Lessons for Today - Living Torah
Every year, we complete the reading of the Torah and start it anew on Simchat Torah. Reading Genesis through Deuteronomy over the course of each year, we encounter people and experiences, teachings and instructions that are foundational to Jewish self-understanding. The impact of the Torah on Jews and on much of humanity has been profound.
A close look at each of the five books of the Torah reveals a central theme at the heart of each book. These five themes, collectively, represent enduring, defining pillars of Jewish life throughout the millennia. They remain resonant, today.
Several years ago – amid the Covid pandemic – I began writing a short volume designed to introduce readers to the content of the Torah with a focus on the significance of each book’s central theme(s) for Jews living in the third decade of the 21st century. The resulting work, Living Torah: Gateway to a Timeless Tradition, was released October 1, 2024. The overview of the book (link here) briefly describes the longstanding yet ever-contemporary themes explored.
As we approach the close of this year’s fall cycle of Jewish holidays, we painfully recall that the Hamas invasion of October 7, 2023, took place on the day of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah in Israel. May the memory of those whose lives were cut short at this season last year and since that time inspire us to action to secure the wellbeing of Israel and its inhabitants, grounded in the enduring teachings of Torah.
With hopes for shalom al yisrael (peace upon Israel), chag sameach!
