Ilustration Credit: Rebecca Kerzner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
וְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה
וְהַמִּכְתָּ֗ב מִכְתַּ֤ב אֱלֹהִים֙ ה֔וּא
חָר֖וּת עַל־הַלֻּחֹֽת׃
And the luhot (tablets) were God’s work,
and the writing was God’s writing,
carved on the luhot.
Why does the pasuk have to tell us that the writing was carved? Isn’t that just how you write on tablets?!
אַל תִּקְרָא חָרוּת אֶלָּא חֵרוּת,
שֶׁאֵין לְךָ בֶן חוֹרִין אֶלָּא מִי שֶׁעוֹסֵק בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה.
Do not read the word “harut” (“carved”), but rather “heirut” (“free”), because no one is free unless they are occupied with learning Torah.
- In what ways do learning and education set you free?
- What is particularly freeing about learning Torah more than anything else?
- How can we be free if what we are learning in the Torah is how to be servants of God?
-------------------
-------------------
