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by Rabbi Joshua Kullock
Comunidad Hebrea de Guadalajara

Translated by Inés Baum - Proofreading by Ellen Zindler

I take advantage of this opportunity to invite you to work through one of the main aspects of this Parashah: I invite you to dwell over the appearance of “mana”, that heavenly bread which fell throughout the forty years of the Jewish people’s wandering in the wilderness. The miraculous cascade of “mana” served as the base for interesting conversations among the Rabbis of Talmudic times, whose ramifications still extend to our days.

The Talmudic discussion expects to elucidate what should be the ideal relation between Torah study and engaging in our daily professions and tasks. That is to say, how much time should a person devote daily to the Torah, and how much time should be devoted to earning one’s living?

The first position, mainly supported by Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, suggested that “mana” only descended as a reward for those devoted to the study of Torah (see, for instance, our Parashah in the Midrash Tanhuma). For us who live in post-wilderness times, this means that while we dedicate ourselves to the contemplative study of Torah, our sustenance will always be secure. Or in Rabbi Shimon’s words: “When Israel fulfills the will of the Lord, their work will be performed by others” (Berachot 35b).

The opposite position, supported among others by Rabbi Yishmael and Rabbi Yeoshuah, posed that it was very important to combine the study of Torah with daily work. People who studied two halachot in the morning and two at night, fulfilled the obligation specified in the Book of Joshua: “you shall meditate on it (that is, on the Book of the Law) day and night” (1:8).

Facing the different options submitted we are the ones who should decide and ask ourselves: is the setting in which we see the falling of “mana” the ideal context in which to carry on what is established by the Torah? If we define the study of Torah as the contemplation of a subject customary in Greek philosophy, then the answer is yes: only those who have the privilege of having their basic needs covered can afford the luxury of sitting down to contemplate, while the rest of the people will be prohibited from the possibility of discovering the Biblical text and its in-depth message.

Nevertheless, I believe it is a mistake to consider Torah study in terms of Platonic contemplation. And I must admit that it is a mistake which has accompanied us throughout history.

As Liberal and Progressive Jews committed to God, our people and the Torah, it is our task to insist, inspire, and invite our fellow beings to the study of our texts and traditions. However, we must be careful so as not to constrain the study of Torah to contemplation alone. Because, in our tradition, the study of Torah does not occur solely between the walls of the Beit haMidrash. And all study that remains just within those walls, is not considered Torah in our tradition.

We teach, learn, and uphold everyday the message from our texts when we embody them in our daily lives, in our interpersonal, family and communal relationships; in our jobs, our business and financial management; with our ethics and our citizenry. It is in this spirit that we not only strengthen the covenant that unites us as a People, but also helps us in our labors to once again bring the Divine Presence into our lives, not from a dissociation of reality stemming from contemplative practices, but through a real and deep commitment to Torah and life, with that Torah which, well understood, erects itself as our source of life.

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Forwarded by Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik, from Kol Shearit Israel Congregation, Panama.
Translated by Inés Baum and proofread by Ellen Zindler, from B’nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica.

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