Day 41: מִתְיַשֵּׁב לִבּוֹ בְתַלְמוּד / Fully inhabiting one's learning
As we near the final week of this project, we encounter a summons meant to ensure that our learning endures far beyond the confines of this multi-week project. Why and how do we fully immerse in the work of acquiring Torah?
Many conjecture that with the destruction of the Temple, Judaism shifted away from a model of an imminent God that dwells amongst us. The shift away from centralized worship towards a diffuse model of study, pioneered by the early rabbis, actually kept God here with us. The Talmud (Brachot 6a) confirms that two who study Torah together find God (Shechinah) dwelling amongst them.
When we inhabit our learning, God joins. Our encounters with our learning and with the peers and mentors who help shape our growth is in fact an encounter with the Divine. ״Listen, my beloved knocks!״ (Song of Songs 5:2). It is time to open the door.
Reflection:
Is inhabiting one's learning a process or a state of being? In other words, is it an end or a means?
Lived practice:Chazarah (diligent review) is one way of demonstrating our commitment to our learning and ingraining it in our lives. Look through the past posts, and pick a day that you want to reread and work towards integrating into your life. Commit to it. Inhabit it.
