THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

The People of the Book

The Jewish nation is commonly referred to as the “People of the Book.”

This designation (originating from how Islam characterized Jews) aptly captures the essence of the connection between the Jewish people and the Torah.

Professor Harry Austryn Wolfson, who received a scholarship to Harvard in 1908, joined the faculty there in 1915, and later became the first chair of a Judaic Studies program in the US, was reportedly asked by a colleague why the Jewish people feel that they are so special and are known as the “People of the Book.” He answered, “As far as I know we are the only people who, when a (holy) book falls on the ground, we pick it up and kiss it.”

This special relationship between the Jewish people and the holy Torah is celebrated on the holiday of Simchat Torah, which this year – outside of Israel – takes place on the 15th of October. Simchat Torah is the day when we simultaneously finish the yearly Torah reading cycle and immediately begin it anew. Thus, this week’s Torah reading starts with Genesis 1:1, beginning with the seven days of creation.

The tradition of reading the Torah began with Moses who instituted public Torah readings three times every week: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. Moses chose those days so that the Jewish people would not go three days without hearing some Torah. Ezra the Scribe and the Men of the Great Assembly (4th century BCE) expanded the weekly reading on Mondays and Thursdays by requiring the reading to be no less than ten verses.

In Ancient Israel, the tradition was to complete the entire Torah once every three years. The current custom of completing the entire Torah annually originated in Babylon and became the accepted standard of observance in every Jewish community worldwide. (Interestingly, Catholics maintain a three-year completion cycle of their readings – this is likely due to the fact that Christianity originated in Ancient Israel.)

As we begin a new year and with it a new Torah reading cycle, now is the perfect time to dedicate oneself to a weekly commitment of completing the Torah portion of the week.