01-09-2019, 02:30 AM
I am reading another one of Rabbi Sacks books titled "Ceremony and Celebration"
On page 191 in the chapter where he writes about Pesah he says -
One of the most striking facts about biblical Hebrew is that, despite the Torah containing 613 commandments, it contains no word that means "to obey". Modern Hebrew had to adopt the Aramaic word letzayet. The word the Torah uses instead of "to obey" is shema, a word that means "to listen, to hear, to understand, to internalize, and to respond."
That is amazing as I never knew that!!
If you read most English translations, it uses the word obey quite often. Many times we are told by Christians, we cannot obey the law perfectly. Of course we know we cannot and never were told to or meant to. But this carries a whole new meaning to me. Now I can respond by saying the Torah never says to obey the law! Okay, the meaning "respond" may be close, but it isn't obey.
On page 191 in the chapter where he writes about Pesah he says -
One of the most striking facts about biblical Hebrew is that, despite the Torah containing 613 commandments, it contains no word that means "to obey". Modern Hebrew had to adopt the Aramaic word letzayet. The word the Torah uses instead of "to obey" is shema, a word that means "to listen, to hear, to understand, to internalize, and to respond."
That is amazing as I never knew that!!
If you read most English translations, it uses the word obey quite often. Many times we are told by Christians, we cannot obey the law perfectly. Of course we know we cannot and never were told to or meant to. But this carries a whole new meaning to me. Now I can respond by saying the Torah never says to obey the law! Okay, the meaning "respond" may be close, but it isn't obey.