The Torah has meaning for readers of every age

By  Rabbi Baruch Lederman

SAN DIEGO — In Parshas Yisro, we read of the most significant event in human history – the giving and receiving of the Torah. The Children of Israel, agreed to follow the mitzvos  (commandments) of the Torah sight unseen. They understood the deep love that Hashem (G-d) had for them, and had no problem making a commitment.

Torah is so unique in that men, women, and children of all ages and educational backgrounds find it engaging and meaningful. A five-year-old girl, a twenty-year-old student, or a  fifty-year-old Rabbi will find the Torah fascinating, appealing, and relevant to their lives in the most beautiful and profound ways. There is no other book like that – so significant and  so personally moving to so many people on such a broad spectrum.

A twelve-year-old boy once approached me and asked: “Rabbi Lederman, may I ask you a question? The verse says (Ex.18:2-3), ‘And Yisro took. Tzipora, the wife of Moshe…  and her two children.’  What about Moshe? Weren’t they his children as well?”  I answered that since the subject of the sentence is Tzipora, it says ‘her children,’ but that is not  meant to exclude that they were Moshe’s as well.

What struck me about this was that the parents of this boy were in the midst of a divorce. In essence, the child’s question reflected his own fears and queries as to his own situation  and his own status – to whom would he belong. He was more sensitive to this nuance than the average person might be.

Everyone processes Torah in terms of his/her own experience and temperament. The Torah speaks to each person in every generation in a truly meaningful relevant way. What  a precious gift Hashem has given us!

The events of Matan Torah (giving of the Torah) were beyond anything Cecil B. DeMille could possibly portray. The entire mountain floated up in the air, and hovered over the  Jewish people like a wedding canopy. Even people who were deaf and blind could see and hear the Ten Commandments. Each letter was visible in fire. They could actually see  the alef wearing a fiery crown. The tablets were remarkable: the commandments were carved through and through, yet if you looked at the tablets from behind, you could still read
them. The Jewish people of that generation attained a closeness with G-d and a sense of holiness, unparalleled in Jewish history.

Yet today we see a greater miracle than they saw. For while they were assembled, basking in the glorious inspiration, one thought rankled in their minds. “We who are standing  here and witnessing Hashem’s glory are filled with inspiration. What about our children who are not here today? What about their children and grandchildren, and their  grandchildren’s grandchildren who will never even know anyone who witnessed this event first hand? How will they be inspired? Will they cling to the Torah as we are?”

Today we see that the descendents of those noble souls who stood at Har Sinai (Mount Sinai), have indeed clung to the way of Torah. Torah has served as the lifeblood of the  Jewish people for over 3,000 years! To this day, Jews all over the world are connected to each other and connected to Har Sinai through their devotion and observance of Torah  and mitzvos. The Jews of the Sinai generation would have given their right arms to know and to see what we see today – that Torah has stood the test of time and continues not just
to be remembered, but to flourish.

Dedicated by Dr, & Mrs. Frank Felber in memory of his father Abraham Felber, Avraham ben Yozef, in honor of his Yahrzeit, Shevat 1.

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Rabbi Lederman is spiritual leader of Congregation Kehillas Torah in San Diego