A friend came to visit recently and brought his new Kindle. It was the first time I’d seen one close-up. Our friend described the Kindle’s amazing capabilities including its capacity to store 3000 books.
“It only takes a few seconds to download an entire book,” he pointed out.
Could the Kindle be a metaphor for Torah?
When we stood at Mt. Sinai, did we, as a People, then and forever experience an intstantaneous Divine Download in the form of Words of Torah which Tradition describes as “black fire on white fire.”
I had planned to further extend the Kindle metaphor – but…
Mastering the workings of the Kindle – a short time spent with the built-in Instruction Manual.
Learning how to study Torah – a lifetime of examining complex commentaries
The Kindle- small, sleek, lightweight, opened with the push of a few discreet buttons
The Torah Scroll – Heavy, wrapped in velvet and adorned with silver ornaments, unrolled with Blessings, sacred songs and a processional
The Kindle – repository of information from 3000 books
The Torah – repository of information from God
Yes, the metaphor was more limited than it seemed at first glance.
Awesome as the Kindle is, in the end , it’s a transitory device which will inevitably be improved, upgraded, and eventually replaced by an even “smarter” gadget.
The Torah, which we received at Sinai is timeless, unchanging, yet infinitely relevant.
The Kindle – turn it on and read 3000 books.
The Torah – “Turn it and turn it again, for everything is in it.”
There’s simply no comparison!
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