Is there anyone who doesn’t yet know that life is a journey? Rabbi Alvin Fine (1937-1999) popularized the idea with his exceptional poem by that name, but the idea has pedigree, going back, it is said, to Ralph Waldo Emerson, who, however, said only something like that, although a Methodist theologian (Lynn Hough, 1877-1971) interpreted Emerson that way in a 1920 Sunday school lesson, and from the Methodist Hough to the Jewish Fine is not itself a bad journey, come to think of it.
For most of history, journeys happened over roads, so “Life as a Road” is another common metaphor: as in Disney’s Anastasia (“Life is a road and I wanna keep goin’”).
I think about this sort of thing every year as the High Holy Days approach, and I hate to say it, but none of my examples so far – not Fine, not Emerson/Hough, and certainly not Disney — tell the whole truth. They romanticize life too much, make it seem like a five-part Netflix series: a moving tale about overcoming the challenges along life’s way, because it’s not the destination but the journey that counts.
Well, maybe, but I get a more realistic image from Mark Twain (The Gilded Age) who describes “a not very well defined road, which did not seem to know its own mind exactly, and, after straggling through the town, wandered off over the rolling prairie in an uncertain way, as if it had started for nowhere and was quite likely to reach its destination.”
That is the real way in which life is a road. We can pretend all we want that life is responsive to the rules of rational choice, but if we look back honestly, we will probably admit that Like Mark Twain’s road, life seems frequently “not to know its own mind,” then to “straggle” through stages and even “wander off … in an uncertain way.”
That is my experience, anyway. As much as I look back to find a pattern, I confess to life being largely the product of chance: being in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time; the people I met (or didn’t). How is it that I managed to grow up in an economic boom, not a bust? In Canada, just after World War II, not in Lublin, Berlin, or Minsk, just a decade earlier? I never had a long-term plan to become an expert liturgist (which I had never heard of until I practically already was one).
Then too, there is the way “the road had started for nowhere and was quite likely to reach its destination.” I first read that line as Mark Twain had intended it: it’s just plain funny! With life in mind, however, I stopped laughing. Life too starts for nowhere and inevitably (not just “quite likely”) gets there in the end – the nowhere of our death. In our last moments, we may think back to how we planned on getting to one “somewhere” after another; how luck, good and bad, got us to a variety of “somewhere elses”; and how we are finally running out of any “somewhere” to be, because however long our body may still hang around, the “I”, the “me”, the “person,” who now barely inhabits that body, is about to exit time and space – and be “nowhere.” It doesn’t take the Talmud for us to know it; but the Talmud does say it. We will die against our will, and among the things we cannot know, the one at the very top of the list is the day that death will find us (Avot 4:29, Pes. 54b) – and we will be “nowhere.”
The High Holy Days are nothing, if not a sustained confirmation of life’s tenuous uncertainty. I don’t especially like that confirmation: who would? But serious religion raises serious reflections, and in the end, I am always glad to have spent Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur on more solemn fare than watching the US Open or finding another good restaurant in which to while away an evening.
I know the High Holy Day prayer books very well – I have helped edit more than one – and I confess that they are massive, crowded with verbiage, and full of imagery that no longer resonates with us. Indeed, the liturgy is so impenetrable at times, that it’s easy to get lost in the prayers without actually praying. Here’s one of the things I do to extricate myself from spiritual disaster.
I try each year to find just one single prayer that promises to touch my life. For a while, I linger there, while everyone else is moving on. I eventually catch up, but I remember my prayer’s page number so I can return to it, when other prayers lose or bore me. This year, as I ponder life being a road that wanders (we know not where) and then ends in “nowhere” (we know not when), I suspect that I will stop at a prayer called Hayom, “Today,” because however tenuous my tomorrows may be, my todays are present and real.
Today, strengthen us,
Today bless us,
Today, exalt us,
Today, show us kindness.
Today, inscribe us for a good life.
Our “todays” are destinations along the road; and life is just as much each daily destination as it is the road or journey through them. “Todays” are also mysteries, chance meeting points in time and intersections in space, where different people’s life trajectories miraculously coalesce, as if, for today, we have all stopped together for the same red light. By tomorrow the light will change and we will go our separate ways. Who knows where the people I meet today are going? Who knows what they are going through? For some, today is non-stop brilliant sunshine and bluebirds of happiness. For others today is physical or mental misery that feels like torture.
