We are presenting an essay on enhancing the love for
Torah and increasing our awareness of it in our daily lives,
broken up into small weekly sections that lead up to a
climax, the receiving of the Torah on Shavuos.
Part I
Ultimately, the reason we live, work, marry, have children
and interact with other people is to improve ourselves and
spread knowledge and love of Hashem to all. As people who
live our lives according to the Torah, this is what we
believe, and attempt to do.
Technically, this translates into our keeping the
mitzvos, being careful that we and those around us do
not sin, sending our children to good yeshivos, listening to
Torah tapes, attending shiurim whenever we can, doing
chessed whenever we can, and trying not to disturb or
discourage our husbands or sons when they wish to learn
Torah.
These are all vital elements for living a Jewish life, and,
I believe, provide the floors, walls, pipes and foundations
of a Torah home.
But I sometimes wonder: am I also decorating my home with
Torah furnishings as well?
Yes, of course it is important that all artwork on the walls
have kosher Jewish content. And, yes, it is, of course,
important that secular reading materials not be strewn
around the home lest I and my children might think that
reading them, chas vesholom, is an acceptable part of
life.
But I'm actually talking about something else: I'm wondering
about the extent to which I inculcate a real love of Torah,
and a respect for it, in myself, my family and amongst those
around me. On a daily level, in my daily speech, and through
my daily activities. Because this perhaps is the essence of
Torah, and part of the guarantee that it will remain a
vibrant part of our lives and the lives of those around us,
rather than, chas vesholom, just something which we
intellectually know keeps the world running, but which we
actually see as a "thing" that children and men go off to do
for a few hours each day.
I believe that this really deep, abiding, conscious love for
Torah, and this respect for Torah, can only be ingrained in
ourselves and in others by channeling it into becoming the
focus of our daily lives in every way. By being sure
that we refer to Torah thoughts in our daily speech, by
noticing when and how we can incorporate additional talk
about Torah into our daily lives, and by being aware of how
our behavior and the behavior we allow others to demonstrate
around us reflects our attitude towards, and demonstrable
love for, the Torah.
Pointing out a beautiful tree to a child is important but it
becomes a building block for a love of Hashem and His Torah
when we elaborate on it by specifying the miracle of it, and
that this beauty was created by Hashem especially for us to
enjoy. Let this be our walking-to-the-grocery talk, rather
than silence or plans of what we will wear tomorrow.
When stepping into the elevator with a neighbor's child,
instead of, or in addition to, asking, "How is your new baby
brother doing?" can we not ask, "Did you learn something
interesting today in gan/school about the
parsha?"
This is showing the child, and ourselves, that we care about
Torah, that we are interested in Torah, and that we love
Torah. It may feel a little silly or embarrassing to ask
such questions at first, but soon the neighborhood kids will
get used to it, and remember something to tell. Note:
unfortunately, the answer often given seems to be, "We
didn't learn parsha today." Responding, "So tell me
anything from the Torah, anything you learned recently,"
will often evoke something, while showing that we are
interested in all parts of the Torah. But isn't it sad that
someone could even make such a statement as a reason for not
having any dvar Torah to say?
To be continued...