This blessing can be found on page 6 of Siddur Sim Shalom.

We have just completed the cycle in the reading of the Torah and at the same time begun a new one. We have concluded with the Book of Devarim (Deuteronomy) and now we have started with Bereshit (Genesis). This renewal affords the opportunity to start from the beginning. Ben Bag Bag once taught with regards to the study of Torah, "turn it over and over for all is found with in it." We must continue to learn if we are going to continue to grow. Learning the stories that make up the folklore of our people is merely one aspect of adult Jewish literacy. If we are to become knowledgeable and thoughtful adult Jews then we must engage in the study of Torah in its grandest sense each and every day.

As it is part of the morning liturgy, his blessing reminds us we must find the time to study Torah, however small that amount of time may be. We have to learn something from our sacred texts and traditions on a regular basis. In the prayer book, immediately following this bracha there are a series of texts. They are placed there to insure that once we have said we are going to study that we in fact do. If we were to say the blessing and then not study at all, we would be transgressing the commandment not to use God's name in vain. Therefore, we have a quote from the Bible, a quote from the Mishna and a quote from the Talmud. Through the authors f the prayer book bringing three different types of sacred texts they are making the subtle statement that Torah can be defined in broad ways.

We too must define Torah in general ways so that we open the door to the study thereof. Torah is available to all as it states in the book of Devarim, "It is not in heaven …nor is it beyond the sea (30:12). The concepts are not too difficult to be acquired either on one's own or through the assistance of a teacher. We live in an age of unprecedented access to translations of our holy scriptures. Almost every genre of our literature can now be read in most any language. All we need to do is set aside the time.

Says Pirkei Avot, Ethics of Our Fathers, Make for yourself a set time for the study of Torah. We need to put aside a few minutes everyday for learning. We need to schedule an appointment with our tradition or we will let that relationship lapse. Just as we need to schedule time for our loved ones and for our selves. Just as we plug in time for trips to the dentist and the gym, we must place moments in our calendars for the reunion with the literature f our people. If we are to grow as people we must continue to learn, if we are to grow as Jews we must learn Torah.

Copyright © 2001 Rabbi Yohanan Stein. All rights reserved. 

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