Q&A: Your View on the Hebrew Bible
Your View on the Hebrew Bible
Question
The topic is overdone—and still—I have trouble understanding why the Rabbi does not see educational value in studying the Hebrew Bible. True, one does not learn new things from it, because if one did, that would mean I was putting my own ideas into the text rather than drawing them from it. But I am asking: why not see this as study of things “whose truth is obvious to all, and nevertheless people are often unaware of them and forgetfulness is very common,” as could also be said about books of ethics and faith? In the end, Torah study is not only about acquiring knowledge, but also about instilling true values in a person. Why is studying the Hebrew Bible in its plain sense and in accordance with the Sages—which contains so many values and so much faith in God—not considered Torah study?
Answer
This question has been asked dozens of times. There is nothing here that people are commonly unaware of. On the contrary, everything here is trivial, banal, and hidden from no one. At most, this is internalization and education. That is not study, and therefore it is not Torah study either.
Thank you for the answer!
A. That is exactly the point: it is not hidden, it is known to everyone, and even so, “to the same extent that their truth is obvious to all, so too unawareness of them is very common and forgetfulness is widespread.”
B. Is internalizing and educating toward things so important and basic not Torah study? It seems to me this is just semantics—study or not study. In the end, do you agree that it is important to learn this? To internalize it, of course?
You do not need to be a genius to see what kind of distortion comes out of the Haredi public, which is immersed in “study” but has forgotten the most basic things in the Torah. It is obvious that dealing with these basic things is no less important.