One of the easiest misconceptions of Judaism is that it’s “the religion of the Torah”. Unfortunately, this over simplification is not a true definition and inadvertently paints a completely inaccurate picture of our sacred tradition and religion. Judaism is the religion of the covenantal relationship between a people and God through their interpretation of the Torah given to them by God. The interpretation takes shape through the Oral Torah: the משנה/Mishnah, the תלמוד/Talmud (there are two of them by the way) and the מדרשים/Midrashim. It’s further expressed through the commentaries on the תורה/Torah and the other books of the תנ''ך/TaNaKh (Jewish Bible) and the Codes of Jewish Law.
It’s important to understand interpretation doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Interpretation follows a deeply rooted tradition and adheres to a system and a set of rules. We’re the recipients of this tremendous gift previous generations have bequeathed to us. Interpretation allows for the Jew of today to continue to be in conversation with our sacred text and our sacred faith.
Some examples of interpretative devices include:
Defining a word/concept in one ambiguous place through the same word/concept appearing in another place.
Applying a general rule to a more specific version of that same idea.
Proximity of concepts and stories where two values/stories/commandments are not accidentally next to each other and so they inform each other.
These are just three of the interpretative tools in our toolbox. We have many more. All interpretation requires a deep reading of the text with a very analytical eye. We cannot accept that anything just happens to be there. All must be there for a reason and we have the ability and responsibility to try to figure out why the text is shaped as it is. This week’s פרשה/portion has one very well known and important example.
Speak to the Israelite people and say: Nevertheless, you must keep My sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that I יהוה have consecrated you. (Exodus 31:13)
The critical and important word here is אך/nevertheless. This word demands we ask what the exception is. Why the word “but”, or in this translation, “nevertheless"? This word clearly expresses something is being laid out as an exception to a rule and we need to find out what that is. In our case, we’ve been knee deep in a very intense list and description of the intricacies of the building of the משכן/Mishkan and thus the future Temple. The text is telling us all about the physical building, the clothing of the priest who will serve in it, and the fabrication of the instruments they’ll use. All of this is being spoken about until the text abruptly says “nevertheless…” or “but…” “you must keep My sabbaths”. This comes to teach us what Shabbat actually is. It’s the act of abstaining from anything that was being done to prepare and build the משכן and all of its tertiary parts. It’s from this verse we begin the work of deriving the 39 acts of labor prohibited on Shabbat.
The value of rest was created by Judaism and the idea of the Sabbath. It’s counter-intuitive to promote the idea of resting and refusing to be productive for a period of time. Societies are built by those who work hard and resist the urge to rest. Judaism in a very counter-culture way says rest is sacred and needed as it is commanded and it isn’t just any old rest. It’s something that’s proscribed and commanded by God and is specific in its shape and makeup. We’re prohibited from constructive labor. We are not to make new things.
