Torah L'shma

Rabbi Joel Fleekop

Friday, June 16, 2006

Sitting in a yeshiva, a group of friends, all somewhere close to 20 years of age, are studying a tractate of the Talmud. They are learning about the frequency with which a husband must have marital relations with his wife. Reading from Massechet Ketubot they learn that the answer is dependent on the husband's profession, and ranges from once every six months for a sailor to once a day for those who are independently wealthy or unemployed.

As expected there are a few uncomfortable giggles, but for the most part the studying is done in a serious way and prompts a discussion about an individual's responsibilities to his or her family.

While I am sure the study session was very interesting, the events described are far from news worthy, and definitely not significant enough to being included in Ha'aretz, Israel's paper of record, their version of the New York Times.

But Ha'aretz is exactly where I learned about these events. The going-ons at the yeshiva were newsworthy not because of what was studied but because of who was studying.

The group of late teens and twenty-somethings were not from Tel Aviv's Ultra-Orthodox enclave of Bnai Barak, nor were they Americans spending a year or two in one of Jerusalem's many yeshivot before heading off to college. Those studying the Talmud text were young men and women from the segment of Israeli society who identify themselves as Hiloni, secular.

These young adults, fulfilling their national service obligation by helping out in one of south Tel Aviv's economically depressed neighborhood, spend most of their time volunteering in schools and neighborhood clubs. But twice a week they gather together and study Talmud. And they are not alone. All around the country more and more secular Israelis are discovering the value of Jewish learning.

Unlike their more Orthodox neighbors, they don't study in order to know how to keep kosher, halakhically observe Shabbat, or for any other practical purpose. They aren't interested in leading a more observant life. They are learning because they believe the act of studying itself is of value.

In Judaism we call this type of non-goal oriented learning Torah L'shma. Throughout our tradition, engaging in Torah L'shma is seen as an act worthy of praise. Rabbi Yohanan credits those who study Torah for its own sake with providing a protective shield for all the world, and Rabbi Levi teaches they hasten the coming of the messianic age.

While the Rabbis praise Torah L'shma, the idea of intensely studying something for no particular reason is, to use a sexy term, counter-cultural. For better or worse, almost everything we do is for a purpose. We go to the gym so we can live healthier lives, learn new skills so we can increase our earnings, and take our children to soccer and piano lessons to ensure they are well rounded.

We live and work in a world focused on results and so it is only natural that we wonder, what is there to be gained by studying something that has no real world application? Why would we engage in the study of Torah L'shma?

Perhaps those, who tomorrow morning will finish a year long study of the Book of Deuteronomy, can provide an answer.

Every Saturday morning since Simchat Torah, these congregants have come together for an hour to read and study the fifth and final book of the Torah. They studied the rules for presenting first fruits and tithes, learned what mixtures of cloth are forbidden, and were subjected to every one of Moses' seemingly endless diatribes aimed at convincing God to allow him to enter the Promised Land.

I think it is safe to say that much of what they studied will have no real world application. But that does not mean they did not learn anything of value. During the course of their study, as they encountered verses that reaffirmed their beliefs and confronted ancient commandments abhorrent to their modern sensibilities, the members of the Torah study group learned about themselves. What's more, they experienced the holiness that comes from engaging in dialogue, and at times, heated debate with our tradition.

Even though the Torah study group concludes tomorrow morning, we do not have to wait until the fall, and the start of next year's Torah study and adult education classes, to begin studying Torah L'shma.

If as you exit the sanctuary tonight, instead of turning to your left and entering the Oneg Room, you turn to your right, you will find yourself in the Shir Hadash library. It is full of books just waiting to be checked out. History books, biographies, and novels that all offer insight into the Jewish experience.

If these aren't of interest, maybe you'd prefer a more ancient form of literature.

Bumper stickers all over town are encouraging us, in both English and Spanish, to read the Bible. Maybe this summer we should listen to their advice and pick up a TaNaKh. This is the full Jewish Bible. It includes the five books of the Torah but also 19 other books with great titles like Chronicles, Habakkuk, and my personal favorite, Joel. All of them were considered important enough by our ancestors to be canonized. Wouldn't you like to know why?

And of course there is the rich collection of rabbinic writings: midrash, mishnah, and Talmud, much of which is now available in English translation. Maybe you and a friend would enjoy studying a page or two of Massechet Kiddushin while sitting on the beach?

In the Talmud we find a listing of deeds without measure, sh'ain l'chem shiyur, deeds so meritorious that one is rewarded for them both in this world and the world to come, Adam Ochel Peroteychem b'olam hazeh, v'karen kayemet lo la-olam habah. The list includes honoring our parents, visiting the sick, and making peace where there is strife. It concludes V'Talmud Torah K'neged Kulam, the study of Torah leads to them all.

And it does. But it is important for us to remember that studying Torah doesn't lead to them in straight lines. You can't simply open the Torah, the Talmud, or any other book and master the skills and mindset you need to show hospitality to strangers and pray with sincerity. Judaism and life don't work that way. It takes time. It takes learning about not only what you are studying, but about yourself.

This summer I hope we all find time to engage in Talmud Torah, in Jewish learning; and that, in the spirit of summer, we study not to gain a new skill or learn a new fact, but because we believe the act of studying is of itself valuable. This summer I hope we all know the joy of Torah L'shma.