THE NOURISHING RAINS OF WISDOM
Haazinu
The second line of Shiras Haazinu reads: My lesson (lit. portion) will drop like rain, My word will flow like dew. Like Seirim on vegetation (Deshe) and like Revivim on grass (Eisev).
The verse refers to the teachings of the Torah which Hashem refers to as My portion or My words. The words of Torah are poetically described using the metaphor of rain. Just as the words of Torah descended from heaven to give nourishment to the earth, so did the Divine wisdom of Torah descend into our world to provide spiritual nourishment.
The intention of the metaphor, says Rashi, is to teach us that just as rain gives life to the world, so too does Torah. Without Torah, the world cannot endure. The Ohr Hachayim goes one step further to describe the Posuk as an assurance that only when the Jewish people study Torah, the rains will be forthcoming.
The Torah describes two types of rains and two types of herbage. The word Seirim related to the hebrew for ‘hairs’ refers to light rains, thin like strands of hair. The Revivim refers to the heavy rain drops. Concerning the plant life, Deshe refers to young blades of grass which have just budded from the ground, whereas Eisev describes fully grown blades.
All plants need some form of water to survive, but the needs of each plant differs. For some plants light rains will not suffice to sustain them adequately. For others, particularly the young saplings, heavy rains and storms may actually be destructive. Hashem in His great mercy ensures that each type of plant receives the type of rains that it needs to grow and flourish.
Similarly the obligation of Torah study applies to everyone. However, like the plants of the field we differ in our abilities to learn and understand the Torah’s teachings. Learned scholars who resemble the mature, fully grown blades of grass are able to internalise much more, including the deeper and more ‘heavy’ sections of Torah.
The inexperienced or young soft blades who are still growing may only be able to ingest smaller quantities of lighter material. These ‘lighter rains’ will foster the young students development until he too will one day be ready for the true expanse and depth of Torah. The only definite conclusion is that each person is expected to learn to the capacity of what they are able to understand.
This is the beauty of Torah: It speaks to each person at their level and everyone can benefit and enjoy its wisdom. This is why, says Rabbi Herzog, the Torah is likened to a song. Unlike other realms of study and sciences where one needs to be a ‘maven’ to appreciate the content, music (the right kind) appeals to any ear, from the least musical individual to Mozart himself!
The Tzemach Tzedek explains that the light drops refer to the teachings of the Mishna, whereas the heavier drops are the teachings of the Talmud. The Mishna takes the form of a code of rulings with little explanation or logical reasoning and is thus considered to be ‘lighter’. In contrast, the Talmud is a heavy ‘raindrop’ of complex logical arguments, rationale and explanations. The esoteric wisdom of the Kabbalah lies in a separate realm altogether.
We might not all be on the level to master a Daf of Talmud yet, but we can certainly learn a few lines of Chumash or Mishna, attend a Shiur or two, or spend some time reading English Torah books on our own. We must imbibe the refreshing waters of Torah to ensure not only that we grow as healthy Jews, but to ensure our very survival as a Jew! And just like maintaining plants, we need to water our souls with Torah on a regular, if not daily basis, constantly increasing our Torah intake.
The verse refers to the teachings of the Torah which Hashem refers to as My portion or My words. The words of Torah are poetically described using the metaphor of rain. Just as the words of Torah descended from heaven to give nourishment to the earth, so did the Divine wisdom of Torah descend into our world to provide spiritual nourishment.
The intention of the metaphor, says Rashi, is to teach us that just as rain gives life to the world, so too does Torah. Without Torah, the world cannot endure. The Ohr Hachayim goes one step further to describe the Posuk as an assurance that only when the Jewish people study Torah, the rains will be forthcoming.
The Torah describes two types of rains and two types of herbage. The word Seirim related to the hebrew for ‘hairs’ refers to light rains, thin like strands of hair. The Revivim refers to the heavy rain drops. Concerning the plant life, Deshe refers to young blades of grass which have just budded from the ground, whereas Eisev describes fully grown blades.
All plants need some form of water to survive, but the needs of each plant differs. For some plants light rains will not suffice to sustain them adequately. For others, particularly the young saplings, heavy rains and storms may actually be destructive. Hashem in His great mercy ensures that each type of plant receives the type of rains that it needs to grow and flourish.
Similarly the obligation of Torah study applies to everyone. However, like the plants of the field we differ in our abilities to learn and understand the Torah’s teachings. Learned scholars who resemble the mature, fully grown blades of grass are able to internalise much more, including the deeper and more ‘heavy’ sections of Torah.
The inexperienced or young soft blades who are still growing may only be able to ingest smaller quantities of lighter material. These ‘lighter rains’ will foster the young students development until he too will one day be ready for the true expanse and depth of Torah. The only definite conclusion is that each person is expected to learn to the capacity of what they are able to understand.
This is the beauty of Torah: It speaks to each person at their level and everyone can benefit and enjoy its wisdom. This is why, says Rabbi Herzog, the Torah is likened to a song. Unlike other realms of study and sciences where one needs to be a ‘maven’ to appreciate the content, music (the right kind) appeals to any ear, from the least musical individual to Mozart himself!
The Tzemach Tzedek explains that the light drops refer to the teachings of the Mishna, whereas the heavier drops are the teachings of the Talmud. The Mishna takes the form of a code of rulings with little explanation or logical reasoning and is thus considered to be ‘lighter’. In contrast, the Talmud is a heavy ‘raindrop’ of complex logical arguments, rationale and explanations. The esoteric wisdom of the Kabbalah lies in a separate realm altogether.
We might not all be on the level to master a Daf of Talmud yet, but we can certainly learn a few lines of Chumash or Mishna, attend a Shiur or two, or spend some time reading English Torah books on our own. We must imbibe the refreshing waters of Torah to ensure not only that we grow as healthy Jews, but to ensure our very survival as a Jew! And just like maintaining plants, we need to water our souls with Torah on a regular, if not daily basis, constantly increasing our Torah intake.