Ekev: The Spicy Algebra of Torah

The second paragraph of the shema - that which is rarely sung aloud and often glossed over during our Services - originates in Parashat Ekev.  The Torah commands, in Deuteronomy 11:18: “Ve-samtem et devarai eileh al levavkhem” – “You shall place these words upon your heart.”  The Talmud in Tractate Kiddushin (30b) associates the word “samtem” (“you shall place”) with the word “sam,” which means “drug” or “remedy.”  The words of Torah serve like a “remedy,” the Gemara explains, in that it helps us overcome our sinful tendencies.  As the Gemara famously comments, God tells us, “I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as a spice” (“Barati yetzer hara barati Torah tavlin”).  The intensive engagement in Torah study has the effect of empowering a person to overcome his base desires and negative tendencies. 

It is perhaps significant that the Gemara describes Torah here specifically as a “spice.”  A spice does not eliminate a bitter or dull taste, but rather enhances it.  The bitterness is still there, but it is either overwhelmed by the spice or blended with it to produce a pleasing flavor.  Similarly, involvement in Torah does not have the effect of eliminating our evil inclination.  We cannot and must not expect learning to erase all our negative tendencies.  God created us as human beings, who are, by definition, plagued by vices and imperfections which will always remain part of our beings.  Torah operates as a “spice” in that – when properly studied and applied – it refines our character without eliminating our vices.  The Torah instructs us how to live a noble, virtuous life through discipline and by channeling our negative qualities in a legitimate and healthy way.  Its effect is refining, but not necessarily transformative; it enhances our lives and our conduct, much as a spice enhances the flavor of food. 

If we approach Torah learning with the goal of undergoing some kind of “magic” transformation, we will find ourselves failing and are setting ourselves up for disappointment and despair.  The proper approach to learning is to view it as a “tavlin,” a “spice” which can bring out the best in us by showing us how to live a balanced, disciplined life and channel our natural, instinctive qualities in a healthy and productive way. 

It dawned on me as I was learning this beautiful lesson from the Talmud, that there is one other analogy for Torah that works powerfully.

As a new school year looms and students everywhere prepare to shake the dust off of their math skills, I am reminiscing about my favorite type of math, which is Algebra, and how I see the role of Torah in our lives ...

A Variable is a symbol for a number we don't know yet. It is usually a letter like x or y.  For me, Torah could be the mechanism for how I deal with all of the unanticipated things that I need to confront in life.

A number on its own is called a Constant.  For me, Torah is a constant focus - something that I love to study and apply everyday.

A Coefficient is a number used to multiply a variable (4x means 4 times x, so 4 is a coefficient). Clearly, in my book, the more we can increase our awareness and our accessibility to Torah, the stronger its value to the world.

Which of the above  algebraic terms defines Torah for you? Or, if you wish, what are some other analogies?

(with thanks to Rabbi David Silverberg)