Hopefully yours1/7/2023 Come to one of our Conversations in Jewish Learning lectures on select Tuesday evenings (see the CBD calendar or events blast). Sign up for one of the myriad of online sites that will send you some Torah to learn each day. Take this opportunity as we begin 2012 to pick up a Jewish book. Torah calls to each of our souls, beckoning us to make space in our lives for its wisdom and guidance. Learning is not just the province of rabbis and scholars. And (you guessed it!) I cordially invite you to join me! One of the most beautiful aspects of Judaism is that we all share in the obligation of learning Torah and can experience the joy of learning, both on our own or together with friends and fellow congregants. So, in honor of my mother’s retirement from formal teaching and in consonance with my desire to make Torah learning and observance an ever-increasing part of my life, my New Year’s resolution for 2012 is to increase the amount of Torah-learning I do each day. Frequently, I hear Martin’s voice encouraging me to make more time for Torah. I know that personally, the transition from being a full-time student of Torah to a rabbi was hard on my daily learning. Even as a rabbi, engaging in serious Torah-learning every day takes planning. Of course, the fact that he chose this blessing for me is telling. His first blessing was that I dedicate time to learn Torah every day. My mentor, Rabbi Martin Cohen gave me two blessings. When ordained as a rabbi at JTS, you choose a previously ordained rabbi, generally a mentor, to give you a blessing. This is why our tradition encourages us to learn at least a little bit of Torah each day.īeing a daily student of Torah is not nearly as difficult as it might seem, but it is not so easy either. Like anything else in the world, the more we expose ourselves to particular concepts or ideas, the more they influence us. Of course there are other factors, but learning Torah has most assuredly played a prominent role in my growth as a human being. When I began learning Torah in earnest 10 years ago I was a very different person than I am today. The learning of Torah can help shape our behavior, even our essential nature, if we are open to allowing it into our souls. The Talmud tells us “study is great for it leads to action”. Numerous passages from the mishnah and midrash speak of the importance of learning Torah in order that it will influence and shape us. Virtually nothing is of higher value for us as Jews than learning. Reflecting on that wonderful event and my own remarks, I began to think about my role as a teacher, and more importantly, my role as a student. I also spoke about the supreme importance of education for “our people”. At her retirement party, I gave a toast in her honor about the impact she made as a teacher of our country’s youth. Shoshana, Ari, Eli, and I spent the last week of 2011 in Knoxville visiting with my parents and celebrating my mother’s retirement from a 27-year career in teaching elementary school. My New Year’s Resolution (and hopefully yours, as well) By Philip Ohriner Rabbi Philip Ohriner January 4, 2012
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