Hence this year’s prayer choice: “Today.” We spend too much time plotting a path to the tomorrows that we cannot control; too little time harvesting our todays that are actually upon us. It is not nothing, each and every day, to have feel strength enough to go on; and to carry others whose strength is temporarily spent; to realize that we are blessed and to share the blessing amply; to feel exaltation and to lift up those who are ground down; and both to give and to receive as much kindness and goodness as our soul can find.
“Today,” we pray, may we know all this, not just the “today” of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but all our “todays,” for the “todays” are all we have.
Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman, Ph.D. 
Thank you, Larry. Amen to todays!
For who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Love,
Maggie
Sent from my iPhone
Larry–As usual, you hit the nail on the head. As I edge toward 80, I could not agree with you more. We focus on Hayom, and hope there’s another good Hayom coming tomorrow.
May your coming year be filled with many yamim of blessings, Shanah Tovah uMetukah!
Biydidut, Neil
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this: but I remember my prayer’s page number so I can return to it,
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how beautiful Larry.
this has stopped me in my tracks.
thank you thank you
Rabbi Rebecca Birk
Sent from my iPhone
“ Are we there yet? “
My children’s mantra as soon as we started packing the car
“ We were there,” but everyone was so busy doing their own thing that we missed the exit
“ Are we going back to the same place? It’s boring”
We are going to MIZRAIM
Get in the car
A Good Year
From the AAA
“… we missed the exit.” Love it. Thanks.
Thank you Larry. As always this is wise, rich, poetic, eloquent, humbling and enlightening. Today, I was walking in NYC – actually to the bakery to place my order for a few festive challahs that I will pick up on Friday as they sell out on the upper west side. In the span of a block I literally saw infants and elderly, poverty and wealth, creativity and destruction, kindnesses and ugliness, cars and bikes and busses, commerce and love, and so many different people each with unique stories with no one of us knowing our own whole story yet alone very much about any on else’s… and I had one of those unexpected rush of feelings that stops you in your tracks That the whole drama is some mix of randomness and luck that even if there may be some larger cause-effect for everything the level of complexity and infinite variables starting 13.7 billion years ago to enable any one to even be born and my mother to give birth to me makes this so beyond whatever our computational power will ever be that it is simply mystery. And I stood awe struck at the absurdity of it all. This happened at about 2:00pm today and then I read your piece. And it made me think that with all our wisdom and torahs and philosophies and practices – no matter how much trust and faith we have in them – at best they are noble- sacred? defenses against the uncertainty and nowhereness of the journey…and that maybe the only choice we really have is with whom we want to wander on this unpredictable fragile journey. We are blessed that we get to wander with you as our teacher. Shanah Tovah, Irwin
Always good to hear from you, Irwin. When it comes to thinkers, you are right there among the top of the list. The meditation you describe here is exceptional. Thanks for adding it to the conversation .Shanah tovah um’tukah!
Good morning Larry
Thank you for such a thoughtful, touchingly human piece. You helped my “today” be more beautiful. Hope your “today”is also going well.
שנה טובה ומתוקה ובריאה. Elliot
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Greetings from Houston. Thank you for your thoughtful (and challenging) new years message.
May God wrap his arms around you and give you a warm hug. Irene
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Wonderful to read this. I met you at Brandeis University about 35 years ago and your wisdom has stayed with me. I will share a bit of your wisdom during the meditation portion of our Shabbat Shuva service. Thank you so much.
How lovely hearing from you Pam.I remember meeting you with great clarity. Send me an email – let me know how you are doing. lawrenceahoffman@gmail.com
What is the difference between the Torah, Talmud, and Mishnah?
Marc Lipshitz Been involved in counter missionary work for 20+ years
First you need to understand what the Mishnah is. When Moshe received the Torah on Har Sinai he spent forty days and nights studying it and getting taught the performance and explanations of it. Thus when he came down he had two things- the written Torah and the explanations and details of its performance. The written Torah is what is also known as the “Chamishe Sifrei Torah”, commonly translated as “The Five Books of Moses”.
