How do we remember and recreate the experiences of those who came before us? Why is that an important thing to do? Our text this week tells the story of the first public Torah reading and comes from chapter 8 of the book of Nehemiah. We looked at it in conversation with the story of the Jewish people receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai, which we studied last unit, in order to compare the two experiences. Here’s a summarized version of what we read.
The entire people assembled as one person in the square in front of the Water Gate, and asked Ezra hasofer (the scribe) to bring the Torah scroll of Moshe which God commanded the Jewish people. On the first day of the 7th month, Ezra hakohen (the priest) brought the Torah before the gathered people, men and women and all who could understand, to hear it. He stood on a wooden tower that was made just for reading Torah on. With him were a group of helpers called the targumim who translated and explained the reading to the people. As Ezra opened the scroll, all the people stood up.
What about the story of the first public Torah reading is similar to the Matan Torah story from last unit?
- All of Bnei Yisrael is gathered together in both stories.
- In both stories Bnei Yisrael is described as acting as “one person”.
- This story happens in the 7th month! There’s a lot of 7 stuff in these stories (like Moshe waiting for 7 days on Mt. Sinai to talk to God, or the law where every 7th year farmers don’t work the land).
- Both of these stories took place outside.
- The people stand up at Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah and in this story to hear the reading.
- Someone was up high in both of these stories on purpose, on the mountain or on the tower.
- Moshe and Ezra are similar in that they both brought the Torah to the rest of the people.
- There is a group of people supporting and helping Moshe and a group of people supporting and helping Ezra.
Why might Ezra have set up the first public Torah reading to remind everyone of the Matan Torah (receiving the Torah) experience?
- These are basically the same experience, but this time the people are hearing more or a different part of the Torah.
- Maybe to get Bnei Yisrael to remember their ancestors and their experience.
- Ezra wanted the people to relive the story they’d heard about from their great-grandparents to help them understand what they were doing now with the public reading.