The revelation of TorahThe Five Books of Moses, and the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is considered the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a high mitzvah. The Torah itself a scroll that is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is chanted aloud on Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle. Sometimes "Torah" is used as a colloquial term for Jewish learning and narrative in general. is continual. Today we pause to be mindful of Your teaching.
Everything I do is a choice, whether implicitly or explicitly. Today I make an explicit choice to engage with Judaism, to craft my own path through the living words of Your Torah.
I am thankful for these first fruits, which symbolize the spring harvest and the continual spiral of the turning years. May I eat them with awareness that from You all nourishment flows.
Some etymologists argue that the root of the word mitzvah (usually translated as “commandment”) is related to the root of the word for “connection.” In the 613 mitzvotLit. Commandment. It is traditionally held that there are 613 mitzvot (plural) in Judaism, both postive commandments (mandating actions) and negative commandments (prohibiting actions). Mitzvah has also become colloquially assumed to mean the idea of a “good deed." of the Torah, let me find fluid opportunities for connection, instead of rigid commandments to obey or deny.
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