The Divine and the Human in Torah

The Torah as the divine wisdom and will. The bitul (self-abnegation) that is the prerequisite to receive Torah.

The meaning of the axiom, “The Torah is not in heaven.” The role of human reason and intellect in the study, interpretation, and application of Torah. The difference between a prophet and a sage.

Since the disputes that arise between Torah scholars are the product of the limitations and imperfections of the human mind, why is it said that “any dispute that is for the sake of Heaven is destined to endure?” The meaning of the statement, “These and these are both the words of the living G d.”

Why is the Torah referred to as “the Torah of Moses”? Isn’t it G d’s Torah? The spiritual and legal implications of the Torah scholar’s “ownership” of the Torah he learns. Three dimensions of our ownership of Torah: “inheritance,” “acquisition,” and “gift.”

The two primary components of Torah, and how they parallel—but also integrate—the divine and the human in Torah.

The deeper meaning of the statement, “Even what a proficient pupil is destined to innovate, all was already said to Moses at Sinai.”

Moses desired that the people should receive the Torah directly from G d, while the people insisted that it be given through Moses. What is the deeper significance behind these two approaches, and why did G d agree with the people’s demand?

To what part of Torah does the book of Deuteronomy belong—the written or the oral? On the face of it, it conforms to neither model. Yet the fifth book of the Torah provides a critical link between the two.

What did Jethro “add” to the Torah? Was the Torah lacking something prior to his contribution? The deeper significance behind Jethro’s exchange with Moses and their differing approaches as to how the laws and principles revealed Sinai should be applied to everyday life situations.

Is the function of Torah to differentiate and distinguish, or to combine and unite? Does all of Torah constitute “a single idea,” or is it a paragon of diversity, as reflected in the pluralities of its subject matter and genres of expression?