This week's reading starts by stating that this particular rule, an irrational one, is actually the essence of the whole system of commandments (Mitzvot).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
==================================================================================<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The name of this week's Torah reading is Chukkat. Chukkat means a rule or statute. In the Torah, there are different types of rules, essentially three types. There are rules that a person can understand on their own, even if the Torah did not mention them. For example, \u201cDo not steal,\u201d \u201cDo not kill,\u201d and \u201cHonor your father and mother.\u201d These rules are called Mishpatim in Hebrew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then there are rules called Edot, which are like testimonies of historical events. For instance, the Exodus from Egypt is commemorated with the holiday of Pesach. If the Torah did not mention this, we might not observe it in this way. Both types of rules are rational, but there are also rules without any rational explanation. These rules are called Chukim. They are commandments that only Gd knows why they are important or what they accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This week's reading focuses on Chukim. Some might think that there is no need to follow G-d's commandments if they are rationally understandable, like not stealing. They might feel that their upbringing and common sense are sufficient to guide them. But the truth is that even the rational commandments have an essence that is inherently irrational. What do I mean by this? Each commandment has two parts: there is the part of the command that is understandable and practical \u2013 it prescribes a specific action or behavior. However, the essence of any commandment is G-d's will. The core of every command is essentially the same for all commands, regardless of the specific action it requires or prohibits. It is G-d's will, and the reality is that as limited human beings, no matter how smart we are, we cannot fully understand what G-d's will truly entails. The key takeaway is that the essence of the Torah and the connection to Gd is not rational but irrational. This has practical implications. It makes no sense to pick and choose commands based on personal preference: \u201cI like this commandment, so I will follow it, but I don't like that commandment, so I won't.\u201d This is not a genuine connection to Gd, but rather a connection to your own interpretation or your own made-up version of Gd. The Torah teaches us that the essence of the commandments is irrational, and through following these irrational commandments, we can connect to something that is truly beyond ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This week\u2019s reading starts by stating that this particular rule, an irrational one, is actually the essence of the whole system of commandments (Mitzvot). ================================================================================== The name of this week\u2019s Torah reading is Chukkat. Chukkat means a rule or statute. In the Torah, there are different types of rules, essentially three types. There are rules… Read More \u00bbThe essence of Torah<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26386,"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","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":[3325],"tags":[3272,3280,3165],"series":[],"class_list":["post-27327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chukat-en","tag-english","tag-essense","tag-torah"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/00EnglishParasha.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":"The essence of Torah<\/a><\/blockquote>