Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Dig Deep

Parashat Shemini contains the exact halfway mark of all the words in the Torah. It occurs in 10:15:

ואת שעיר החטאת דרש דרש משה והנה שרף ויקצף על אלעזר ועל איתמר בני אהרון הנותרם לאמור

The two words דרש דרש are the halfway mark, and they translate to 'inquired insistently.' Rabbi Moshe Chaim Ephraim comments in Degel Machane Ephraim that this teaches us that the entire Torah revolves around constant inquiry; one must never stop studying and seeking an ever deeper and broader understanding of the Torah.

(Ideas taken from The Stone Edition Chumash)
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