of creation, using its power of free will to achieve the highest level of conduct.
This week’s parsha reveals in no uncertain terms this aspirational purpose the Torah has in mind for us men and women of flesh and blood. It proclaims that we shall be a holy people. In explaining what the Torah means by holiness, the powerfully conceptual commentator on the Torah, Ramban, employed the phrase, “navel birshut ha’Torah/a person who acts boorishly within the guidelines of the letter of the Law.” For example, a person may keep kosher technically yet still be a glutton with crude manners.
Ramban emphasized that our real purpose is to go beyond the mere letter of the law. Jewish tradition demands more of us than simply carrying out mechanically baseline behaviors. The Mitzvot/commandments teach us to refine our conduct to make ourselves and the world we live in a kinder, more decent place.
The letter of the law may be the foundation, but the spirit of the law is the daily work of living out the ethos of the practices we treasure so deeply.
Weekly Parenting Message from the Parsha
On Being a Holy People
The challenge of Jewish identity is not only how to retain it, but the question of why. Tradition for tradition’s sake only takes us so far. As parents, we want to understand the value of what we seek to transmit to our children. This Shabbat’s Torah reading has an answer.
We are asked by G-d to be a holy people. Holiness in Judaism does not mean anything sacramental. It simply means “distinct” or “separate.” We all know that indeed, Judaism asks us to observe certain ceremonies that mark us as a unique community, such as the Passover Seder. But again, what is significant about being unique in and of iself?
The one-of-a-kind practices so woven into Jewish life offer symbolic behaviors that capture our human aspiration to be better, to improve society, and treat each other with a depth of understanding that goes beyond ad-hoc compassion. We must have the self-awareness to understand that all of our behaviors are cumulative, and lead towards a repaired world.
The Seder, for example, was an experience that brought together philosophical speculation about the purpose of freedom, Socratic-style teaching of children, family and friends breaking bread together, and a recognition of the possibility of miracles. These features lead us toward a more meaningful role to play as parents seeking to bring our daughters and sons into a life of fulfillment and contribution.
Judaism is not just a lovely set of folk customs. Torah is a tapestry of lived wisdom worth experiencing. Without it, our world would be a much emptier place.