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The Torah, which is seen as a decorative scroll in any synagogue, consists of the "Five Books of Moses" or the Pentateuch ... plus the Prophets, plus the Writings, along with the many interpretations (Talmud) that have come down through the ages. It's more than a story .., it's more than history ... it's certainly not casual reading. We don't even use the word "read" when referring to the Torah ... the term is "study" ... for us it is the blueprint of how to live in this world ... it's the heart of the Jewish religion.

As though a watchmaker gave you a watch "along with the instructions" of how to use it ... Same with your life which is also a gift, and along with it we are given the instructions, using language we can understand, on how to live it most meaningfully, and effectively. Though to mortals, the Torah is of the deepest wisdom, it is still the lowest form of divine wisdom, but expressed so the world can understand it.

As an aside, I mentioned "gift" above … and what if it is a "loan" ... to be eventually returned … and we are asked, "How did you use this loan while you had it?" … Uh oh.

The Torah has been studied, commented on, and expounded upon for over 3,000 years .... As it says in the Book of Joshua (1:8): "This book of Torah shall not depart from your mouth and you shall meditate upon it day and night" ... it can be studied on many, many levels.

Kabbalists would look at any sacred text and they would peel away four layers of meaning. First there is the simple, literal meaning of the text, what is known as "peshat." Then comes the less obvious, 'hinted at' meaning, called "remez." Deeper yet is the interpretative meaning, called "drash." Finally we get to the piéce de rèsistance, that which every mystic is seeking, the treasure known as "sod," which literally means "hidden," or "secret." There the searcher can find clues as to the very nature of all reality, the inner life of G-d. Together, these four interpretive methods are referred to by the acronym "PaRDeS," a word that in Hebrew means "orchard" a rare and treasured flower.

The Talmud comments ... "As a hammer strikes many sparks, so does a single verse of scriptures have many meanings" ... for a child it is a simple story ... Now we are all more or less children when studying this infinite wisdom? ... And as we grow wiser, many more levels open up to us ... And the higher we climb, the further we can see.

One can ask, What is the meaning of the Biblical verse, "And G-d called unto Adam and said to him, 'Where art thou?'" (Gen. 3:9). Didn't G-d know where Adam was? "Where art thou?" Again, for the child it is just literal ... like the children's game of Hide and Seek ... G-d is looking for Adam ... Adam is hiding, and G-d calls out to him ... "Hey Adam, where are you?"

For the older child, it's explained a little differently. Upon first glance one might say that it was a way of opening conversation, so as not to overwhelm the man who was cowering in fear of punishment ... That would suffice for the older child, and would be a proper way to explain it. Many times we know the truth in a matter, but proper behavior would dictate that we give the person a chance to "open up" by himself ... good manners, diplomacy.

Here's another way to look at the same verse, and all are correct. If we believe in the eternal truth of the Holy Scriptures, and that the content of the Holy Book has a validity for all times and all individuals, we can see the verse in a deeper level as follows:

The question which G-d asked the first man, "Where art thou?" is an eternal Divine call to each and every man, woman, and child ... demanding constantly ... "Where do you stand?" Every person is allotted a certain number of years and days to live on this earth, in order that every day, and every year, the person fulfill his duty to G-d and to his fellow-man.

And so the Divine call goes out every day to each and every individual, demanding introspection and self-examination as to his standing and station in life. Just for example, you ask yourself, "What have I accomplished in all these years with this life I was given? ... Or even today, this last hour ... how much good have I done !!!

Like the storekeeper who takes inventory, we too, in our own way have to see what we have, and what we need, to run the business of our lives ... Where are you, and where are you going? ... The eternal call, "Where art thou?"

And while conducting our affairs during the day, like the storekeeper, all of us can and should, shift from the usual mundane atmosphere of what we sometimes call, "everyday life", and clear the way for the intellectual inquiry into the real purpose and meaning of life ... even while, and especially while, conducting ourselves in the mundane.

To put it more simply ... we should be disengaging the mind from the normal ordinary mundane affairs of daily life, in order to engage it in clear and profound meditation on such questions as ... "Who am I?" and "Why am I here?"

Since writing this ... a reputable rabbi has called it to my attention that this above interpretation was first expressed by the greatly esteemed Lubavitcher rabbi, Rabbi Shneur Zalman obm (means "of blessed memory") ... He gave the world the basic work of Chabad Chassidus calledTanya, orLikutei Amarim ... A basic question there is: How do we live in this world, recognizing both our strengthsandweakness, and still be what we are supposed to be according to the One who planned it all ... This is a universal question for all people of all faiths and for all times.

