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The following is from <font size=3><b>Introduction to RSRH's Commentary
on the Torah
<a href="http://www.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/intro_rsrh_torah_1.pdf">
Volume I</a> by Rabbi Dr. Joseph Breuer</b> <br><br>
In he Preface Rav Breuer writes:<br><br>
The present popularized adaptation of Hirsch's Commentary<br>
on the Torah tends to develop the basic concepts<br>
and ideas of our Torah which characterize Torah Judaism<br>
in its ideological uniformity. From the extensive material<br>
the principal explanations to the individual chapters and<br>
verses were selected. As far as practicable, the topics are<br>
presented in concise and popular form, as they are intended<br>
for a wide circle of readers and, above all, for the<br>
mature Jewish youth. They should also serve as a welcome<br>
addition to the material of the teacher in his preparation<br>
for Torah-instruction.<br><br>
The Preface to this sefer is followed by a section with the heading Vital
Questions. It is below.<br><br>
VITAL QUESTIONS<br><br>
You are Jews because you were born of a Jewish mother.<br>
Jewish parents have reared you and taught you from<br>
early childhood to fulfill ''Jewish" duties.<br>
Home and School have taught you Torah: Torah is<br>
the Holy Book which G-d gave the Jewish people through<br>
Moshe and which, above all things, contains those duties<br>
which every Jew has to fulfill. To this add Mishna and<br>
Talmud and the manifold and detailed laws as laid down<br>
in the Shulchan Oruch, equally binding and important.<br>
You ask "Why?"<br><br>
You are justified in asking this question, as you do not<br>
want to practice out of habit what you have been taught;<br>
especially since being a Jew often involves great sacrifices<br>
and heavy burdens. Moshe entrusts us this Torah, emphasizing<br>
that "our life and the length of our lives"<br>
depends on its conscientious fulfillment. (Deut. 3 0, 2).<br>
This is what we are praying daily in the evening: "We<br>
rejoice in the words of Your Torah and Your duties, for<br>
they determine our life and the length of our lives"WHY?<br><br>
You are Jews, sons and daughters of the Jewish people.<br>
Are the Jewish people a nation as other nations? If not,<br>
what makes them different? You see your people dispersed<br>
among other nations, suffering more than all of<br>
them. Why? You know that your people once occupied<br>
country and state: Palestine, Eretz Yisroel. That was a<br>
long time ago, almost two thousand years. Do we still<br>
have a claim to "our country"?<br><br>
You see your people living in the midst of the nations.<br>
They all have their history telling them what they fought<br>
for and what they achieved, telling of struggles and<br>
victories and defeats, of rise and decline: World-History,<br>
History of Nations, History of mankind-is there a<br>
meaning to all this?<br><br>
You ask: What does it mean to be a Jew? You should<br>
and could ask further: What is life for? Does human<br>
life have a meaning? Man is but a part of a gigantic nature,<br>
earth and all that fills it are but part of the universe<br>
-is there a meaning to the entire creation as it surrounds<br>
you? If there is no meaning to it, the greatest and the<br>
smallest creature in this world without purpose and goal,<br>
then your life is also meaningless.<br><br>
Meaningless? Sound human judgment will deny this<br>
evaluation. And the scientist "discovers" wherever he<br>
searches, as Physicist or Chemist, Zoologist or Botanist,<br>
Physiologist or Astronomer-he discovers-laws, mysterious<br>
and immeasurable, true, but <i>laws. </i>And where<br>
there are laws there must be a "Law-Giver." That is G-d.<br>
You possess the Torah, the holy book which, you have<br>
been taught, G-d gave to your people through Moshe.<br><br>
Are you to believe in it? Belief is a state of insecurity,<br>
uncertainty-yet G-d's Torah asks <i>Emunah</i> of you, confidence,<br>
a child's faith which he offers to his guardian (<i>uman</i>)<br>
or adult friend whose leadership he eagerly desires. For<br>
without it he would be hopelessly lost. It is this unreserved,<br>
boundless faith which the Torah expects of you.<br>
You must work on yourself to achieve this attitude, this<br>
faith. Torah is derived from <i>Yoreh</i>, "to teach" and at
the<br>
same time from <i>Horah</i> "to plant a cell into an
organism<br>
from which life blossoms." Torah begets life, it is the
precept,<br>
the science of life-without it there would be no<br>
sense and meaning to your life. Once you fully comprehend<br>
this thought you will not continue to merely <i>believe<br>
</i>in G-d's Torah. You will be firmly <i>convinced </i>of the<br>
Torah's supreme importance to your life. For without<br>
its guiding and shining light your life would be engulfed<br>
in a sea of darkness and emptiness. Only the Torah can<br>
help us to such firm conviction. Let us so read the Torah<br>
that it will become more and more G-d's Torah.<br><br>
Then only will you truly comprehend Judaism, will<br>
you become Jews, <i>conscious </i>Jews, who know the meaning<br>
of life, its duties and demands, and who are cognizant of<br>
the tasks their people are being called upon to perform.<br>
have a claim to "our country"?<br>
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Yitzchok Levine</font></body>
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