"Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: Why are the words of Torah compared to a tree? As it is said: 'It is a tree of life for those who cling to it' (Proberbs 3:18). This is to teach you that just as a small piece of wood ignites a large one, so too with Torah scholars - the younger ones sharpen the minds of the older ones.
"And this is what Rabbi Chanina said: I have learned much from my teachers, and from my colleagues more than from my teachers, but from my students more than from them all."
-- Talmud Bavli, Ta'anit 7a
How do the younger ones sharpen the minds of the older ones? When they persist with many difficult Qashe questions.
Showing posts with label Ta'anit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ta'anit. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2015
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Talmud Bavli Ta'anit on Reading Scriptural Sections on Offerings to Atone for Sins
"Abraham said: Master of the Universe! Perhaps Israel will sin before
You and You will do to them as You did to the generation of the Flood
and the generation of the Dispersion. God answered him: No! Abraham
said before God: Let me know by what means shall Israel atone for their
sins and thereby be saved from destruction. God answered Abraham:
'Bring Me three calves and three goats...' (Genesis 15:9).
"Abraham said before God: Master of the Universe! That is fine for the times when the Holy Temple will be in existence, but in the times when the Holy Temple will not be in existence, what will be with them? God answered Abraham: I have already established for them the Scriptural section of offerings. Whenever they read from them before Me, I will consider it as if they had brought offerings before Me, and I will forgive them of all their sins."
"Abraham said before God: Master of the Universe! That is fine for the times when the Holy Temple will be in existence, but in the times when the Holy Temple will not be in existence, what will be with them? God answered Abraham: I have already established for them the Scriptural section of offerings. Whenever they read from them before Me, I will consider it as if they had brought offerings before Me, and I will forgive them of all their sins."
-- Talmud Bavli, Ta'anit 27b
This teaches that there is something significant about reciting the sections of Torah that describe the priestly rituals. The way the Torah works is that it is a vibrationally coded instruction manual. The word "sacrifice" comes from a root meaning "to be made close to", in other words, the sacrifices are the means by which we can be made close to God. The sacrifices are not meant to be carried out physically, but instead through speech, as it is the vibrational effects of the sounds of the words that are significant. Thus, the morning prayer service contains several readings of the Torah passages detailing the rituals of the Kohanim.
This teaches that there is something significant about reciting the sections of Torah that describe the priestly rituals. The way the Torah works is that it is a vibrationally coded instruction manual. The word "sacrifice" comes from a root meaning "to be made close to", in other words, the sacrifices are the means by which we can be made close to God. The sacrifices are not meant to be carried out physically, but instead through speech, as it is the vibrational effects of the sounds of the words that are significant. Thus, the morning prayer service contains several readings of the Torah passages detailing the rituals of the Kohanim.
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