How Is The Torah True?

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In our hearts, we want to believe that God gave Moses the Torah atop Mount Sinai. To believe that, however, we have to suspend our knowledge of science and natural events. For us, this would be unacceptable. And yet, if we no longer accept the Torah as God’s literal voice, what’s left of our Judaism?

It is my assertion that the question, “Is the Torah true?” remains off-limits to us. For without a Torah that every Jew (including Reform Jews) takes seriously, there can be no serious Judaism. Thus, each of us is challenged to answer this question instead: “How is the Torah true?”

If a poet, a scientist and an historian were to convene a panel discussion on this question, each would respond according to his/her world view. For example, viewing a city skyline, the scientist might observe technology acting against the force of gravity, permitting human beings to reside in the upper stratosphere. The historian might suggest that a hundred years earlier, office buildings rarely rose more than 2-3 stories in height and, a hundred years before that, only Native American tents and settlers’ log cabins dotted this same landscape. The poet might comment on the impact humanity has made on the natural world, manipulating air, water, earth and fire, all to satisfy our own selfish ends.

In our temple community, we have poets, scientists and historians aplenty. How is the Torah true for you?

– Rabbi Billy Dreskin

Alenu ... Proclaiming What We Cannot Know

This is interactive learning. Give this brief article (as well as any of the comments beneath it) a read. Then add your own thought. Let's learn from each other!

“Rabbi, what if there isn’t a God?”

The rabbi led his student outside and handed the boy a bow and arrow. “Hit the bullseye on the target that’s on a tree in that forest,” said the rabbi. “But we can’t see the target,” the student responded. “You’re right," said the rabbi, "you don’t know if it’s even there.”

The student took aim and let the arrow fly. The rabbi said, “You have just shot an arrow, not knowing whether it has hit its mark, not knowing even if there is a mark. Yet you felt the strength of the bow, and the tightening of your muscles.”

Toward the end of each service, we stand, face the Ark, and sing Alenu, proclaiming God’s greatness and God’s selecting us for great deeds. But how could we possibly know? Is it not foolishness to think we can know the will of God?

The rabbi concluded his lesson, saying, “It is not the target that matters ... but rather how well the arrow flies ... and how it has affected the archer.”

This is the purpose of prayer.

-- Rabbi Billy Dreskin (reprinted from "Woodlands News," June 09)

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This is WCT's new learning place, "Sittin' on the Porch." It's a "blog," which means information travels two directions: from the blog to you, and (anytime you like) from you to the blog. Here at Woodlands, we value learning from each other. Now, we can do this from the comfort of our homes (or wherever our fingers happen to find a keyboard). So ta u'shma ... come and learn!