PunkTorah

Independent Jewish Spirituality Online

The Torah Is Like (Bottled) Water

by

The words of Torah are likened to water, as it is written, O all who thirst, come for water, (Is. 55:1)
Just as water goes from one end of the earth to the other, so does Torah go from one end of the earth to the other;
Just as water is a life source, so is Torah a source of life; Just as water is free to all, so is Torah a free commodity;
Just as water comes from heaven, so too is the Torah’s origin in heaven;
Just as water makes many sounds, so is the Torah heard in many voices;
Just as water quenches one’s thirst, so does Torah satisfy the soul;
Just as water cleanses the body from impurity, so does Torah cleanse the soul;
Just as water originates in tiny drops and accumulates into mighty streams and rivers, so the Torah is acquired word by word today, verse by verse tomorrow;
Just as water descends from a high altitude, so does Torah depart from haughty individuals and remain in individuals who are humble and modest;
Just as water is not kept in silver or gold vessels, but the simplest [clay], so Torah is retained by those who are simple; Just as a scholar is not embarrassed to ask a student, ‘pass me some water,’ a scholar is not embarrassed to learn from a student a chapter, a verse, a word, or even a letter;
Just as someone who does not know how to swim is drowned in water, so is Torah – if one doesn’t know how to ‘swim’ one can drown in it. (Shir HaShirim Rabbah I:19)

It’s cool to imagine the Torah as water. But as a modern reader, I have a really hard time making this poem relevant to my life.

Those who thirst may go to water, but they aren’t going to the tiny drops of streams and rivers. They’re going to the faucet. And if they don’t have a faucet, they are going to a murky puddle poisoned by a chemical waste dump. And of course, this all assumes they can afford it. The writer makes the not-so-timeless assumption that water is free to all. And although water is not kept in silver or gold, it is kept in plastic bottles, a process which is not simple at all.

So what are we supposed to do with this text? I’d love to know your thoughts.

Photo credit to NYTimes.com

An Opportunity for Tikkun Olam

by

(This is a post by Rebecca Froman, Elissa’s sister. We met them at the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival a few weeks ago. Helping out is so simple there really is no reason not to. Medical advances mean having an easier time donating if you are a match, and seriously, if you could save someone’s life, why wouldn’t you?

Please help, in any way you can.

-Michael and Patrick)

Elissa, age 26, grew up in suburban Chicago and lives in Washington, DC.  Soon after graduating from college about 3½ years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma.  Her battle with cancer has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, marked by frustratingly short periods of remission.
Recently, Elissa fulfilled a life-long dream when she learned of her acceptance to graduate school to further her Judaic studies.  Just two days later, her dreams were shattered by the news that her cancer had returned yet again.
Elissa works as an advocate for the human and civil rights of others.  She is now faced with a challenge of a lifetime and is in need of help from another—as a stem cell transplant is her only hope for a cure.
As the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors, Elissa has little family to test for a match and needs a genetically-matched donor to receive her life-saving transplant.  Elissa and her family are asking you to join the National Bone Marrow/Blood Stem Cell Registry through organizations such as Be The Match, Gift of Life, or Ezer Mitizion.  By joining, you fulfill tikkun olam by being a  potential donor standing ready to give patients like Elissa a second chance at life.  And her hope is that even if you can’t help her, you may be able to help another patient and their family.
Registration is easy!  A consent form is filled out and a swab of the cheeks is taken.  Your tissue type is added to the Registry until your 61st birthday.  You must be between the ages of 18-60 and in good health to join.  If you are interested in either joining or helping to organize a registration drive, please contact Elissa’s sister Becky at rebeccafroman@comcast.net or at 847-924-9185.
“If you save one life, it is as if you have saved the entire world.”

PunkTorah Inc.
PO Box 1641
Midlothian, VA 23113

questions@punktorah.org
YouTube
Facebook

Read our DMCA notice

What We Do