Rabbi's Desk

This Shabbat Chazon, we begin reading the book of Deuteronomy. Moses, who much earlier claimed not to be a man words (Ex. 4:10), now delivers a sermon lasting an exhausting 36 days and taking up almost the entire book. In fact, the book of Deuteronomy is nicknamed Mishneh Torah, the Second Torah, since it is essentially a summary of the previous four books. Over the course of his monologue, Moses reviewed the laws and traditions that were to sustain the people as they moved into the Land of Israel and settled there. What can be learned from this review of the laws?

The process of learning is a continuous endeavor and can only be achieved when we look to our teachers, colleagues and friends as partners in study, and not as adversaries. We do not discount beliefs of others because they differ from ours and we certainly don’t unjustly ascribe less than noble intentions to their conclusions. We do discuss our ideas openly, frankly, and safely. When study partners complete a tractate of Talmud, they promise to return soon to study its chapters again and again. A moment after we complete the reading of the Torah scroll on Simchat Torah, we roll it back and begin anew. We tell the story of the Exodus from Egypt each year on Seder night, as if it were the first time, encouraging all to expound on interesting new insight to thousands of years of tradition (v’chol hamarbeh harei zeh meshubach).

The Oral Torah preserved thousands of differing opinions and carefully quotes the sources of all statements, only a fraction of which become accepted halakha. However, by keeping this record, our tradition teaches that even more important than the bottom line conclusions, in fact, more important than finding out who’s right or wrong, is the preservation of the wealth of knowledge that can be gained by studying many opinions.

This coming week, we will observe the fast of Tisha B'av - the chosen day for the commemoration of so many tragedies to our people, including the destruction of both Temples. Jews in synagogues across the globe will gather on the floor of our synagogues, dim the lights and review the book of Lamentations in a moving solemn chant, recalling the destruction of Jerusalem.

The Talmud asks, why was our Temple destroyed? Because therein prevailed sinat chinam, hatred without cause (Yoma 9b). This senseless disdain for one another undermined the entire system, despite their strongest efforts of ritual piety.  When people refuse to accept and learn from each other, it costs us all dearly. By establishing mutual respect, we can appreciate our different spheres of reference and understand others’ ideas, rather than judge them.

This year, as we mourn the tragedies that have befallen our people, let us acknowledge that our ways may work for us but others are as entitled to their interpretations, as we are to our own. Although we may never agree on many things, we must not deny that we are all brothers and sisters who share the same Father in heaven. In this way, we battle extremism and learn from the beauty and diversity of all God's creations.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Suson