Q&A: The Torah Came Down into the World
The Torah Came Down into the World
Question
Hello Rabbi,
Lately I’ve been thinking about the reason God gave us the Torah. Seemingly, Maimonides implies that the goal is to attain sacred intellectual truths, but it’s not clear how the Torah helps with that. Maybe one could say that it helps create a society in which it is possible to study the various sciences, but it does not itself contribute to that. And even if we say that the Oral Torah is what teaches us, and that is why there is the Talmud, we still need to ask what is unique about this Torah as compared to other areas of study.
In short, does the Rabbi think the Torah is a means, or an end in itself?
Answer
I didn’t understand your suggestion.
I don’t know where Maimonides derives his assumption about our purpose in the world. You can perhaps say that there is value in it, but I don’t see a basis for the claim that this is our purpose.
As I understand it, at least from our perspective, the Torah is an end and not a means. It probably has certain purposes, but I don’t see any way to know them, so there is nothing practical to do with that insight.
Discussion on Answer
I already answered. What is the point of this simplified wording? I said that in my view it is an end and not a means. What have you added now with the new wording?
I’ve written about this more than once. It is clear that the Torah is not a means for fixing society. To see that, you just have to open it.
Maybe I’ll ask it more simply: in your opinion, should one study Torah because there is value in studying Torah? (In which case it doesn’t matter to me what I study.) Or should I study in the Torah only what will help me achieve a proper society and closeness to God? (Which would mean studying only what helps me with that.)