WST: Writing a Sefer Torah (1/?)
Setting the stage: a framework to understand the cultural/economic renaissance happening in Israel
I recently became intrigued by the last mitzvah in the Torah: to write one’s own Torah scroll. In yesterday’s essay, I suggested that Kurshan fulfilled the commandment by writing her memoir, an elucidation of the Talmud informed by her lived experience.
Given that most of us don’t write a Torah scroll, the question arises: why not? The question becomes stronger with the impassioned language of the gemara — that writing a Torah scroll is akin to having received it at Mount Sinai.
Granted, the barrier to entry is high. The mitzvah is expensive both in time and money, and requires expertise in calligraphy. As a result, many individuals and communities commission such projects by scribes.
Why does the mitzvah exist to begin with? Rabbeinu Asher says that the purpose of the mitzvah is to enable Torah study, especially in its written form, such that the text is easily reviewable and not easily forgotten.
Therefore, he understands the mitzvah of writing a Torah scroll more broadly. When earlier generations wrote scrolls for study, the commandment required their writing. But as Torah scrolls became mostly used for communal reading, the mitzvah expanded to include the writing of “Chumashim, Mishnayos, Gemaras, and their commentaries,” and, no less essential: “to ponder upon them.” This concept is also quoted by the Shulchan Aruch.
Of course, this is a cursory outline of Rabbeinu Asher’s position. I’m not claiming that it’s comprehensive, nor accepted in Jewish law. After all, this is an email newsletter and no one is checking my work, so take it all with a grain of salt :)
But, if indeed this is right, it’s pretty awesome because the implications are enormous. If we can fulfill the 613th mitzvah by writing commentaries on the Torah, who’s to say where the line is?
Through this lens, we can perhaps understand the entire Jewish cultural/economic renaissance taking place in Israel. This is a topic I plan to explore abundantly in the coming months. But on one leg—we’re seeing a creative manifestation of Jewish values in the 21st century like never before.
In exile, fulfillment of “Writing a Sefer Torah” (WST) was largely limited to traditional interpretation (perush) of the text. This is not to say that Jews didn’t punch above their weight, making contributions in diverse fields as mathematics, literature and music. But the extent to which such toil was the manifestation of Judaism—a commentary on the Torah if you will—is an open question. I suspect that such ambitions were always limited due to fear of retribution from host cultures.
The birth of Israel was miraculous for many reasons. Most urgently, it saved lives by providing political refuge for a homeless people. But it also afforded us sovereignty, and therefore a freedom of expression unknown to the Jewish people in more than 2,000 years.
I think Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a helpful framework not only for individuals but nations. In the same way that a person who feels safe can achieve self-actualization, a country with fortified borders and a strong army can achieve national-actualization.
That is, I believe that the physical and physiological safety provided by the IDF, along with sovereignty and freedom, are enabling a cultural and economic renaissance—in Hebrew, in Israel, by Jews. In other words, a wide fulfillment of WST—Writing a Sefer Torah.
Over the next few days, weeks and months, I plan to explore and challenge this notion, examining case studies that might support or undermine this framing. As we embark together, I’m curious to hear any thoughts or feedback, which you can send directly my way by replying to these emails. Oh, and yeah, this essay is 551 words. Pls forgive me.
"If we can fulfill the 613th mitzvah by writing commentaries on the Torah, who’s to say where the line is?" - Although the Rosh's opinion does expand beyond traditional understanding of the mitzva, there is still definitely a line... I think fulfilling the mitzva of writing a Torah by serving in the IDF might be beyond that line. Interesting opinion for sure, though.