In our previous article, we continued exploring the deep and inspiring ideas relating to the birth of Torah She’baal Peh. To briefly review, the initial stage of Torah was that of Torah She’bichsav. Torah was transmitted through nevuah, reflecting the open revelation of Hashem and truth in the world. There was little to no machlokes (argument) and virtually no human creativity, opinion, or input. If you had a question, you went to a Navi. The Navi made himself a receptacle to receive and transmit Hashem’s message. Once nevuah ended, however, the canon of Tanach was closed and a new age began: the age of Torah She’baal Peh.
The light faded, the darkness thickened, but something wondrous happened: The makom of Torah transitioned from Shamayim (Heavens) to the hearts and minds of Klal Yisrael. “Lo baShamayim hi”—the clarity and authority of Torah’s revelation is no longer in the Heavens, given clearly and freely from Hashem. It rests in the hearts and minds of the Jewish sages, who become the walking, living embodiments of Torah, radiating light in a darkened world. The gift of Torah clarity was lost; we now have to rebuild it ourselves, poring over the pages of Gemara and exerting every ounce of our strength to absorb its meaning.
The transition from Torah She’bichsav to Torah She’baal Peh introduced a number of fundamental shifts in our relationship with Torah. These include the introduction of machlokes and a mode of “hearing” as opposed to “seeing.” Let us continue to delve into these topics in order to develop a deeper understanding of the evolution of Torah.
The Art of Learning Gemara
There is a puzzling characteristic about Torah She’baal Peh and the organization of the Talmud. If you open any Gemara, you will notice that every masechta begins on daf beis (page two). Even the very first masechta, Berachos, begins on the second page. Why does a new topic not begin on the first page?
The meaning behind this is connected to the deep nature of wisdom itself. Wisdom is complete, interconnected, and static, like a circle. In this state, there is no beginning or end, only oneness. When one wants to attain wisdom, there is no “real” beginning and no objective starting point, just like there is no starting point on a circle. In essence, you are always entering the world of wisdom from the middle.
Whenever you enter the circle to learn and understand one topic, you have actually begun your journey of learning all of wisdom. You begin learning this one topic and then start building, putting the pieces together, creating a conceptual structure. You begin page by page, principle by principle, application by application, collecting and organizing all the data. Because everything is interconnected, every new piece of information you learn must both qualify and be qualified by everything else you have learned. Eventually, after seeing all the different qualifying parts and perspectives, you begin to see how everything fits perfectly into place. Only once you have learned everything and put all the pieces together can you look back and see, in retrospect, how everything fits together. It is only once you have learned everything that you can truly know anything. This is why every masechta begins on daf beis: to teach us that we are always in the middle of learning. The first daf is not the beginning, and the last is not the end, but rather we are always in the middle of the learning process.
Chacham Adif MiNavi
We can now understand the third shift that occurred with the transition from Torah She’bichsav to Torah She’baal Peh. The Gemara states that while nevuah was taken from Neviim, it was not removed from the Chachamim (sages) of the Talmud. The Gemara then states: “Chacham adif miNavi — A sage is greater than a prophet.” What does this mean?
In terms of content and clarity, a Navi sees far more than a Chacham. However, the Navi receives this as a gift. He is only a receptacle, receiving the word of Hashem. His insight is wholly min haShamayim, lacking any creativity and human input. Once the light of nevuah went out, the Chachamim now shine a new, unique light in the darkness. By tapping into the inner consciousness of Torah, they bring down Torah truth themselves in a unique, personally creative manner—a fundamentally different form of Torah wisdom. This Torah stems from human effort and creativity, and in a very deep way, it is a greater form of Torah, for it is a Torah built through effort, choice, and human input. Once the light has faded, this is the Torah we build in the darkness.
However, once we accept this unique role and ability of the Chachamim, we still must ask: How are they entrusted with this unique power? How can humans create Torah? Where do we find such a precedent?
