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<p style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0">We are counting towards Shevuous which commemorates the giving of the Torah. The question is "What is Torah?'
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<p style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0">The following is from RSRH's essay Sivan I that I have posted at
<font face="arial,arial,helvetica"><font size="4"><b><a href="https://web.stevens.edu/golem/llevine/rsrh/sivan_1.pdf" id="LPlnk733459" previewremoved="true">Sivan I</a> (Collected Writings I)</b></font></font></p>
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<div>The Torah, however, did not spring from the breast of mortal man;<br>
it is the message of the God of Heaven and Earth to Man; and it was<br>
from the very beginning so high above the cultural level of the people<br>
to which it was given, that during the three thousand years of its<br>
existence there was never a time yet during which Israel was quite<br>
abreast of the Torah, when the Torah could be said to have been<br>
completely translated into practice. The Torah is rather the highest<br>
aim, the ultimate goal towards which the Jewish nation was to be<br>
guided through all its fated wanderings among the nations of the<br>
world. This imperfection of the Jewish people and its need of education<br>
is presupposed and clearly expressed in the Torah from the very<br>
beginning. There is, therefore, no stronger evidence for the Divine<br>
origin and uniqueness of the Torah than the continuous backsliding,<br>
the continuous rebellion against it on the part of the Jewish people,<br>
whose first generation perished because of this very rebellion. But the<br>
Torah has outlived all the generations of Israel and is still awaiting<br>
that coming age which "at the end of days" will be fully ripe for it.<br>
Thus, the Torah manifests from the very beginning its superhuman<br>
origin. It has no development and no history; it is rather the people of<br>
the Torah which has a history. And this history is nothing else but its</div>
<div>continuous training and striving to rise to the unchangeable, eternal<br>
height on which the Torah is set, this Torah that has nothing in<br>
common with what is commonly called "religion." How hopelessly<br>
false is it, therefore, to call this Torah "religion," and thus drag it by<br>
this name into the circle of other phenomena in the history of human<br>
civilization, to which it does not belong. This is a fundamentally wrong<br>
starting point, and it is small wonder that it gives rise to questions such<br>
as the following, which have no meaning so far as the Torah is<br>
concerned: "You want Judaism to remain the same for ever?" "All<br>
religions rejuvenate themselves and advance with the progress of the<br>
nations, and only the Jewish 'Religion' wants to remain rigid, always<br>
the same, and refuses to yield to the views of an enlightened age?"<br>
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<p style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0">See the above URL for much more. YL<br>
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