As Jewish as a Ham Sandwich
The giving of the Torah transcended time to the extent that past, present, and future became an interactive continuum. A pro- found statement by Moshe in this week’s Torah portion underscores this remarkable phenomenon: “And you are standing today, all of you, before God, your God.” This verse doesn’t seem unusual at first glance, but let’s read further. Moshe continues, “Not with you alone do I seal this covenant and this oath but with whoever is here, standing with us today before God, our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.” These last words refer to all future generations, who, although not physically present at Mount Sinai, were certainly spiritually present at the giving of the Torah.
To enrich our understanding, let’s delve beneath the surface of these verses. The repetition of “today” is significant. “Today” implies that each and every day be viewed as the day the Torah was given. This idea comes from another section of the Torah’s narrative. The Jews reached the Sinai desert on the first day of the third month. The Torah states that they arrived “on this day.” The rest of the verse, however, is written in the past tense. Rashi, specifies that the words “on this day” logically should have been written with regard to the past, “on that day.” Why is a peculiarity found in this particular verse? Rashi explains that “on this day” is written with regard to the present to teach us the following meaningful lesson.
The experience of learning Torah should always be one of newness and renewal. The imparting of the Torah’s wisdom should perpetuate its abundant vitality. Each of us is actually experiencing the Torah anew, as it is being given “on this day.” The Torah’s teachings are relevant at all times. We are to be invigorated by them. Torah study enriches the quality of our lives and is far-reaching. A conducive Torah mindset strengthens our relationships with God and one another.
As stated previously, Moshe assembled the people, saying, “Not with you alone do I seal this covenant and this oath but with whoever is here, standing with us today before God, our God, and with whoever is not here with us today.” These words connect all Jews, regardless of time and place. The covenant between God and “all of you” has sustained Jews throughout dispersion and exile. This immutable covenant has enabled us to maintain our distinction as one unique people. God’s covenant with the Jewish People is binding and eternal.
A deeper dimension of understanding clarifies that all Jews, in every generation, have an equal share in the Torah. As stated, all future generations, although not physically present, were present spiritually at Sinai as well.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe wrote: “The union of all Jews is possible because, as a matter of fact, they are already united by virtue of their souls, the Divine soul, which is actually a part of God above, and which is found in every Jew without exception.”
Regardless of the time in which we live, all Jews are united, emanating from the same Divine source.
