The Shema
Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” Exodus 24:7 NASB 1995
We will do – Do you remember Sacks’ comment: “The entire drama of Torah flows from this point of departure. Judaism remains God’s supreme call the humankind to freedom and creativity on the one hand, and on the other, to responsibility and restraint—becoming God’s partner in the work of creation.”[1]
Did you remember that the Torah is a narrative about responsibility, not necessarily about obedience? Zornberg has something crucial to say about the ex-slaves’ response to God’s call, something we perhaps didn’t expect:
“Obedience to the law is not the final goal; that is why it is written first, as preamble to the larger demand. For Sefat Emet, the purpose of the Exodus and the Revelation at Sinai is to acquire this position of listening. When the people desire to return to Egypt, to the condition of slavery, they resist this divine demand. To return to Egypt is the easy option, falling back on habit, on the constricted life of the slave for whom obedience is all. Freedom means a turning toward the future and its possibilities, its difficult demands. Always hoping to hear more from God, one realizes the exodus project in its fullness.”[2]
“To opt for slavery is to betray, to immobilize, one’s ‘ear’ for the sacred, for freedom and responsibility.”[3]
Blind obedience to rules fossilizes religion, preventing it from becoming a living encounter with the divine call. What is required is not obedience, but rather the acceptance of responsibility attached to listening to God. What matters is the ear, attuned to His voice, His will. Writing down the rules in order to check off a list of obedience is not the object of the Torah.
We have learned that Job’s great story is a narrative attempt to deal with the problem of injustice; to do so from the perspective of responsible interaction with the divine. Now we discover that the Torah has the same focus, and those who proclaim strict obedience have missed the point. Shema O Israel is about responsible listening, and for that to occur we must first hear what God wants for us. Wasn’t it Abraham Heschel who said that Man’s greatest question is what does God demand of me? And it’s not submission to rules.
Topical Index: shema, listen, responsibility, Avivah Zornberg, Jonathan Sacks, Exodus 24:7
[1] Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Genesis: The Book of Beginnings (Maggid Books & The Orthodox Union, 2009), p. 22.
[2] Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy: Reflections on the Book of Leviticus (Schocken Books, 2022), p. xvi.
[3] Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy: Reflections on the Book of Leviticus (Schocken Books, 2022), p. xvi.
So, would it be something like this (and I’ll use the building metaphor since it was good enough for Jesus, Peter, And Paul), a contractor hires me to build a house. I have his architectural plans in hand. I have the building codes in hand (if you think the Torah has a lot of requirements, you should see the latest code requirements). The codes delineate what materials may be used and what may not. It also defines proper installation methods and a host of other things deemed necessary for safety and proper functioning. I am in a sort of partnership with the contractor and it is my responsibility to build a safe and legal house working with the contractor and owner and the freedom to make changes along the way as circumstances and desires necessitate. The purpose of all of this is not the building itself, it is not to show how I can correctly follow the codes, it is for the people that will inhabit the building. I can strictly obey the drawings without further input. I can grumble and complain about materials etc and end up with a mediocre house at best because what is on paper does not always (almost never) translate to what’s at hand.
A perfectly built house that remains uninhabited and does not meet the needs of someone is useless.
I’ve stretched this metaphor pretty thin. Am I anywhere close to the meaning of this TW? We use the Torah as a guide for reconstructing the world, person by person, Jesus is the foreman on the job 24/7, interpreting the plans, providing the tools and material, encouraging us to build the best house ever…it’s an exciting job!
I don’t have a Ph.D. Tim…but that sounds like a good analogy to me…seems right in the wheelhouse
Thanks Kent! I always feel like I’m not grasping the matter until I put it in some kind of practical (for me) situation. . I guess that is why Jesus used so many parables. And then I better get some confirmation that I didn’t miss the point all together.