“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law . . . Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:18, 105)
This past year I have been studying the Torah—Genesis through Deuteronomy—with a dear, Jewish friend. She reads each verse in Hebrew, then I read it in English and we discuss it together. The version we’re studying includes short commentaries on the text from Jewish sages. She is also teaching me a little Hebrew, which has increased my understanding of the verses a great deal. We’re in the last book now, and nearly finished, but what we’re doing isn’t a scholarly endeavor. It’s merely two friends from different backgrounds, sharing God’s Word and talking about how it relates to our everyday lives.
I’m also learning a lot about the Jewish holidays from my friend, and the deeper meaning behind them. The latest one, celebrated in the fall, is Simchat Torah, which means “the joy of Torah” in Hebrew. The Jewish people divide the first five books of the Bible into daily portions so they can read the entire Torah in one year. Jews all over the world read the same portion every day, and it’s a tradition to discuss each week’s reading during the Sabbath meal.
On Simchat Torah, the last chapter of Deuteronomy is completed, and the Torah scroll is rolled back to Genesis so they can begin reading all over again. The holiday is celebrated with singing and dancing and great joy. The Torah is taken from the sacred ark where it’s kept and people take turns dancing with it, holding it high above their heads. There’s joy in completing the Torah but also in anticipating a new beginning, reading the familiar stories, and seeing what new insights and lessons can be learned. It’s a reminder that even a lifetime of study can’t exhaust all that the Bible has to offer.
I love the idea of rejoicing and celebrating Holy scripture. The Bible is a treasured gift to us from God that I don’t ever want to take for granted. In it, the Creator of the Universe has revealed Himself to us as “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished” (Exodus 34:6). Scripture also reveals who we are—God’s children, created in His image, rescued from sin through faith in Jesus. It instructs us how to live as His redeemed children, and promises a glorious future in heaven with Him. I thank God for the Bible, His holy Word to us.
It was on this beautiful holiday of Simchat Torah that Hamas terrorists massacred and kidnapped more than a thousand innocent men, women, and children in Israel. I don’t believe the day was chosen randomly. For one thing, Israelis were celebrating the holiday and weren’t on high alert. But I also believe that the reason the enemies of the Jewish people have sought to annihilate them throughout the centuries—whether it’s Hamas, Hitler, or Haman—is because Jews are people of The Book. God speaks to us in His Word, and the ultimate goal of His enemies is to silence God and erase all traces of His will for His creation. Without scripture, there is no moral law, so “anything goes.” There is no concept that we’re created in His image, so humans can be slaughtered or abused or enslaved indiscriminately. And without God’s revelation of Who He is, mankind can make gods in their own image and worship them in a multitude of pagan ways.
As Christians, we not only have the heritage of God’s written Word, but also the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the Living Word. Do we take advantage of this treasure and read it every day? Most of us faithfully feed our bodies three times a day, but what about feeding our souls? Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 when He said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). I like to think of daily Bible reading as receiving a daily email from God, reminding me of His great love and instructing me how to live each day. I don’t want to become so busy that His email remains unopened in my inbox.
I wish we had a yearly celebration of joy like Simchat Torah to thank God for speaking to us and showing us the way of salvation. Since we don’t, maybe I’ll borrow the day from my Jewish friends and dance with my Bible in joy and thanksgiving.
