January 31, 2014
By bethmordecai
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(1/31/14)
As we enter into another Shabbat, another opportunity to spend time together and learn together in community, I want to share a simple thought from the Talmud about the meaning of community:
אין התורה נקנית אלא בחבורה (ברכות סג:)
Eyn ha-Torah nikneit ela b’havurah (B’rakhot 63b)
The knowledge of Torah can only be acquired in a community (Tractate B’rakhot 63b)
There is something unique about the knowledge and secrets embedded in the Torah that, according to this teaching, they can only be revealed when we learn it together. Yes, learning Torah is a fascinating intellectual exercise for the individual, but it becomes something more, something larger, when we open ourselves to hearing the interpretations of other lovers of Torah. And if Torah learning is the foundation for the richness of Jewish culture and Jewish living, then community is the incubator for that richness to shape Jewish life. In other words, there is no Judaism without Torah, and there is no Torah without community, so (A=B, B=C, A=B) there is no Judaism without community.
How community is shaped and how community functions is dependent upon specific conditions for every time and place. I will be talking more about this in my forthcoming bulletin article in which I will preview how our upcoming Beth Mordecai Homecoming Weekend is an opportunity to view our Beth Mordecai community through a global lens. Our community is a very special one and the knowledge of our unique Torah is acquired each time we share it together in community. So come and partake in opportunities like this Shabbat to acquire knowledge of Torah together.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Ari Saks
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