Inquire

Judaism has always advocated a spirit of inquiry. It is religious obligation to question, not doubt, the words of the Torah and uncover hidden meanings. The spirit of inquiry and investigative prowess also applies to searching for and discovering Moshiach; the internal as well as the external Moshiach.

The Middle Word

In the narrative concerning the offerings that were brought on the day the Mishkan was dedicated, the Torah relates how Moses “inquired” about procedures that were followed by his brother Aaron.

The Hebrew word for inquired darash, is special because it is the middle word of the entire Torah.

Two questions arise. First, what is the significance of the middle word of the Torah? Second, why is the word “inquired” the word that marks the middle of the Torah?

The significance of any text is captured by its opening, its conclusion and also its middle. The beginning of a text is known in Hebrew as its head. The head is the most important Part of the body; it contains within it the energy of the entire body and it directs and coordinates the body as well. Hence the importance attached to the beginning of a text. Indeed, King David exclaims in Psalms: “The head of Your words are true.”

The end of a text sums up the entire text that preceded it. Our Sages expresses this idea with the words: “Everything follows its conclusion.” The Hebrew word for conclusion” in this statement is “chitum” which also means “seal.” The end of a text places the imprimatur on this text; it is the text’s “bottom line.”

The same can also said about the middle word of a text. It signifies its central point, or its core. Indeed, the very word for truth in Hebrew—emet, according to the Jerusalem Talmud comprises the first, last and middle letter of the alphabet. This indicates that all three parts of a text constitute truth; the most authentic and therefore important part of the text.

This is especially true about the Torah, which is designated as Toras Emes, the Torah of truth, which is inherently consistent. No other text purports to be nor is absolute truth. And therefore the lesson that we can derive from the first, middle or last letter of Torah is that more pronounced.

Genesis

The first word of the Torah is Bereishis (In the beginning). This refers to the creation of the world as it arose in G-d’s thought in its most abstract and pristine state. This has been compared to an idea that one may have about a project. The very first glimmer of the idea as it arises in one’s conscious thought would be referred to as the genesis of the project. Genesis is thus about the world as it existed in its potential state before it assumed form and character.

The word Bereishis also conveys why the world was created: “for the sake of Torah and Israel, who are called resihis—primary beings.”

The Final Word

The last word of the Torah—and as we mentioned, the last word is also referred to as its seal—is “Israel.”

A seal has two functions, it designates the end of something and also protects it from being compromised, preserving its integrity and purpose. The seal of the Torah is Israel. The Jewish people were chosen to take the raw material of the world and perfect it and preserve its spiritual and G-dly status.

The word Israel means mastery over the physical and spiritual forces within creation. Israel also comprises two words that mean “the straightforward path to G-d.” While genesis is primarily and overtly about how the world came to be, Israel is about what the world should become; a world in which the natural and even the spiritual forces are harnessed to the engine of G-dly transformation. Nature obscures the straightforward path to G-d, placing all sorts of roadblocks in our path. Israel is about the way we no longer have to take a circuitous route to G-d. Israel is about seeing the path and following it without any detours.

The Bridge

We can now begin to grasp the significance of the middle word of the Torah. The middle represents the bridge between the world of potentiality and the world of actuality. The middle word represents the methodology that enables us to take the world (Bereishis- Genesis) and transform it into an Israelspiritual utopia existence.

The methodology is “darsah” inquiry. When Moses—the personification of Torah—is used to probe beneath the surface of one’s personality, one discovers one’s true nature and assets. One then realizes that he or she is not just a part of creation (Genesis) but is also a part of the Creator, through which one is able to transform the world.

When we employ the “Moses” within us to probe beneath the surface of life, an entirely different picture emerges than what meets the eye. The world, rather than being an obstacle, we discover that it is like clay in the hands of a potter that craves our involvement to mold it to conform to G-d’s will.

In short, the key to going from the genesis to completion is the process of inquiry. By probing beneath the surface of the triad— Torah, Israel and the world around us— employing the “Moses” component of our souls, we will realize our goal.

It is sadly so often where people carve out a comfortable niche in their spiritual lives, reluctant to probe deeper into their soul and their Judaism. They lack the healthy intellectual and spiritual sense of curiosity. They are content with what they have.

The Midrashic Genre

The term darash-inquired is related to the genre of Rabbinic literature known as Midrash. Unfortunately, this body of Divine wisdom has been maligned by many who fail to see its true value. Not only is Midrash not the fancy of some fertile rabbinic mind but it is said to contain the greatest mysteries of Torah.

But, even one who cannot fathom the secrets of Torah when studying Midrash should realize that Midrash is the instrument through which our Sages probed beneath the surface of Torah. The Midrashic mindset does not allow one to see things superficially. It is what links the abstract and amorphous world of Genesis to the completed world of Israel. Indeed, as we read in this week’s parsha, Moses was the first person to use the method of drush to seek the true meaning of the Torah.

Seeking the Temple and Moshiach

The obligation to be a doresh, an inquirer, was applied by our Sages to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem as well. The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 30a) asks:

“What is the basis for the requirement to do things in remembrance of the Temple?”

The answer is a citation from the Book of Jeremiah where the prophet exclaims:

“…she is Zion [a reference to the Holy Temple], ein doresh lah-there is none that inquires after her.”’

“From this, we can gather that she ought to be inquired after.”

Tragically, the Temple being “out of sight” has become “out of mind” for many Jews who have forgotten about the significance of the Holy Temple as a model of what the world was intended to become.

The insertion of the word darsah-inquired in the very middle of the Torah tells us that the “central” obligation of Judaism is to inquire and probe for all that is holy in our midst.

Living as we are in Galus/exile we have become complacent and have made peace with our existence. This is precisely the time we are to start searching for Moshiach consistent with the words recited every month when we recite the blessing over the new moon: “And they sought their G-d and their King David,” a reference to the need to not wait for Moshiach to “go out” to meet us but for us to go out and look for Moshiach.

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Shemini by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.