Turn it and turn it

At this time of year, when we begin the annual cycle of Torah readings again, I am reminded of the words of our ancient sage who said, “Turn it and turn it for everything is in it.“ Not everyone finds meaning in a text that was written thousands of years ago, and people often question why we would want to read the same words over and over each year. But those of us who love Torah are aware that each time we study the text, we encounter it anew. Though the words do not change, we are not the same people we were last year. Perhaps we have experienced the pain of loss, the joy of new life, a change of career, new loves, ruptured relationships. Books, music, art, and travel can also offer new perspectives. Our lives are constantly changing and the world around us is also changing.

We bring all those experiences to our understanding of the stories and laws in the Torah. What new insights might we be open to this year? What lessons do we need at this particular time in our lives? At this time in history?

This year, I was even more aware of finding new meaning in the Torah because I had a bar mitzvah student whose Torah portion was B’reishit. For months, we had been meeting to explore the first few chapters of the Torah — comparing the two creation stories, marveling that Adam and Eve thought they could hide from God (as my student observed, “Isn’t God all-seeing?”), and delving into possible answers to Cain’s question: Am I my brother’s keeper?

It is a special joy to study Torah with young people, who always bring a fresh perspective to the words.

In his d’var Torah, this young man shared what he had learned from the stories of creation, the behavior and punishment of the first humans, and the envy that led Cain to kill his brother. He came to the conclusion that even though the Torah is old, it is still relevant. For this young man, the lesson of these stories is that the most important things in life are to care for the Earth and to care for other people.

The idea that humans need to care for the Earth comes from Genesis 2:15 when God places the first human in the garden l’ovdah u’l’shomrah. These words are often translated as “to till it and care for it” or “to work it and protect it.” As my student explained, we haven’t done a very good job of protecting the Earth. And it is important to be reminded that even thousands of years ago, Jewish wisdom understood the role of humanity in caring for the physical world.

In the spirit of turning it and turning it, I recently heard a teaching by Rabbi David Seidenberg, who takes the idea of caring for the Earth a step further. “Western civilization is guided by the idea that the Earth is here to serve us,” Rabbi Seidenberg says. Yet he believes the relationship described in the Torah is the opposite. The word that is often translated as “till” or “work” is from a Hebrew root that is also used to mean slave, servant, worship, and service. In most translations of Genesis 2:15, there is a sense that the land is working for us. We do the work of planting and tilling so the land will produce food for our own needs. Rabbi Seidenberg proposes a radical reframing of the relationship. We are not owners of the land. We are not meant to use it primarily for our own purposes, guarding it so that it will yield what we need. Rather, in the Torah, humans are given the sacred task of serving the land.

There is humility in this perspective. Instead of seeing ourselves as the center of everything, we might see ourselves as humble servants whose role is to serve and protect and care for the Earth and each other.

Turn it and turn it, for everything is in it. Perhaps this year we can open our minds and hearts to finding in these ancient words the humility to become servants to something greater than ourselves.

Rabbi Hannah Orden lives in Summit and is rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Hatikvah there. She is a past president of the Summit Interfaith Council.

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