Talmud Torah Value: Talmud Torah Talmud means “learning”. Torah means both “the five books of Moses” and “instruction”. Together talmud Torah stands for any kind of Jewish learning. In the Mishnah we are given a list of important mitzvot. Then it tells us “Talmud Torah is equal to them all.” The suggestion is that it leads to them all. We are told in the V’Ahavta that we should be constantly learning Torah, “when we lie down and when we rise up.” This means that talmud Torah should be a way of life. Rabbi David Moshe was a Hasidic rabbi who said that once, during the dedication of a new Sefer Torah, he had to hold up a large, heavy scroll for a long time. One of his students offered to help, but he said, “Once you’ve picked it up, it is no longer heavy.” This is a metaphor for Torah study. It teaches that once you get into Torah studying, it becomes easy. While some Jewish schools are called Talmud Torah, Torah study is a lifelong learning process that goes beyond school. Learning Torah for one’s whole life is a Jewish thing to do. Torah study is supposed to change us. It brings us closer to God, closer to our true selves and closer to one another. Talmud Torah is like being at Mt. Sinai and receiving the Torah from God.
95
