I grew up in a house filled with books: fiction, nonfiction and children's books. Today, several of my Hardy Boys volumes, in addition to others that I've owned since my youth, continue to hold a place of pride upon the well-stocked shelves of both my Chattanooga home and Mizpah Congregation office. Book-hunting and buying are among my favorite pastimes.
As a rabbi and Jew, needless to state, a significant number of the books in my possession deal with Jewish subject matters: Torah (i.e., The Five Books of Moses), Bible, commentaries (modern, medieval and those dating to the start of the Common Era), law codes, history, philosophy and Jewish practice. Jewish fiction, drama and poetry -- in both Hebrew and English -- are also to be found in my personal library.
The Torah -- by common consent -- is the foundation stone of all matters Jewish. From a Jewish standpoint, Torah is the "Book of Books." But it is not the only book from which Jews continue to articulate and define our view of the world. Other Biblical texts, those that derive from the Books of Prophets and Writings, have innumerable lessons to teach. The Jewish Law Codes, from the Mishnah and Talmud to the Shulhan Aruk, continue to guide us in our life choices.
Yet from the standpoint of modern Jewish living, we learn also from contemporary scholars Hayim Halevy Donin, Isaac Klein and Mark Washofsky. We learn from the great Torah commentators: 12th century Rashi to our own time's Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L. Weiss. We learn from the great Jewish historians: the first century's Josephus to Brandeis University's Jonathan Sarna. We learn from the great Jewish philosophers: the 13th century's Maimonides to the renowned Eugene Borowitz. And we learn from such 20th and 21st century writers as Elie Wiesel, Bernard Malamud, Amos Oz, Cynthia Ozick, Anita Diamant and -- yes -- Woody Allen.
Most rewarding of all perhaps, we learn from one another. Thanks to the wonders of communication technology and social media, in addition to illuminating personal encounters, I learn from my fellow rabbis, friends, congregants, the young and the younger.
In the Mishnah's Pirke Avot, "The Wisdom of our Ancestors,' we read: "Ben Zoma said: 'Who is wise? The one who learns from everyone, as it is said [in Psalm 119:99], from all who would teach me have I gained understanding (Chapter 4, Verse 1).'"
When we seek growth of the intellectual, emotional or spiritual kind, there is no single text to which we can or should point as representing the "last word" on the subject. The sources from which we derive learning are infinite. We never know everything. In a lifetime, we barely scratch the tip of the iceberg.
It's why Jews place such a high premium on lifelong learning. It's why we cast our nets so wide. It's why we seek out and discover "the holy writ of learning" in so many different places. It's why we ask more questions than offer answers. It's why within the halls of our Temples, Synagogues and Jewish Cultural/Community Centers may be found learners of all ages. It's why we are "a people of many books."
Bill S. Tepper is the rabbi at Mizpah Congregation. He and his wife, Deborah, a staff member and camp director for the Jewish Foundation, have a son, Max, a professional actor. in Toronto.