Holding On to Torah
讘诪讚讘专 专讘讛 (讜讬诇谞讗) 驻专砖讛 讬讝
诇诪注谉 转讝讻专讜 讜注砖讬转诐 讗转 讻诇 诪爪讜转讬 诪砖诇 诇讗讞讚 诪讜砖诇讱 诇转讜讱 讛诪讬诐 讛讜砖讬讟 讛拽讘专谞讬讟 讗转 讛讞讘诇 讜讗诪专 诇讜 转驻讜砖 讞讘诇 讝讛 讘讬讚讱 讜讗诇 转谞讬讞讛讜 砖讗诐 转谞讬讞讛讜 讗讬谉 诇讱 讞讬讬诐 讗祝 讻讱 讗诪专 诇讜 讛拽讘”讛 诇讬砖专讗诇 讻诇 讝诪谉 砖讗转诐 诪讚讜讘拽讬谉 讘诪爪讜转 (砖诐 /讚讘专讬诐/ 讚) 讜讗转诐 讛讚讘拽讬诐 讘讛’ 讗诇讛讬讻诐 讞讬讬诐 讻讜诇讻诐 讛讬讜诐 讜讻谉 讛讜讗 讗讜诪专 (诪砖诇讬 讚) 讛讞讝拽 讘诪讜住专 讗诇 转专祝 谞爪专讛 讻讬 讛讬讗 讞讬讬讱.
Bemidbar Rabbah 17
That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all the commandments of the Lord and observe them, so that you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. Thus shall you be reminded to observe all My commandments . . . (Deut. 15:39鈥�40). This may be illustrated by the case of one who has been thrown into the water. The captain stretches out a rope and says to him: ‘Take hold of this rope with your hand and do not let go, for if you do you will love your life!’ In the same way the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: ‘As long as you adhere to the commandments, then, “You that cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day”‘ (Deut. 4:4). In the same strain it says, “Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go; keep her, for she is your life” (Proverbs 4:13).
The metaphor is wonderful: the man at sea is Israel, grasping the tzitzit, with God the Captain of the ship stretching out a hand, holding the other end of the lifeline. As with all metaphors, it is not to be taken literally. Most of us, as Conservative Jews, do not believe that the mitzvot (represented by the tzitzit) literally save us from trouble. The wearing of tzitzit鈥攂e it throughout the day as part of our regular attire or at Shaharit on a tallit鈥攕erves to remind us of that lifeline, to encourage us tangibly to hold on to that which sustains and nourishes us spiritually. The image of holding on for dear life, and that very act of holding on, gives us life as individuals and as a people. You that cleave unto the Lord are alive this very day. Take hold and do not let go, for she鈥擳orah鈥攊s your life.
