{"id":52050,"date":"2019-03-25T19:29:11","date_gmt":"2019-03-25T17:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=52050"},"modified":"2022-10-17T17:45:12","modified_gmt":"2022-10-17T14:45:12","slug":"the-accessibility-of-torah-then-and-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-accessibility-of-torah-then-and-now\/","title":{"rendered":"The Accessibility Of Torah \u2013 Then And Now"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[730,363,410],"acf":{"old_id":"52050","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"183","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"The wisdom of learning one chapter a day\u2026","content":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the first part of our chapter, Moses addresses the Israelites as if they are already in Exile and looking forward to a return to the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 30:1-9). This restoration will occur \u201cif you will heed the Lord your God, to keep His commandments\u2026\u201d (verse 10). There follows a remarkable declaration of the accessibility of Torah: \u201cFor this Commandment, that I am commanding you today, is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven that you might ask, \u2018Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us, so we may obey it?\u2019 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you might ask, \u2018Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us, so we may obey it?\u2019 For the word is very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so you may obey it\u201d (verses 11-14). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Midrash (Deuteronomy Rabbah 8:3) elaborates on the accessibility of Torah in a series of dramatic narratives: Rabbi Tanhuma said: An ignoramus enters a synagogue and sees people engaged in the give and take of Talmudic study. Having no idea what they are talking about, he is too embarrassed to say anything, as it says: \u201cWisdom is too lofty for a fool. He does not open his mouth in the gate\u201d (Proverbs 24:7). \u00a0The Rabbis say: An ignoramus enters a synagogue and sees people engaged in learning Torah. He asks them: How does one begin to learn Torah? They answer him: First a man reads from a scroll [used by pupils to acquire basic literacy]. Then he reads from the Book [of Torah], and then the Prophets, and then from the Writings. And after he has finished learning Scripture, he learns Talmud, and then Halakhot, and then Aggadot. When the one asking about how to begin to learn hears this, he says to himself: \u00a0When would I be able to learn all this? And he turns back from the entrance to the synagogue. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rabbi Yannai said: To what may this be compared? To a loaf of bread that was high up out of reach. The ignoramus asks: Who could possibly bring it down? But the astute person says: Someone must have put it up there. So, he then brings a ladder or a pole and brings it down. Similarly, anyone who is ignorant might ask: When would I manage to read the whole Torah? But what does the astute person do? He learns one chapter each and every day until he finishes having read the entire Torah.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our day, Torah learning is again not out of reach to anyone who wants to learn \u2013 even just one chapter a day!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>image: Old Dushanbe Synagogue entrance, by Zlerman &#8211; wikimedia.org<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":52051,"id":52051,"title":"dt30-Synagogue_Entrance","filename":"dt30-Synagogue_Entrance.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt30-Synagogue_Entrance.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-accessibility-of-torah-then-and-now\/dt30-synagogue_entrance\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt30-synagogue_entrance","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":52050,"date":"2019-03-25 17:28:56","modified":"2019-03-25 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