The Jewish Faith: The Torah
A Means of Connection
In the Essay on
the Jewish people we have learned of the Jewish mission to bring
humanity to a state of unity with itself and with G-d. A natural
question presents itself. How are the Jews meant to bring about this
utopian age? Why do we believe ourselves to be equipped to perform this
exalted and almost impossible task?
Once again,
these are sound and meaningful questions, deserving of honest and
intellectual answers. The answer can be summed up in two words “The
Torah”.
At Mt. Sinai our
ancestors witnessed an historical and memorable event that would
forever change the course of our history. Ever since that moment, the
Jewish nation governs itself by a divine web of six hundred and
thirteen Commandments, which are at once our burden and out privilege.
Our sages teach
that all Jewish souls were present at Mt. Sinai to witness the occasion
and to receive the Ten Commandments. Together, our ancestors and we,
took that memorable oath.
A Way of Life
G-d has not only
charged us with a supernatural mission he also dictated a comprehensive
and detailed life style. The Torah and its laws extend into every facet
of human life. Every aspect of human endeavor, from eating and drinking
to marital relations, from raising our children to burying our dead, is
governed by rules of the Torah.
The Torah instructs us on how to live a holy and sanctified life in a
physical and materialistic world. In the Torah we have been given a
precise blue print of the Divine Master Plan for the human race.
When we
integrate the Torah ideals into our everyday life we draw a holy energy
into our life and into the world around us. When we affix a Mezuzah to
our door, recite a blessing before we eat, conduct our business
according to a moral Torah code, our lives become sanctified.
The very act of
eating and drinking becomes a form of worship to the Almighty. The
walls of our homes are permeated with a Divine force, our business is
infused with a Divine blessing. In short, our lives become a medium for
G-dly intervention and our actions a vehicle of G-dly light.
Reaching Out
In this way Jews
elevate their physical life to a lofty spiritual plateau. However,
these accomplishments would be meaningless if we kept it to ourselves.
We are commanded to share this passion with others, to teach them how
to incorporate these ideals into their own lives.
The Jewish
nation is neither inclusive nor exclusive. We are commanded to share
our gifts with others but never to impose our beliefs upon them. Jews
believe that every person, nation and religion can serve G-d in their
own unique way. We have no requirement to proselytize and
convince our neighbors to join our ranks.
We are however
commanded to spread the Torah ideals of monotheism, justice and peace
to all of mankind. Through positive interaction with our neighbors and
friendly relations with our fellow we endeavor to share the Torah
formula of a peaceful and better world.
