| Torah Study |
Article Index for Torah |
Website Links For Torah |
Information About ™Torah Study |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT TORAH STUDY | |
| judaism | |
| jewish texts | |
| jewish law and rituals | |
|
This practice is present to an extent in all religious branches of Judaism and is considered of paramount importance. Torah study evolved over the generations, as lifestyles changed and new texts were written. __TOC__ ORIGINS Torah study is counted amongst the 613 Mitzvot (" {Link without Title} commandments"), finding its source in the verse ( Deuteronomy 6:7): "And you shall teach it to your children," upon which the Talmud comments that "Study is necessary in order to teach." The importance of study is attested to in another Talmudic discussion about which is preferred: study or action. The answer there, a seeming compromise, is "study that leads to action." Although the word "Torah" refers specifically to the Five Books Of Moses , in Judaism the word also refers to the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible ), the Talmud and other religious works, even including the study of Kabbalah , Hasidism , Mussar and much more. TRADITIONAL VIEW OF TORAH STUDY In rabbinic literature, the highest ideal of all Jews is Torah study. This literature teaches an eagerness for such study and a thirst for knowledge that expands beyond the text of the Tanakh to the entire Oral Torah . According to many historians, this carried over into the general characteristics of Jewish society, both religious and non-religious, down to the present. Some examples of traditional teachings:
FORMS OF TRADITIONAL JEWISH TORAH STUDY The Talmud (Tractate Kiddushin 30a) comments: "The words of Torah shall be sharp in your mouth so that if someone asks you something, you shall not fumble and then tell it to him, rather you shall tell it to him immediately." In Yeshiva s (" Talmud ical schools"), rabbinical schools and Kollel s (" {Link without Title} Talmudical schools") the primary ways of studying Torah include study of:
Other less universally studied texts include the Nevi'im and Ketuvim , other rabbinic literature (such as Midrash ) and works of religious Jewish Philosophy . Most Orthodox Jews study the text of the Torah on four levels as described in the Zohar :
The initial letters of the words '' Peshat'', '' '''R'''emez'', '' '''D'''erash'', '' '''S'''od'', forming together the ), used in many Orthodox Synagogue s. In some traditional circles, most notably the Orthodox and Haredi , Torah study has become a way of life. In some communities, men forego other occupations and study Torah full-time. Haredi Israelis often choose to devote many years to Torah study, often studying at a Kollel . National Religious Israelis often choose to devote time after high school to Torah study, either during their army service at a Hesder yeshiva, or before their service at a Mechina . D'VAR TORAH A ''D'var Torah'' (Heb: דבר תורה) is a talk on topics relating to the part of the Torah . In respect to its place in Synagogue s, rabbis will often give their D'var Torah after the Torah Service . Dvar Torahs can range in length, depending on the rabbi and the depth of the talk. In most congregations, it will not last much longer that fifteen minutes, but in the case of Rebbe s or special occasions, a Dvar Torah can last all afternoon. It is extremely likely that a D'var Torah will carry a life lesson, backed up by passages from certain Jewish texts like the Talmud or Mishnah . It is also known as a ''Drash'' in Ashkenazic communities. There are many Torah sites on the web that contain Divrei Torah to help people learn Torah. One of these sites provides users the ability to post their own Dvar Torah help others who are learning Torah. TORAH STUDY BY OTHER JEWISH DENOMINATIONS Like . Some level of ''PaRDeS'' study can even be found in forms of Judaism that otherwise are strictly rationalist, such as Reconstructionist Judaism . However, non-Orthodox Jews generally spend less time in detailed study of the classical Torah commentators, and spend more time studying modern Torah commentaries that draw on and include the classical commentators, but which are written from more modern perspectives. Furthermore, works of rabbinic literature (such as the Talmud ) typically receive less attention than the Tanakh . Before the Enlightenment , virtually all Jews believed that the Tanakh was written by the Prophets who heard it from God , and that it directly reflected God's intentions in human language. They also believed that as both divine intentions and human language are complex, the Torah required interpretation. After the Enlightenment, many Jews began to participate in wider European society, where they learned critical methods of textual study, the modern historical method, Hermeneutics , and fields relevant to Bible study such as near-Eastern Archaeology and Linguistics . Many Jews found the findings of these disciplines compelling and considered them relevant to Torah study. According to this view, the Bible was written by different people who may have been "divinely inspired", but who lived at different times and in different societies; and these factors should be taken into account when studying their works. Consequently, one way to add more to Torah study would be to learn more about the intentions of these people, and the circumstances in which they lived. This type of study depends on evidence external to the text, especially archeological evidence and comparative literature. See the entries on Biblical Higher Criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis . Today, Reform , Conservative , Reconstructionist Rabbi s draw on the lessons of modern critical Bible scholarship as well as the traditional forms of Biblical exegesis. Orthodox rabbis reject most or all critical Bible scholarship considering it highly speculative or simply false. Religious Jews of all denominations hold as a belief that one must constantly strive to engage in Torah study. Orthodox Jews tend to place a higher value on this requirement than Jews in other denominations, although committed Jews of all denominations engage in regular study as well. YEAR IN ISRAEL Devoting a year to Torah study in modern Israel is a common practice among , Migdal Oz , Nishmat . SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS AND REFERENCES Laws Pertaining to Torah Study
BIBLIOGRAPHY
WIKIMEDIA TORAH STUDY PROJECTS Text study projects at . Please note that in many instances, these projects proceed much faster in Hebrew than in English!
|
|
|