The explanations and details of performance were only passed on orally and are commonly referred to as the Oral Torah. Before the Bar Kochba revolt which resulted in the massive exile of the Jews 80 or so years after the destruction of the Second Temple Rabbi Akivah organized the oral law into a more organized and easier to teach format.
After the Bar Kochba revolt with the bulk of the Jews in exile in different places (the difference to the prior Babylonian exile was that there the bulk of the Jews were in one place, albeit outside of Israel) there was a fear that the oral Torah would be forgotten or altered, so Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi, the head of the Sanhedrin at the time, compiled the Oral Torah into the form we have today and we refer to this written compilation of the Oral Torah as the Mishnah.
However, there was discussion on its application, philosophy, ethics, what to do in different situations, the trying to grasp the essence of the law so it could be utilized in different, unenvisaged situations, the mysticism and the practical. These discussions were recorded in the Gemorah. This is how we get to the Talmud- it consists of two main parts- the Mishnah and then the associated Gemorah to that Mishnah.
In modern editions there are also multiple commentaries, footnotes, cross references to passages in the Torah, prophets and scriptures when they are mentioned etc. Typically it is published in 20 volumes- the ArtScroll translation is 73 volumes! It is not something that you just read but something that requires intense study and a teacher so you know how to study and understand the methodology utilized in the Talmud.
Moshe Kerr: No. Totally incorrect. Rabbi Yechuda named his Mishna based upon the בנין אב/precedent that Moshe Rabbeinu named דברים the Mishna Torah — which means common law. The Mishna codified by Rabbi Yechuda in 210 ce follows the משנה תורה common law model established by the Book of דברים. Common law legal system stand upon precedents. The Hebrew for precedent: בנין אב.
The Gemara, compiled by a later set of scholars AFTER Rabbi Yechuda “sealed” the Mishna, based upon the precedents of the sealing of the T’NaCH, caused Rav Ashi and Rav Ravina to seal the Gemara in about 450 ce. The purpose of sealing this Oral Torah methodology of common law, to prevent a perversion of the seal masoret/traditions from counterfeit imposters like the New Testament replacement theology to pervert the seal masoret/traditions unto tumah avoda zarah.
A second primary purpose of sealing the masoret/traditions: that all down stream generations of Israel inherit the identical masoret, thereby preventing an equal Av tumah avoda zarah commonly known as ירידות הדורות – understood that later generations cannot dispute the rulings made by earlier generations. This Av-tumah avoda zarah collapses when confronted with Oral Torah logic which validates that no one generation enjoys a monopoly of Torah logic over later generations.
The correct understanding of ירידות הדורות refers to the idea of “domino effect”.
Talmud, which means learning (Yeshivot fail to learn Talmud, when they study Gemara.), the Gemara brings halachic precedents from across the Sha’s Bavli as precedents. The purpose of the precedents, the Common Law Baali Tosafot commentary/criticism of Rashi p’shat on the Talmud, fundamentally erred and failed to learn a halachic precedent to re-interpret משנה תורה the k’vanna of the language of the Home Mishna which the Gemara brings outside precedent halachic sources to re-interpret the k’vanna of the language of Rabbi Yechuda’s specific Mishna.
This failure of Reshonim scholarship went across the board, some Reshonim better than others. The B’hag, Rif, Rosh common law halachic commentaries, like the Baali Tosafot – correctly learned and understood the Gemara commentary to a specific Mishna as Common law. Not so the super-commentaries written on these excellent Reshonim scholarship of Talmudic common law. The later scholars confused and perverted Talmudic common law unto Roman statute law. Students in Yeshivot across the world, never receive any instruction which differentiates between T’NaCH/Talmudic common law from Roman statute law. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued g’lut Jewry down through the Ages.
In like manner, and equally as bad: the Reshonim scholars abysmally failed to discern (One and All, they failed to make the מאי נפקא מינא הבדלה with discerns “like from like” the basis which observance of all Torah and halachic mitzvot most fundamentally require. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued Jewry down through the Ages. The Av/toldot relationship between tohor time-oriented from positive & negative toldot commandments.
