This sheet on Deuteronomy 30 was written by Laurie Hahn Tapper for 929 and can also be found here
"Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. It is not in the heavens… Neither is it beyond the sea.. No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it" (30:11-14).
I have always loved these verses because of their connection to the famous Talmudic passage "Tanur Shel Achnai," which affirms the authority of rabbinic human interpretation as essential to the continued relevance of Jewish life. It was precisely my love for the world of the Beit Midrash - the tension found in Talmudic debate and dialogue - that originally propelled me to become a rabbi.
For virtually all of Jewish history, Judaism has not only been interpreted by men but has also been male-centric. As a female rabbi, it has been a challenge to venture into a rabbinic world that is all too commonly void of women’s voice. At times, this cognitive dissonance has required a great degree of denial, and reinterpreting pieces of Torah and Talmud. While navigating this male-dominant Jewish domain, carving out my own sacred space, I have all too often bumped up against the larger non-Jewish realm, which is equally inhospitable to my full self. Although none of this is new, in the last few years I have experienced deeper alienation from my Jewish tradition.
And then, I come to this chapter of Torah, a chapter that sets out a choice we each are given to turn and return to this “thing” – Torah - a choice to live with an open heart. This Torah, this way of life, is not “too puzzling” nor “beyond reach.” One does not need to be ordained (let alone from a particular denomination), nor does one need to have studied for a particular length of time. Nor is it only for the devout, those wedded to Jewish law. It is there for those who spend their days responding to emails, settling disputes on the playground, or driving a taxi; for those who spend their evenings unloading groceries, making dinner, and loading the dishwasher.
“Neither is it beyond the sea” speaks not just to those living in Israel. This Torah is to be interpreted throughout the world, across the multiple geographic places we find ourselves.
This Torah, this living tradition, “is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart.” It is here, in me, in my feelings, in my thoughts, in my lived experience. It lives in the fullness of my womanhood in every bit as legitimate a way as anyone else in the world alive today or who has ever lived.
Perhaps when I internalize the Torah’s words, when I truly experience it in my mouth and heart, am I able to unveil myself within my own tradition. Only then can I locate myself within my Judaism. Perhaps, only when I am able to unburden myself from millennia of the heaviness of male-centric exclusivity, can I find an opening in my heart to return and reclaim what is rightfully mine.
I have always loved these verses because of their connection to the famous Talmudic passage "Tanur Shel Achnai," which affirms the authority of rabbinic human interpretation as essential to the continued relevance of Jewish life. It was precisely my love for the world of the Beit Midrash - the tension found in Talmudic debate and dialogue - that originally propelled me to become a rabbi.
For virtually all of Jewish history, Judaism has not only been interpreted by men but has also been male-centric. As a female rabbi, it has been a challenge to venture into a rabbinic world that is all too commonly void of women’s voice. At times, this cognitive dissonance has required a great degree of denial, and reinterpreting pieces of Torah and Talmud. While navigating this male-dominant Jewish domain, carving out my own sacred space, I have all too often bumped up against the larger non-Jewish realm, which is equally inhospitable to my full self. Although none of this is new, in the last few years I have experienced deeper alienation from my Jewish tradition.
And then, I come to this chapter of Torah, a chapter that sets out a choice we each are given to turn and return to this “thing” – Torah - a choice to live with an open heart. This Torah, this way of life, is not “too puzzling” nor “beyond reach.” One does not need to be ordained (let alone from a particular denomination), nor does one need to have studied for a particular length of time. Nor is it only for the devout, those wedded to Jewish law. It is there for those who spend their days responding to emails, settling disputes on the playground, or driving a taxi; for those who spend their evenings unloading groceries, making dinner, and loading the dishwasher.
“Neither is it beyond the sea” speaks not just to those living in Israel. This Torah is to be interpreted throughout the world, across the multiple geographic places we find ourselves.
This Torah, this living tradition, “is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart.” It is here, in me, in my feelings, in my thoughts, in my lived experience. It lives in the fullness of my womanhood in every bit as legitimate a way as anyone else in the world alive today or who has ever lived.
Perhaps when I internalize the Torah’s words, when I truly experience it in my mouth and heart, am I able to unveil myself within my own tradition. Only then can I locate myself within my Judaism. Perhaps, only when I am able to unburden myself from millennia of the heaviness of male-centric exclusivity, can I find an opening in my heart to return and reclaim what is rightfully mine.
(יא) כִּ֚י הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לֹא־נִפְלֵ֥את הִוא֙ מִמְּךָ֔ וְלֹ֥א רְחֹקָ֖ה הִֽוא׃
(11) Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach.
Rabbi Laurie Hahn Tapper is School Rabbi and Director of Integrated Learning at Yavneh Day School in Los Gatos, CA.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
To join 929's listserv for new and dynamic content each week click here
