Remember bedtime stories? Comforting, entertaining, perhaps even instructional. In the spirit of those appealing, memorable narratives, The Bedside Torah by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson (McGraw Hill Publishers) features three of what the author calls “meditations” on each Torah Portion. These essays or meditations originated as weekly columns in the Orange County Heritage. Some also appeared in Rabbi Artson’s on-line commentary, “Today’s Torah.”
Each set of three meditations begins with a succinct description of the major themes and events in the Torah Portion. The meditations are readable, insightful, engaging, and inspiring. They are easily understood without the need to consult a dictionary or scholarly reference book. In crafting each meditation, Rabbi Artson weaves in midrashim and the ideas of other commentators ancient and modern.
Many of his meditations encourage the reader to actively apply the lessons which the Portions teach:
“…All of us have the ability to come face to face with God in our contacts with each other. The midrash tells us that Moses had to confront Pharaoh so that the self-obsessed monarch would be able to look upon a former slave and say, ‘This is God.’
Can we, in the weeks ahead, teach ourselves to regard our fellows and to say the same?”
(From a meditation on Parashat Va-Era – page 101)
Rabbi Artson’s meditations frequently relate current Jewish traditions, observances, and experiences to the images expressed in the Torah Portions. His approach to interpreting Torah Text is contemporary without being self-consciously trendy:
“The bush is still burning, still giving off light. In our generation, we have been blessed to witness the revival of our ancient language (Hebrew) in our ancient land (Israel). The lesson of the burning bush is a lesson about the shining light of being Jewish…”
(From a meditation on Parashat Sh’mot – page 96)
The final section of each meditation personalizes the Portion for the reader:
“Today’s Torah portion insists that our deepest convictions find articulation in deeds and cooperative behavior. By training ourselves to perform mitzvot, we school ourselves anew in the values and perspectives of Judaism. We transfer an aspect of the original peak experience, a spark from the original flame, into the remotest aspects of our daily lives.
With the light of those sparks, we warm our fellow human beings and ourselves. We illumine our lifelong journey, invigorating ourselves, our traditions, and our God.”
(From a meditation on Parashat Mishpatim – page 131)
By speaking of “we,” “us,” “our,” “ourselves,” Rabbi Artson draws us in to the message of the Portion and leaves us with ideas to ponder as we fall asleep and to apply as we wake up to face the new day.
The Bedside Torah is an excellent resource for group Torah Study sessions as well as for personal enlightment.
Be sure to read the Introduction, Reading Torah and Hearing God’s Voice. This section explores the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of Torah Study and sets the stage for an appreciative Portion by Portion reading of the whole book.
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