Our Gemara speaks about the love that God has towards the area of Torah known as Halachah – Jewish law. Halachah – from the root “Walking” refers to the way in which we walk with God – the way in which we “go” with God. Of course we mean to say the love He has towards those who are going to be studying it and putting it into practise. The Torah is God’s manifestation of His essence brought down using ink onto paper. God certainly loves all of Torah. But there is something special about the Halachah – the law itself.
God loves those who engage in the study of Halachah over all other areas. It is here – in the four cubits of Halachah that God can be found most – ever since the time of the destruction of the Temple.
We learn about the importance of action – of doing things with our hands. Having fear of Heaven is important. It’s important to connect with God in every spiritual way we can. Its important to meditate and connect with God. But the one who uses his hands, his physicality to involve himself in the goings-on of this physical world is one who has happiness here and in the World to Come.
We learn about the importance of a pupil being close to his teacher – his Rebbe.
The Gemara then goes onto a very serious case discussing the issue of leaving a synagogue at the time the Torah is being read.
Thereafter we learn the importance of studying the Torah portion twice in the original Hebrew and once in the Aramaic (SheM’O’T) each week so that one completes the learning of the weekly Parshah each week with the community.
We learn a fascinating teaching that tells us that when we eat on the 9th day of Tishrei – God considers it as if we have fasted on both the 9th and the 10th day. What an we learn from that?
