A famous midrash in Menachot 29b recounts a fantastical story about an interaction in heaven between Moses and God:
R. Yehuda said in the name of Rav:
When Moses ascended to the heavens, he saw God sitting and tying crowns to the letters [of the Torah].
Moses asked, “What’s the hold up [i.e., why can’t you give the Torah as is]?
God replied, “there’s a man who will be in the future, after many generations, named Akiva b. Yosef, who will find in every jot and tittle mounds of laws.
Moses said, “Master of the Universe, show him to me!”
God said, “Turn around”
Moses went and sat in the eighth row of students in R. Akiva’s class, and had no idea what they were saying. His strength deflated.
The class asked R. Akiba about a certain matter, “From whence to you know this?” He replied, “It is a Law transmitted to Moses at Sinai. Moses’ mind was put at ease.
The purpose of this midrash is to authenticate the Oral Law, but there are many questions relating to it. If the Oral Law was given to Moses at Mount Sinai, how can it be that Moses does not understand what is being said in the study hall of Rabbi Akiva? And if the Oral Law is a continuation of the divine tradition, why is it necessary for Rabbi Akiva to derive them from the crowns of the letters? And how does he do this?
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/how-did-the-oral-law-become-part-of-the-torah/
What does it mean to be holy? How do we lead holy lives?
As a teacher, I think often about this question and about how to guide students in concretizing its answer.
But so do all of us, I guess. We think about how to bring holiness and meaning into our lives, in one way or another. We think about what God wants from us when He tells us to be holy (Leviticus 19:2). We think about how to convey holiness to our children.
We wonder if being holy means living more ascetic lives. If we are supposed to deprive ourselves of the pleasures of this world so that somehow, we can draw closer to the non-physical part of ourselves and to God Himself. Perhaps we can experience our souls more if we try to deny that we have bodies.
Philosophies abound that tell us this is so. That someone who truly wants to be spiritual, to be close to God, must rise above the concrete boundaries and physical needs of this world in order to reach transcendent heights.
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