Torah includes the history of mankind ... and even if thought of as myth, there is much to be learned ... Adam's fall and "paradise lost" ... Adam's first descendants, straying and groping to achieve even a rudimentary sense of morality amidst the savagery of the jungle.

Among the many lessons in this section, we discover the hypocritical evasion of the fratricide Cain to the questioning of G-d after he has murdered his brother, Abel. And so he asks, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Isn't this a stirring declaration for the sanctity of life? And doesn't the moral question it raise ring even louder today in the toubled conscience of mankind?

In a similar vein, we have the Flood, with the blood-drenched earth crying out at its intolerable burden of human evil that had to be swept away by the cleansing deluge before mankind could again resume it's advance in civilization ... And lest we forget our humanity and obligations, doesn't this hold a special significance for the modern reader? ... Seems these stories are truths for all time ... a veritable sea of wisdom.

The story of Joseph and his brothers is most engaging. It results in the Israelite settlement in Goshen, and in the subsequent enslavement of the Israelites by the Pharaohs, climaxed by their revolt and flight from Egypt under the hero-lawgiver Moses. An interesting aside, but of great significance is the question of "good and evil" … how does one judge the events of history … was the enslavement of Joseph a blessing? … could be.

Then follows the narrative of the long wandering in the wilderness and the fierce struggles for survival against hunger and hostile tribes, with the people buoyed up by "yad haShem" (the hand of G-d), the power of Moses' will, and the vision of the beckoning homeland in Canaan. Even here, from whence comes the power of Moses, and the vision of people? ... All these are lessons to be learned and constantly to be pondered.

The climax is reached in the most epochal event in the recollection of the Jewish people … the Revelation at Mount Sinai and Israel's acceptance of the Torah from G-d through the instrumentality of "Mosheh Rabbenu (Moses our Teacher) as its everlasting inheritance and mission in the world and in history.

Note that all personalities, events, and images are projected with an astonishing detachment and intellectual honesty .. revealing an almost austere attachment to truth, and making no effort to romanticize, prettify, or glorify, national heroes, whether it be ... "the first Jew" Abraham, or the patriarch Jacob, or the most righteous of men, Moses.

The Torah never tries to gloss over any of their misdeeds and try to reconcile the glaring contradictions and faults in their characters. Moreover, they emerge on the stage of life in an altogether convincing manner as real human beings, and whatever their inconsistencies and moral divagations may be (means strayings … yes, they did that too) ... they are portrayed as groping for understanding and rectitude ... This delineating realism demonstrates a devotion to truth and balance which only a highly developed moral conscience and intellectual objectivity could be capable of.

Certainly, any preconceptions about these heroes, in which, self-flatteringly, we dispose of them as our intellectual inferiors in knowledge, logic, and "enlightened" thinking ... deserves factual re-examination.

The above example is meaningful ... just one infinitely small example of the way the Torah is studied. It is studied and argued (with the sole purpose of learning) in a hundred different ways ... just an example is the famous "Kal VaChomer" argument - that's where we learn more obvious lessons from less obvious lessons.

And if it is approached that way, and with humility, it is a vast sea of wisdom ... and "humility" is a fascinating subject too ... never never confuse humility with low self esteem, that would be the wrong approach, for that I would sincerely suggest you:

The lessons here are endless … the story of Creation, the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, the Flood, Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac, the "birthright" struggle between Jacob and Esau, and the story of Joseph's trials and his jealous brothers, are all a fount of wisdom if seen in the various levels of learning.

Torah is a way of thinking, a way of feeling, a way of living ... it is *not* an exercise in encyclopedic facts ... however now, if you want to enjoy a moment of "information please," ... a good summary of ... Jewish Learning ... all our great books are covered.

Btw, as an interesting aside to the subject of Cain, mentioned above, the Muslim tradition has the death of Abel as follows ... Cain was born with a twin sister who was named Aclima, and Abel with a twin sister named Jumella ... Adam wished Cain to marry Abel's twin sister, and Abel to marry Cain's ... Cain would not consent to this arrangement, and Adam proposed to refer the question to G-d by means of a sacrifice ... G-d rejected Cain's sacrifice to signify his disapproval of his marriage with Aclima, his twin sister, and Cain slew his brother in a fit of jealousy.