Summary
The reverence directed towards Rabbi [Judah] the Prince (also referred to as "Rabi") is expressed in the statement of his student Rav, who said: "If the Messiah will be someone Jiving now, then he is certainly our Rabi!" (Sanhédrin 98b).
"Memory was highly valued in all cultures before there was literacy. Jews had an entire oral tradition that was passed down through memory. "In fact, for a long time it was forbidden to write down the oral laws. There were actually individuals who were charged with remembering. Rabbis would consult with them and say, 'Help me out, I'm missing this one piece of text' or What did someone say once upon a time?' These guys would circulate from academy to academy just to make sure everybody had the same texts in mind."His insight appears to be this: One cannot merely "coast" in Judaism. Learning Torah and doing mitzvot out of some type of social or other obligation doesn't cut it. There must come a time in one's life when one chooses for oneself!See the full content of this document
Extract
Discovering Torah
IN a continuation of my last column, I have chosen once again to write about Ethics of Our Fathers (Pirke Avot). There are really so many great sayings and aphorisms that it's hard to choose!
So this time, I'd like to touch on the not...See the full content of this document
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