Talmud Torah ; The Paramount Value of Study in Jewish Law

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Abstract

This chapter discusses the tension between theoretical study and practical law within the Jewish legal tradition. From the earliest sources in the rabbinic period, Torah was regarded not only as a guide to practical law but rather as a formative document attesting to the relationship between God and his people. As such, Torah was understood as a system of law not only to be performed but also to be intensively studied. Indeed, study, or Talmud Torah, came to be viewed as a value of paramount significance, independent of the resulting performance of the commandments. Over time, Talmud Torah was directed not only toward the application of law but rather also toward understanding the law in its own right through theoretical and even hypothetical study of non-applied law. This tension between functional regulation and theoretical analysis of the law produced varying modes of study among Jewish scholars, who were divided between those who sought out the practical application of the law and those who pursued the scholarly quest of study for its own sake.
Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationThe Oxford Handbook of Jewish Law
Place of PublicationUnited Kingdom, Europe
DOIs
StatePublished - 23 Jan 2024

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