Vayigash(Genesis 44:18-47:27)

Nothing Else Works

Parshat Vayigash tells how Jacob, his children and grandchildren all get ready to move down to Egypt. And the verse says that Jacob sent his son Yehudah ahead to make preparations for their arrival. The word for preparation is "L'horot" - related to the word Torah. In other words, Yehudah went ahead to set up a yeshiva, a school of Torah study.

Here we see the primacy of Torah study. Judaism without Torah is like a body without a soul, devoid of its most essential lifeline. Indeed, the Talmud says that "Torah scholars bring peace to the world." That's because the goal of Torah study is to develop caring, thinking human beings, who honor every person as created in the image of God. Torah scholars, therefore, are role models of peace whose influence radiates outward and affects, ultimately, the whole world.

Though there was a time when American Jewry largely disregarded the value of Torah study, the tide is now turning. The recent emergence of "community kollels" is raising the standard of commitment, and leaders from across the Jewish spectrum are proclaiming that Torah study is crucial to preserving Jewish identity. In the words of the leader of the American Reform movement:

"Only education rooted in commitment to God, Torah, and mitzvah will succeed; nothing else in the 3,000-year history of the Jewish people has ever worked."

That idea is right here in this parsha - when Jacob sent Yehudah to open a Torah academy, laying the foundation of Jewish life in Egypt.

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Published: Saturday, December 31, 2005

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Visitor Comments: 1

(1) Dr. Michael Dean, December 27, 2011 10:57 PM

Not So Notable a Quotable

We are among your most ardent admirers, often relying on your insights to spark d'var Torah comments at our Shabbat table. We also are former Reform-affiliated Jews. The problem in quoting the leader of the American Reform Movement is that he does not acknowledge the authenicty of Torah as the word of Hashem. Nor does he accept all the commandments nor does he acept the Oral Torah mit Sinai. That being the case, why quote him?

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About the Author

Rabbi Shraga Simmons

Rabbi Shraga Simmons spent his childhood trekking through snow in Buffalo, New York. He holds a degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He is the senior editor of Aish.com and the director of JewishPathways.com. He is also regarded as an expert on media bias relating to the Middle East conflict, and was the founding editor of HonestReporting.com. Rabbi Simmons lives with his wife and children in the Modi'in region of Israel.

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