A powerful moment in my spiritual existence is when I get to hold or see the Torah. That fact that it brings a community together is my major take on its spiritual existence. Whether or not it is the actual word of G-d is moot to me, since its power to me is to see a congregation get excited as it passes around the room and solidifies the common bond we all have in our religion and community. A side note is the time we were allowed to take the Torah home with us to keep it safe during the high holidays a few years ago. I felt our house was truly safe those nights it was here, and how reverent I felt having such a text so close by.
Also, learning Torah is another interesting opportunity to see it be used as a tool for us to guide us on our spiritual journeys. It is boggling how may interpretations one verse can have and that we are allowed to challenge what is actually being said and be allowed multiple interpretations.
To continue my thought about how much I care if the Torah is actually the word of G-d. I don't get wrapped up in proving its divine creation, but I do think about powerful it would be if it truly is a sacred text crafted by a power beyond our imaginations and then handed down from generation to generation. I am also struck by how it provides some basic rules of order for us humans to get along and if all humans could follow its basic tenants, the world will be a much better place! Finally, it is interesting to me that all the modern Western religions trace their roots back to Abraham, Moses and all the other characters in the Torah and these basic rules of order carry through in these other religions as well. Obviously, someone wrote down some good ideas about how to live a good life that continue to resonate today, whether Jewish, Christian, Mormon, etc.
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3 comments:
Beautifully stated. I can totally relate to what you wrote. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I agree that whether it is the actual word of God is sometimes moot. Usually I see Torah as divinely inspired, though sometimes it just speaks to me as if God were speaking to me. It holds within it truths that transcend time and space, truths that speak to the essence of being human. sometimes it does just get it wrong - like when it supports slavery, or condemns homosexuality, or makes women seem second class, or seems to support violent war.
But I think we have this document to struggle with the changes in morals, and to recognize that the truth transcends the timebound elements of Torah. Certain ideas become untenable (see above) but the scroll as a whole rises above those moments.
The challenge is to dig deeper and deeper.
I like what you say about the possibility that the Torah is a truly a sacred text crafted by a power beyond our imagination being handed down generation to generation. Perhaps its location in the core of the community and its generational travel is indeed part of what makes it sacred and of G-d.
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