Even Rashi’s common law commentary to the Chumash (as opposed by his טיפש פשט reading of the Talmud. Rashi changed his sh’itta of p’shat as learned from to Chumash and contrasted by his sh’itta of p’shat made upon the Talmud! Reshonim scholarship disgracefully failed to note this fundamental contradiction in Rashi scholarship. Proof that the Reshonim learning had derailed itself and gone off-track. Why? Because the Reshonim and later rabbinic lackeys failed to understand how the concept of ירידות הדורות refuted the Xtian avoda zarah known as “Free Will”.
A colossal error made by a great Jewish leader: be it King Shlomo who built an assimilated Catholic Cathedral or the Rambam who perverted Talmudic common law unto Roman statute law. Once a great sage/leader worships avoda zarah, (Shlomo perverted the priority of establishment of Federal Great/Small Sanhedrin courtrooms as the k’vanna of building the Beit HaMikdash), the Av tumah of this perversion which validates the 2nd Sinai Commandment, all down-stream generations likewise pursue this Av-tumah avoda zarah abomination, from generation to generation to generation! Hence the concept of ירידות הדורות invalidates the Xtian dogmatism of “Free Will”.
The Torah mitzva of Moshiach does not learn from a NaCH source. Torah mitzvot learn from Torah sources. Why? Because Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest of all prophets. The failure of Reshonim scholarship to correctly grasp how the Chumash learns, proof of the cursed existence of g’lut Jewry who lacked the wisdom to do mitzvot לשמה.
The Torah operates upon a most basic: Av/Toldot relationship. The Book of בראשית, together with the tohor time-oriented commandments codification known as the Siddur, commands Av tohor time-oriented commandments. “Time” not tied to a watch, but rather to crisis situations which threaten the chosen Cohen people with Shoah; like Akadat Yitzak, or the mitzva to remove the sciatic nerve! The latter explained by targum Uziel. Esau approach “toast” Yaacov with an Army lead by 400 officers. NaCH precedents D’vorah and HaDassah whose רשות מצוה defines the k’vanna of תפילת ערבית according to rabbi Yehoshua. Av tohor time-oriented commandments learn from women that doing mitzvot with k’vanna — a רשות rather than a חיוב.
In the defence of the Reshonim: in the Gemara of ערבין the Baali Tosafot did not know how Rav Ashi could change the dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yose haGelili. According to the כלל, the halacha should follow the opinion of r. Akiva. The Baali Tosafot clearly did not have access to the Targum Uziel. Otherwise, they would have understood that Rav Ashi’s recognition that Uziel agreed with the opinion expressed by rabbi Yose haGelili and therefore changed the halacha expressed in that halachic dispute as recorded in the Gemara of ערובין.
Therefore, the First Book of the Torah serves as the אב טהור זימן גרמא מצוות. The second, third, and forth Books of the Torah serves as the תולדות מצוות; hence the B’hag ruled in his Hilchot G’dolot: that 100 blessings, nar shabbat, nar hannuka, kre’at m’gillah, etc qualify as mitzvot from the Torah!
The Rambam, whose Yad Chazaka perversion worshipped avoda zarah: understood as a) assimilation b) intermarriage with Goyim, as opposed to the Xtian abomination which erroneously translates avoda zarah as idolatry; the 30 year-war slaughtered as many as did WWI when western Europe’s population about 1/3rd of 20th Century Eupean populations, over a debate over the catholic cruxifics and worship of saints.
The Rambam abomination of avoda zarah assimilation to ancient Greek logic, that fool did not understand the kabbalah of how Rabbi Akiva’s פרדס interprets the k’vanna of the revelation of the Oral Torah at Horev. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued Jewry down through the Ages.
The last and 5th Book of the Written Torah משנה תורה commands the generations to learn the Torah through the wisdom of common law ie Rabbi Yechuda and the Gemara sages as codified in the Talmud.
The gravity of ירידות הדורות avoda zara, this question fails to address the Midrashic scholarship which defines the contribution made by the Geonim. As a loom has a warp/weft relationship, the Talmud has halacha/aggadita relationship. Midrash functions as the Geonim scholarship which delved into the Aggadic portion of the Talmud. Yeshivot across the world do not know how to learn, not only Midrash as the primary source-commentary which links the דרוש-פשט with T’NaCH prophetic mussar; like as learns Rashi’s Chumash p’shat. As contrasted by the halachic Oral Torah logic of רמז-סוד. A most basic and fundamental error. Which has plagued Jewry down through the Ages.