The Most Important Law in the Torah (and More)

Q. Hello, I am a Catholic theology student researching the Torah and I was wondering if I would be allowed to ask a couple of questions? My first question is what is the distinction between the Torah and the law?

A. Torah literally means law, so it would not be inaccurate to refer to the book in English as "the Law." It's the same thing. But the Torah is not exclusively a book of law; it also contains narrative portions. These are not just stories or history; the stories of the Patriarchs, the travels in the desert, etc. also have moral lessons. So, everything has a lesson but not everything is in the form of "thou shalt" and "thou shalt not."

Q. My second question is what is the most important law in the Torah?

A. We are not told the relative importance of the various commandments, so it would be impossible to say that one is "more important" than another but I can tell you this: we are told that the central theme of the Torah is “that which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” The Torah provides us with a framework to accomplish that goal.

Q. Finally, how is the Torah relevant in modern context? (I have ideas, but I would love a second opinion on this question so I know I am reading correctly.) Thank you so much!

A. We believe that the Torah is the word of God and it has tremendous value in teaching us how to live. Certain things we can observe today, including both civil laws (not to kill, not to steal, etc.) and religious laws (keeping the Sabbath, keeping kosher). Other things, like Temple offerings, we may no longer be able to observe but they contain tremendous lessons that can still inform the way we live.

I hope this helps!

Rabbi Jack's book Ask Rabbi Jack is available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.