In the previous two letters, I began to discuss our spiritual identity as the People of the Torah. I would therefore like to share with you a beautiful interpretation of the term “Torah” which can enhance our understanding of our nation’s identity:

 

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch suggests that “Torah” is derived from the word “harah” which means, “to receive a seed within oneself, to become pregnant”; moreover, a similar word “horeh” means, “to plant a seed in someone else, to impregnate, to teach” (commentary to Genesis 26:5). In a related teaching regarding our nation’s spiritual identity, Rabbi Hirsch writes:

 

“Torah, therefore, means a seed put by Hashem into the womb of a nation from which the whole life of that nation in all its personal and collective aspects is to develop; it is a Divine seed whose product we call “Israel.” (Collected Writings, Vol. 1, page 194)

 

Have a Good and Sweet Shabbos,

Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen