Torah
University Welcome
There
is a true story told of a famous American rabbi and his father,
who was from Europe. The rabbi himself was a man of modest
means and similarly, his father barely got by on a meager
pension in the country where he lived. Since the two lived
so very far apart, it was rare that either was in a position
to travel the great distances in order to visit. Obviously,
this situation caused a great deal of anguish for the entire
family - the father, the rabbi, his wife, and the many children
who, as time went on, even had trouble remembering what their
grandfather looked like.
Fortunately, after a period of years, with
a little help from his son and a little mazel, the father was
able to muster the
resources to purchase a plane ticket. Naturally, everyone in
the family was thrilled that the generations would soon be reunited,
albeit for a brief visit. As he came down from the plane, the
grandfather embraced his son, his daughter-in-law and his numerous
grandchildren. The sight of this loving reunion caused many at
the airport to take notice. It was clear to observers that this
was the long awaited reunion of an important Jewish family. Everyone
watched closely to hear what the old man would say to his son
at this important moment. Immediately after concluding the very
warm embrace, the father looked his son in the eyes, and the
first words out of his mouth were, "So, what are you learning?" And
while some observers seemed mystified by the question, these
words represent a most fundamental Jewish lesson.
Our tradition teaches, talmud torah keneged kulam (Mishna Peah
1:1), that studying Torah is the most important of all of our
callings. In the story at hand, the words of the sage grandfather
reflect the awareness that wherever Torah learning and spiritual
growth are in place, then all else is necessarily secure. The
grandfather knew that as long as his son was making Torah a part
of his daily life, then all else would fall into place. As individuals,
as families, and as communities, we Jews know that coming closer
to God through Torah represents a life-long pursuit...and that
is what Torah University is all about.
We at Kol Ami take pride in offering an ongoing
program of Jewish intellectual and existential pursuit that
is like no other throughout
the country. We hope that each member of our community will be
a learning Jew - constantly striving to acquire a deeper understanding
about God and self, about sanctity and holiness, and about transcendence
and immanence. We pray that your involvement will run deeper
than merely receiving this booklet, but rather, that you will
make Torah University a part of your life and the life of your
family. My prayer for each of us is that in the upcoming year,
when someone approaches me or you and says, "What are you
learning?" that we will each have a substantive answer to
share.
TU Advisor
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