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How did Jacob study Torah if it was not given yet?

by Rabbi DovBer Pinson

  

Library » History » Patriarchs, 12 Tribes | Subscribe | What is RSS?

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The Torah has a body and a soul. The body is the Written Law that was given at Sinai. The soul existed throughout time. It is part of the nature of the world.

Adam was able to grasp this essential soul of the Torah, mostly in an abstract form. Yet it had practical applications: there were some laws as well, the Seven Laws of Noach.

This abstract spiritual part of the Torah is what Jacob, and the other Patriarchs, studied.


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COMMENTS

Pre-Sinai Torah Study

Posted by: Anonymous, Silver Spring, PA on Dec 26, 2005

I must admit that I am somewhat confused.

Did Adam, Noah, Jacob, et al learn Torah from G-d and their forefathers? Was any Torah written down pre-Sinai? Did they study Mishnah or Written Torah - or both?

Editor's Comment

The Torah -- which includes both the Written and Oral Laws -- is G-d's intellect and will. A holy person who is in tune with the Divine reality could tap into the truths of the Torah even though it had not yet been formally "given" to mankind. (This is comparable to a devoted child who can sense his parent's wish even before the parent expresses it.) These holy people taught this Torah to their children and grandchildren. Thus the laws of the Torah were observed by many even before the Sinai Revelation.

Why though, did God wait until Sinai to give the Torah?

Posted by: Anonymous, Newton, MA on Apr 05, 2006

Why did God need to wait until Mt. Sinai to officially give the Torah to the Jews? Did it have something to do with the Jews not being ready yet? Or does it have something to do with the fact that they were not officially a nation until the moment at which they were given the Torah?

Why wasn't the Torah formally given to Avraham to be passed along as a written Torah?

Editor's Comment

The exile in Egypt -- the "smelting pot" -- was a necessary precursor to the giving of the Torah. Greatness and light can only come when it is preceded by hardship and darkness.
Torah
Torah is G–d’s teaching to man. In general terms, we refer to the Five Books of Moses as “The Torah.” But in truth, all Jewish beliefs and laws are part of the Torah.
Jacob
Third of the three Patriarchs and father of the Twelve Tribes. Lived most his life in Canaan and died in Egypt in 1505 BCE. Also known by the name of "Israel."
Adam
The first man, created by G-d on the sixth day of creation. He was banished from the Garden of Eden after eating from the forbidden fruit of the forbidden knowledge. Died in 2830 BCE.