Big Ideas
Is Judaism a religion or a lifestyle?
Is Judaism defined by its rituals or its commandments?
Is the goal of the Torah to teach faith, or is the goal of faith to inspire following the Torah?
דרש רבי שמלאי שש מאות ושלש עשרה מצות נאמרו לו למשה שלש מאות וששים וחמש לאוין כמנין ימות החמה ומאתים וארבעים ושמונה עשה כנגד איבריו של אדם אמר רב המנונא מאי קרא (דברים לג, ד) תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה תורה בגימטריא
Rabbi Simlai taught: There were 613 mitzvot stated to Moses in the Torah, consisting of 365 prohibitions corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive mitzvot corresponding to the number of a person’s limbs. Rav Hamnuna said: What is the verse that alludes to this? It is written: “Moses commanded to us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4). The word Torah, in terms of its numerical value [gimatriyya],
Is the purpose of mitzvot to reinforce faith in G-d and the Torah?
Or is the purpose of these commandments to establish a basis on which to live, inspired by Jewish values?
(א) וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר׃ (ס)
(ב) אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִֽ֑ים׃
(ג) לֹֽ֣א יִהְיֶֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ (ד) לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתַָּ֑֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ
(ה) לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י׃
(ו) וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָֽי׃ (ס)
(ז) לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא׃ (פ)
(ח) זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ
(ט) שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒
(י) וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ
(יא) כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ׃ (ס)
(יב) כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ׃ (ס)
(יג) לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח׃
(ס) לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף׃
(ס) לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃
(ס) לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר׃ (ס)
(יד) לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ (פ)
(1) God spoke all these words, saying:
(2) I the LORD am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage:
(3) You shall have no other gods besides Me.
(4) You shall not make for yourself a sculptured image, or any likeness of what is in the heavens above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth.
(5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I the LORD your God am an impassioned God, visiting the guilt of the parents upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generations of those who reject Me,
(6) but showing kindness to the thousandth generation of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
(7) You shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD your God; for the LORD will not clear one who swears falsely by His name.
(8) Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy.
(9) Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
(10) but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
(11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
(12) Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that the LORD your God is assigning to you. (13) You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
(14) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house: you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
In what ways can we categorize the ten commandments?
Which are about faith and religion?
Which are about lifestyle?
Are there broader lessons that can be attained from the faith-based mitzvot that we can apply in life?
ואהבת לרעך כמוך. רבי עקיבה אומר זהו כלל גדול בתורה.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Rabbi Akiva says: This is the great principal of the Torah.
There was another incident involving one gentile who came before Shammai and said to Shammai: Convert me on condition that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot. Shammai pushed him away with the builder’s cubit in his hand. This was a common measuring stick and Shammai was a builder by trade. The same gentile came before Hillel. He converted him and said to him: That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.
Compare these two stories.
What is the difference between "That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation." and " "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."...This is the great principal of the Torah?"
Rabbi Akiva, a man who converted to become more spiritual later in his life, and spent 40 years studying Jewish texts, takes away 'respect,' as the main lesson from the Torah. Hillel shares a similar message, when approached by someone interested in converting to Judaism, but rather than saying the 'takeaway' from the Torah, Hillel broadens it and says, respect isn't just the big lesson from the Torah, it is the whole Torah, and the rest is interpretation.
What can we learn from both of these stories?
If respect is what is important in the Torah, what is the purpose of all of the tales?
Hillel adds 'Go study' after sharing the whole Torah with the potential convert.
Why would Hillel add this? Doesn't the potential convert now already know the whole Torah?
Does this imply that the stories in the Torah are also important, that there are other lessons and laws too, but those are just about faith and practice?
Is the purpose of the Talmud to discuss and dissect faith and practices, or Jewish values and lifestyle? Or both?
Reish Lakish says that even if a person has mastered faith, attained all of the world's knowledge, and gained the most strength possible, the most important achievement is fearing G-d.
Is a fear and awe of G-d about faith, practice, or values?
Dissect this pasuk.
What does it mean?
According to this, what is essential for Jews (humans) to have faith in and practice?
Justice and righteousness are fundamental ideas in Judaism.
Righteousness is "the quality of being morally right," how do we know what is moral and what isn't?
On a BBC piece about Judaism, it is written:
"Jews believe that God appointed the Jews to be his chosen people in order to set an example of holiness and ethical behaviour to the world."
This is a common theme in Judaism, that the Jewish people were the chosen nation, and that they are there to set an example.
What does this say about our 'purpose' as Jews?
What does this say about the importance of morals and ethics in Jewish culture?
Final Questions and Ideas
Are values learned?
Are rituals necessary to ensure faith in G-d and religion? Do rituals help reinforce faith?