Devarim: The Root of Torah She’baal Peh
The answer lies in the sefer of Devarim, Moshe’s sefer. As the Maharal and Vilna Gaon explain, Sefer Devarim is an expression of the first four sefarim of the Torah. The first four sefarim were written by Hashem, the giver, while Moshe served purely as a channel of transmission. As Chazal put it: “Shechinah medaberes mi’toch grono shel Moshe”—[Hashem] spoke through the throat of Moshe, placing the words in his mouth. Moshe became a pure vessel for Torah, a perfect receptacle. Devarim, however, was Moshe’s creation. He took everything that came before and expressed it through his unique lens. The Maharal and Ohr Hachaim describe this process as Moshe’s transformation into a normal Navi, one who expresses Hashem’s nevuah through their own unique, personal lens. Instead of Hashem speaking through Moshe’s throat, Hashem spoke to Moshe and then, at a later point, Moshe expressed this to Klal Yisrael in his own words. The Malbim elaborates on this point, explaining that once Moshe uttered his own words, Hashem then ratified them as part of Torah.
This is the root of our ability to engage in Torah She’baal Peh, to become part of the creative process of Torah. At root, Torah She’baal Peh is the process of taking the seed of Torah She’bichsav and fully expressing it, developing it, without losing or betraying any of its inner meaning. It’s a beautiful and elegant balance of being completely loyal to the written text of the Torah itself while still finding room for personal creativity and innovation. Of course, there are rules and limitations and very clear guidelines to this process. Only Jews who are an Aron or Mishkan for Torah, i.e., who have first connected themselves completely to the vast mesorah of Torah, can contain the Shechinah of Torah She’baal Peh. Only those who completely give themselves over to Torah, like the gedolim in every generation, can become the true pillars of Torah She’baal Peh and halachic reality. However, in a deep way, each and every one of us can tap into that mesorah and become a part of this spiritual process as well.
Sefer Devarim as a Unique Sefer
We can now explain Tosafos’ description of Sefer Devarim in regard to the twelve lines of a get. In a way, Sefer Devarim is unique and distinct from the other four sefarim of Chumash. It is the only one written by Moshe himself, and in a sense is a completely separate sefer. Viewed from this angle, it is possible to suggest that the four lines between Sefer Bamidbar and Sefer Devarim do not count as a form of separation, because Sefer Devarim holds its own status as a completely separate sefer. Therefore, only the lines that separate between the first four books of the Torah are counted when determining the format of a get.
However, there is an even deeper explanation: Sefer Devarim is not counted as a separate volume of the Chamishah Chumshei Torah—not because it is a completely separate sefer, but for the exact opposite reason: It is subsumed within the first four books. This mirrors the deep relationship between Torah She’baal Peh and Torah She’bichsav. Torah She’baal Peh is not a distinct entity from Torah She’bichsav; it is a genuine expression of it. All the details and elements of Torah She’baal Peh are revealed aspects of truth that are buried within Torah She’bichsav. Therefore, Torah She’baal Peh is one with Torah She’bichsav. Devarim is not a new sefer; it is an actualization and expression of everything that is in seed, root form within the first four books of Torah. Therefore, there is no separation or gap between Bamidbar and Devarim because everything within Sefer Devarim stems from the previous four books of Torah.
Our Role in Torah
This is our unique role in the world. When the light fades and when translucence becomes opaque, we must shine a light in the darkness; we must reveal the truth of Torah in a post-prophetic age. As Chazal explain, only when the light goes out and darkness reigns can a candle serve as a source of illumination. When the world is incandescent with spiritual clarity, humanity serves as a loyal channel and receptor of truth. When that light fades, we can become part of the creative process itself, not just shining the light, but creating it as well. May we be inspired to strive for Torah truth, listen closely in a world of darkness, and gather the shards of multiplicity into a singular oneness of higher truth.
Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is an international speaker, bestselling author, business coach, the CEO of SMA, and a TED Talk Speaker. His bestselling book, The Journey to Your Ultimate Self, serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Torah thought. After receiving his BA from Yeshiva University and Semicha from Yeshiva University's RIETS, Rabbi Reichman received a Masters degree from the University of Chicago. As part of his Masters Degree at the University of Chicago, Rabbi Reichman received an Ivy Plus Scholarship to Harvard where he spent a year studying as an Ivy Scholar. Additionally, he received a Masters degree in Educational Psychology from Azrieli Graduate School and a Masters degree in Jewish Thought from Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School. As a business and leadership coach, Rabbi Reichman provides a unique 1-on-1 coaching program where he helps high-achievers, coaches, and business owners achieve their financial and personal goals. To learn more or to get in contact with Rabbi Reichman, visit his website: www.ShmuelReichman.com.