By the Grace of G-d
Dear Friend,
These days everyone is a medical expert.
Even more relevant for our times, everyone is an epidemiologist.
Everyone is an expert on Judaism.
Following this pattern, everyone is a potential ‘expert’ on any field of knowledge or expertise.
Dr. Google.
Professor Google.
Even Rabbi Google.
All it takes is an internet connection and a gadget, and a universe full of information is there for the taking. Primed and ready to be studied and absorbed.
It wasn’t always that way.
Information used to be held very tightly by the ruling class.
Keeping the masses ignorant was a tactic that countless rulers and monarchs employed.
G-d clearly doesn’t agree with that methodology.
Unlike the prevailing culture at the time where the masses were kept away from knowledge, G-d revolutionized things.
The Almighty came down to Sinai to communicate the holy Torah, in a desert.
Nobody owns the desert; it belongs to all who wish to reside in it.
Similarly, nobody owns the Torah.
The Torah was given to the entire body of the Jewish nation. Approximately 2-3 million sons and daughters of Israel were present at the giving of the Torah at Sinai.
The Torah is a body of G-dly information that is available to each and every student who wishes to partake of it.
And G-d intends it to be freely available.
The Talmud states that one should imitate G-d’s approach to teaching Torah. ‘Just like I taught Torah for free, so you should teach Torah for free’. Torah teaching should be carried out without getting paid for it.
Hashem’s granting of the Torah went much further than just making it available to all and for free.
G-d actually invested ‘effort’ (so to speak) in facilitating the Jews receiving of Torah.
To use very mundane language, Hashem didn’t ‘play hard to get’.
In the description of Hashem giving the Torah the language used shows that Hashem showed His eagerness to transmit the Torah. In a way, Hashem appeared even more ‘excited’ about giving it, than those who were to receive it.
We see this from the fact that G-d came to the appointment at Sinai BEFORE the Jewish people showed up. When the Israelites woke up in the morning Hashem was already waiting for them.
Imagine going to interview for a dream position with the ‘trillionaire CEO’ and arriving at the interview with that super powerful chief, waiting expectantly for your arrival and greeting you personally when you arrived. You realize that he came earlier to the meeting than you.
Furthermore, the Torah describes Hashem going out to welcome the Jews to Sinai as groom goes out to welcome his bride under the Chupa-wedding canopy. Whatever may happen later on in the marriage, at the time of betrothal, a groom is very keen on having his bride join him. That is how the Torah describes G-d’s desire to have us Jewish people receive His Torah.
That is incredibly inspiring. Hashem not only allows us free access to Torah, but He also even ‘cajoles’ and woos us into being mature enough to appreciate its greatness and ‘receive’ it.
Allow me to ask a question. But first let me preface, G-d knows best. Of course. I don’t even need to state that. But I do want to investigate this ‘eagerness’ that G-d exhibited at Sinai a bit. From a contemporary down to earth ‘marketing’ perspective.
If you asked a top marketing firm how to best ‘market’ Torah and make the people eager to receive it? For marketing purposes, they may suggest playing ‘hard to get’.
Something that seems readily available is not always appreciated.
It is not just when you are marketing consumer products that scarcity creates more desire.
Even when it comes to Judaism it is not all that uncommon for Jews to seek something that is more elusive.
We know that Jews have a penchant for going and seeking the truth, in the most exotic of places.
During a visit to Calcutta many years ago, I met a top lecturer for one of the Eastern religions. We were both waiting for a flight in the Indian airport lounge. He was wrapped in saffron robes and his disciples were bowing and kissing his feet. I mean this literally. He looked Western to me. I asked him where he was from. He said he was from the USA. He told me that he ‘used to be Jewish’ i.e. he was born to Jewish parents. Of course, I told him that a Jew is always Jewish. We engaged in a deep discussion about the depth within Judaism and particularly the esoteric teachings of ‘Kabbala’. He enjoyed the discussion and recognized the depth of what I was sharing from Torah. He declined my offer to put on Tefilin and admitted that he had never had a ‘Bar Mitzvah’.
When I asked him how he had chosen this particular path of worship he responded with a story that astounded me. He confided to me that ‘when I grew up and was interested in spirituality, I visited the local library in New York and searched the spirituality section, arriving at the Eastern philosophies section. I didn’t know anything at all about my own Jewish heritage’. He was apologetic because he now obviously knew that Judaism had the depth he had been searching for. But he had embarked on a different journey and was deeply entrenched.
Being the pre-email times, I was in touch with him via mail once or twice, (He agreed that I would send him a copy of the Tanya which I did) but to my regret, the contact didn’t continue. I pray that his ‘Neshama’ – Jewish soul has awakened and brought him back to his true essence where his soul will find the true depth and inspiration that his Neshama truly seeks.
One of the great opportunities we provide here in Thailand is showing the beauty of Torah to Israeli young travelers. This is rather ironic. They leave the Holy Land of Israel in which Judaism is prevalent and available and in the exotic incongruous environment of the Far East, the Torah becomes something they are more open to exploring.
Avi had grown up in Israel but discovered Eastern religions when searching for spiritual depth. His multiyear search for ‘the truth’, brought him to the Far East and eventually he became a master of Eastern meditation, residing in the pristine environment of one of the islands in the south of Thailand.
