Torah
 They call us the "People of the Book" because of our legendary devotion to it. When a child is born, we wish its parents, "May you merit to raise him/her to Torah," and the first words that a Jewish parent teaches his or her child are: Torah tzivah lanu Moshe, morashah kehilat Yaakov ("The Torah that Moses commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Jacob"). Jewish law states that we are obligated to pursue the study of Torah every spare moment of our day and night.
For thousands of years, the study of Torah has been our life's occupation and our highest mark of achievement.
The Torah is our mandate as a people, the marriage contract of our special relationship with G‑d as His chosen "kingdom of priests and holy nation." But it is not only that: to the Jew, the Torah is nothing less than the basis and objective of all existence. In the words of the Midrash: "G‑d made a condition with the work of creation: if the people of Israel accept the Torah, you will exist; if not, you will revert to chaos and nothingness." "G‑d looked into the Torah," says the Zohar, "and created the world. The Jew looks into the Torah, and sustains the world."
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Essays
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A Yeshivah in Egypt
Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson
In his daily life, the Jew he must be a Joseph; but his or her education must be provided by a Judah
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Analyze the Effects of its Study
By Zalman Posner
In explicating any subject, the interpretation must bear close relationship with the subject. Regardless of the effort expended in clarifying the subject with intelligible examples and parallels drawn from daily living, and presenting them lucidly, ...
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What Is the Torah?
By Rabbi Hayim HaLevi Dunin
The relationship of the written law to the oral law, and where it all comes from
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Is the Torah Timeless?
By Aron Moss
I wonder about how the Orthodox view the fluidity of the Torah and the teachings of the past. Clearly there are aspects of the Torah that have been outdated since it was written, such as stoning etc.
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How Did the Torah Exist Before it Happened?
By Tzvi Freeman
How could Jacob have studied the Torah, if it was given to Moses centuries later? Did he learn, in advance, how Laban would trick him on his wedding night or how Joseph would thrown in a pit and sold as a slave by his brothers?
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STORIES
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A Cheder in Siberia
As told to Eliyahu Touger by Reb Mendel Futerfass
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Original Ideas
by Yanki Tauber
Rabbi Joseph was greatly distressed by the incident. Obviously, he thought, there is something grievously lacking in my understanding of Torah...
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Zaidy Pinchas' Torah
by Chana Weissberg
This is the story of a very special Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll), purchased shortly after the Second World War by my maternal zeide..
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Echos
by Jay Litvin
The little green room held three people, maybe four (if we crammed in really tight). There was a desk, some straight-backed chairs, a rabbi, and a collection of books lining the sill of a tall lead glass window overlooking a busy Milwaukee street...
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The Problem
by Tuvia Bolton
One day, a rich and learned Jew came to one of the great European centers of Torah learning to search for a fitting match for his wise, pious and beautiful daughter...
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MULTIMEDIA
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Humility, Prerequisite to Torah
When recording the chain of passing down the Torah, Ethics of the Fathers states that the Torah was received by Moses from Sinai. Why the emphasis on this particular individual and this particular location?
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Infinite Wisdom The Torah... A Mitzvah that Unifies and Informs
G‑d, who formed and created man and all that exists, shares His wisdom, understanding and knowledge with us through the Torah, enabling us to maximize our potential and fulfill our life's purpose.
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| Peace Upon the Land |
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| The Torah Solution to Achieving True Peace in Israel. |
| Throughout Jewish history, through times serene and turbulent, the People of Israel looked to the Torah for guidance and stability. Only through steadfast adherence to Torah principles, - the Rebbe insisted - can Israel achieve true peace. |
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Ethics Based on Torah
Wisdom and Torah are not identical. The Rabbis tell us that wisdom may be found in the world at large, but not Torah. When ethics come from G‑d, they are unalterable. Only this formula, based on Torah, G‑d’s wisdom, can make true ethical life possible.
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Spreading Judaism through Torah Study
It is important to arrange Torah classes for all members of the Sephardic community, and that will bring success in all matters, including plentiful livelihood. Blessings for a Jerusalem development adjacent to the Temple Mount, which is being built with the necessary permits.
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READINGS
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Ethics of the Fathers Chapter Six
Rabbi Meir would say: Whoever studies Torah for Torah's sake alone, merits many things; not only that, but [the creation of] the entire world is worthwhile for him alone...
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A Marriage of Minds (Tanya Chapter Five)
When a mind conceives and comprehends a concept with its intellect, the mind grasps the concept and envelopes it... In addition, the mind is simultaneously enveloped by the concept and immersed within it..
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