In this week's Torah portion, Yitro, we find the account of the Giving of the Torah. The very concept of the Torah recounting its own giving is intriguing. Our sages relate that our ancestors never ceased studying Torah. Abraham studied even in his old age, as did Isaac, Jacob, and all generations of their descendants. Throughout long and difficult exiles, the Torah always accompanied the Jewish people.<\/p>\n
In the moments leading up to the actual giving of the Torah, amidst the Ten Commandments, thunder, and lightning, the Jewish people accept its authority. And the way they do so is quite unique: first, they agree to fulfill all the precepts (without knowing what they are), and then they agree to listen and learn what they must do.<\/p>\n
Given the way the world works today, nobody would sign a contract without first reading what it's about and what they're agreeing to. Problems with ambiguous clauses or the "fine print" at the bottom of the page are well known...<\/p>\n
And here, the Torah tells us that the Jewish people first signed and then learned about the matter...<\/p>\n
Although it is a past story, there must be some lesson we can use for our own lives.<\/p>\n
The Sefer HaChinuch, a book explaining the precepts of the Torah, written by Rabbi Aharon HaLevi in Spain around 1300 CE, presents an idea that can help us understand: man is shaped by his actions. That is, acting in a certain way a certain number of times creates a habit that becomes part of a person's life.<\/p>\n
Perhaps we could explain what our ancestors said before receiving the Torah in this way: "We will do"\u2014we will practice the laws that God gives us, regardless of whether they seem appropriate or not, regardless of whether they are difficult for us to observe. Then, of course, "we will listen"\u2014we will dedicate ourselves to studying and understanding as much as we can, to internalize and enjoy God's precepts, but the foundation is "we will do.".<\/p>\n
In a society whose values are increasingly distant from the ideal set forth by the Torah (that is, it's not that society lacks values, but rather that the values it possesses are entirely superfluous and worthless, to put it simply), perhaps we could say that our ancestors are trying to throw us a lifeline from solid ground, telling us that, despite being unaccustomed to doing good for its own sake, to being kind, honest, God-fearing, etc., we should try anyway, and through practice we will develop a good habit, to improve ourselves personally and collectively.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"En la secci\u00f3n de la Tor\u00e1 de \u00e9sta semana, Itr\u00f3, aparece el relato de la Entrega de la Tor\u00e1. En concepto mismo de que la Tor\u00e1 cuenta sobre su propia entrega es intrigante. Nuestros sabios cuentan que nuestros antepasados nunca dejaron de estudiar Tor\u00e1, Avraham era un anciano y estudiaba, lo mismo Itzjak, Iaacov y… Read More \u00bbWe will do and we will listen<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,52],"tags":[970,993,942],"series":[],"class_list":["post-2383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editoriales","category-itro","tag-libro","tag-precepto","tag-tora"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/Accion.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/avatar1400.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/rabino-tuvia-serber","embedCode":"Haremos y escucharemos<\/a><\/blockquote>