“Moses received
the Torah [from God at] Sinai, and gaveit to Joshua.
Joshua [gave it] to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets
gave it to the Men of the Great Assembly.”
~Pirke Avot 1:1
Questions to consider:
Why the deliberate enumeration of the “journey” of the Torah from Sinai to the Men of the Great Assembly (said to be the Great Sanhedrin which was the ruling body in Jerusalem during the time of the Temple)? What is the importance of the sequence and order presented by the Rabbis? Why do you think that this Mishnah was selected as the actual beginning of Pirke Avot? What is the relevance of this Mishnah to the upcoming celebration of Shavuot? What “sermon” would you offer for Shavuot if you were to use the Mishnah below to teach about your own, personal experience with Pirke Avot?
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteI'm really unsure about most of this text- but really looking forward to learning more about it. My guess about why it was selected at the beginning is because receiving the Torah had to precede any understanding of the contents of the Torah/ our moral lives that are led from the Torah's guidance. The simple relevance is that on Shavuot, we celebrate having received the Torah, and this lays out that process. In terms of my own life, this quote shows how while the Torah went through a line of incredibly important people, this all happened so that we could receive the Torah at the end of the line.
Thanks for a great communal Torah class, Rabbi Lisa!
I am with Ali. This is first because everything we study is based on Torah. It is the essence and start of all. What resonated for me was the sense of l'dor v'dor. The passing down of the Torah from generation to generation. And although this isn't necessarily generational, it still evokes that feeling. One of my most favorite points of the b'nei mitzvah service is when you watch the Torah being handed between the generations within a family. One last comment is that it reminds us that Torah should be shared amongst all. In the physical and spiritual passing down between people.
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ReplyDeleteI was also immediately reminded of the handing of the torah from generation to generation. Equal in importance to the physical act of passing on the torah, it is incumbent upon each of the recipients of torah to wring meaning from it. Although the text does not change, the subtext is in constant flux. For the torah to retain meaning and relevance, it must be continually reinterpreted. This is the task we are set at the opening of Pirke Avot
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