The Torah Is Like (Bottled) Water

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