A visit to Chabad House to touch base with some Israeli friends led to an invitation to participate in an inspiring evening ‘farbrengen’ (song and mutual sharing, with light refreshments) with Rabbi Nechemya. This comradely group experience, during which Torah thoughts were shared and good resolutions undertaken, touched his soul deeply. He agreed to begin one Jewish observance. Rabbi Nechemya gave him a pair of Tefilin. Doing one mitzvah, always leads to another. And another. It’s almost two decades later now. Avi lives in Israel and teaches Torah to seekers of spirituality while being a dedicated husband and father of a lively Jewish family.
As it turns out, Avi is a very effective and convincing teacher. Droves of people come to his lectures. He comes with the credibility of experience. Like Yitro of today’s Parsha, who tried out every religion of his time, and arrives to his son in law Moshe and says ‘now I know that G-d is greater than all other deities, and I know them all’. Avi, also, comes with the convincing strength of that same statement. He experienced a personal experience of having searched for spirituality in other pastures. He came to the ultimate realization that for a Jew, the only true spiritual journey that is TRUE to his or her Jewish essence, is the Torah path. He now is inspired in the orchards of Torah and shares this experience and inspiration with others.
Back to marketing.
Do you think it is good ‘marketing’ on G-d’s side to show His eagerness for us to accept His Torah offering?
I would beg to say that it may not be a good marketing tool in the way we view marketing in our material world. But the experience of Mattan Torah – the giving of the Torah is not about methods and tools.
Hashem is TRUTH - EMMET.
The Hebrew word אמת is comprised of the first middle and last letters of the Hebrew Alphabet.
The word EMMET means that it is absolutely true from beginning to end. And for all of eternity.
The Torah is TRUTH.
When Hashem gave us the Torah he gave it in the holiest, truest and most genuine way possible.
Marketing is a tool. It is used to elicit a certain response. It covers over on the truth though, this in itself can be part of a path to discover truth.
From the perspective of absolute truth, the greatest and most precious gift Hashem has at His disposal – so to speak – is the Torah. It’s the crown jewel that He kept in His treasury. Something that He takes pleasure and delight in.
Hashem wanted to give the dearest thing He has, to his children, the Jewish people.
When Hashem decided to give this gift to the Jewish people, He also chose to show us just how precious it is.
It would be as if the deeply loving and caring parent you trust in implicitly, shows you how excited and eager they are to give you a particular gift. This expression of enthusiasm surrounding the gift allows you to realize just how special this gift is. Showing just how precious the gift is, is a sign of very deep love. For by revealing just how great the gift is, the depth of the love expressed by the giving of the gift is magnified.
Our Sages taught in Pirkei Avot : Beloved are Israel, for they were given a precious article; it is a sign of even greater love that it has been made known to them that they were given a precious article, as it is stated: "I have given you a good purchase; My Torah, do not forsake it”.
Yet, sometimes Hashem does hide from us.
That concealment is not Emmet. It is not for ‘real’. Hashem is still very much with us, even as he pretends to us ‘as if’ He is obscured. The reason for this exercise is to engender withing us a deeper love. It is a tool so that we should search and persevere in our search for Him. He hides, so that we should invest effort in seeking Him out.
This is for our own benefit. It is used as a method to make the Torah even more dear to us. What is earned through perspiration and exertion, is appreciated and beloved all the more.
In truth however, Hashem searches US out. He is EAGER for us to engage with him.
So what are we waiting for?
Never has Torah been more available than now.
In every language. At ever level. In print. Audio. Video.
Just plug in your gadget and download Torah. Chabad.orgTorahcafe.com amongst myriads of other wonderful sources for Torah on the web.
(Remember to print it out before Shabbat as on Shabbat we must rest from work. Using electronics is prohibited on Shabbat).
As Jewish mothers would sing to their babies when they rocked them to sleep ‘Torah is the ‘besteh schoyreh’ the best merchandise. If you appreciate ‘Ashkenazic Yiddish chazzanut click here’.
We need to learn from G-d.
To express our deepest truths to our loved ones.
We pass on our Jewish heritage when we show how deeply we appreciate and love our Torah and traditions.
Nothing is more important for Jewish continuity than showing your children that you have a set time to study Torah – the holy, priceless gift that G-d gave with enthusiasm and excitement to His people.
And by showing your excitement and eagerness when your child studies Torah, you are instilling within them, the love of Torah, which they please G-d will transmit to their children. And they to theirs….
Don’t delay. Set up a schedule for Torah study. Even a few minutes a day. It will make all the difference in the world for you, your loved ones, and all those who are part of your ‘world’.
You may find it interesting that one of the Prophecies regarding the Messianic times, is the widespread universal knowledge.
As it says in the book of Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) 31, 33 ‘a nd no longer shall one teach his neighbor or [shall] one [teach] his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest, says the Lord,
It sure seems like we are progressing rapidly and blessedly in the availability of the knowledge of G-d to the point that ‘all shall know me’. Albeit, the literal and absolute fulfillment of which, will be a product of the coming of Mashiach, may it be speedily, AMEN.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Kantor