October 6, 2008
His Holiness,
Dear Cardinals and Bishops,
Members of the Synod of Bishops,
Dear Friends,
It is a real privilege and a rare honour to be invited to this Assembly as a special guest, as a representative of the Jewish faith and of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
I think it is the first time that a Jewish rabbi has been invited to speak in the plenary session of a synod of bishops. We really appreciate what has been involved in this gesture. There is a long, hard and painful history in the relations between our people, our faith, and the authority and faithful of the Catholic Church, a history of blood and tears. I feel deeply that my standing here before you is very meaningful. My being here brings a sign of hope and love, of coexistence, of peace for our generation and for future generations.
And indeed this continues the approach, inaugurated by Pope John XXIII and culminating in the life and work of Pope John Paul II with his historic visit to the Holy Land. In your invitation to report here today, we see a statement of your intention to continue this policy and doctrine that refers to us as 'our elder brothers' and G-d's chosen people, with whom He has entered into an eternal covenant. We deeply appreciate this statement.
May I add, personally, that I owe it to the friends, authorities and members of the Catholic Community of Sant'Egidio to have been introduced to this new ecumenical spirit? I have had the privilege of regularly participating in their international meetings, inspired by the spirit of the famous Assisi prayer.
In addition to this, the years that followed saw me co-president of the Bilateral Commission of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Holy See, which does a wonderful job.
I thank G-d for keeping us alive to be together and work for a future of peace and co-existence throughout the world, Amen.
* * *
I have been asked to speak about the meaning and place of Scripture in Judaism and in our tradition of prayer, in the liturgical service to G-d, and in our role as authorities and educators of our communities.
I would like to begin by briefly describing the central place of the Holy Scriptures in the practice of the Jewish religion. In every synagogue in any part of the world, when prayers are offered, in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening, as well as on special occasions - the community turns to the ארון הקודש - the "Holy Ark" - placed in front of the prayer hall, and turns to it during the entire service. The Holy Ark contains the scrolls of the "Holy Torah", that is, the "Five Books of Moses" handwritten by an expert scribe. In the Ark there is always at least one complete scroll, and often several scrolls. This Book in the form of a scroll is wrapped in a beautiful mantle or placed in a special receptacle. It is taken out of the Holy Ark in a solemn ritual and brought, with a traditional chant, to the central pulpit where it is read to the public three times a week. When he arrives at the pulpit, the members of the assembly stand up and many turn to kiss him. It is a very evocative ceremony.
Each person called to read the Torah kisses it before reciting a blessing - a special blessing - thanking G-d for the gift of the Torah. At the end of his reading portion, he returns to kiss the Torah and recites another blessing. The Holy Torah scroll is the only object that is kissed by the faithful during worship. When the reading is completed, the holy "Scroll of the Law" is raised and shown to the public, and all the faithful bow in admiration and awe and proclaim, "This is the Word of G-d that has been given to us by משה רבנו – Moses our Master."
But on the Sabbath not only the "portion of the week" is read by the Humash, by the Pentateuch. At the conclusion of the reading from the Pentateuch, during which at least seven faithful are invited - the last one repeats the last sentences of the reading and then reads a chapter from the Prophets that has relevance to the section of the week.
Again, a special blessing is recited before the reading by the Prophets, four more are sung. To illustrate better, I will recite to you only the first of these blessings, which praises and emphasizes the value and importance of G-d's Word:
"Blessed art thou, our Lord G-d, King of the universe, Rock of all worlds, Righteous for all generations, the faithful G-d who says and does, speaks and fulfills, whose words are truth and righteousness. You are faithful, Lord our G-d, and faithful are Your words, none of which remain unfulfilled, for you, G-d, are a faithful and compassionate King. Be blessed, Lord, faithful in all His words" (All: Amen)
This passage illustrates well the importance and centrality of G-d's Word in our worship services and prayers. I would add that many times during the year lessons from the Writings are also read.
* * *
When we speak of the Holy Scriptures we refer to the Tanach, which is composed of the Torah, that is, the Five Books of Moses, the Nevi'im, the texts of the Prophets, and the Ketuvim, the additional sacred Writings, the Hagiographs. All of them are the source and inspiration of our prayers and our liturgy. Each of us, scholars as well as lay people, is pleased to study them, to understand them and to keep them in our hearts and minds, to appreciate their perpetual value and relevance for all times.
This description of how central the Holy Scriptures are in our tradition would not be complete without some detail on how not only the reading of the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings is a central part of our liturgy, but how our own prayers are also built around quotations from the Bible.
We pray to G-d using His own words as they are delivered to us in the scriptures. Similarly, we praise Him, too, using His own words. Let us ask for His mercy by mentioning what He Himself promised to our fathers and to us. Our entire liturgy is based on an ancient rule, as our Rabbis and Masters teach us:
תן לו משלו שאתה ושלך שלו – "Give Him what is His, for you and yours are His".
We believe that prayer is the language of the soul in its communion with G-d. We sincerely believe that our soul is His, that it has been given to us by Him. Every morning when we wake up we say, or rather, pray to Himwe have words of thanksgiving: "I thank you, living and eternal King, for having restored my soul in your mercy, great is your fidelity".
After washing our hands, many of us have been taught to recite the following scriptural verses:
1) "Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, he who fulfills all things (his commandments) gains understanding; His promise always remaineth" (Psalm 110:10).
2) "The Torah that Moses commanded us is the heritage of the community of Israel." (Deuteronomy 33:4)
3) "Listen, son, to your father's education and do not forget your mother's teachings." (Proverbs 1:8)
Time does not permit me to describe in detail all the biblical quotations that are at the core of our prayers. Let me mention that when arriving and entering the House of Prayer in the morning, we must recite selected verses from the Bible and that this continues throughout the service. There are the "Verses of Praise", a selection of chapters from the Writings, especially from the Book of Psalms, at the end of which we recite the "Song of the Sea" (from the Book of Exodus 14:30-15:19). Then, comes the moment of the "Blessing of the Shema", which we recite before and after the reading of the famous chapters taken from Deuteronomy and Numbers, and which begins with the verse "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One".
I could go on for hours describing how the Jewish Prayer Book, the Siddur (a Hebrew word meaning 'The Order') is built around the Holy Scriptures, without losing the personal and emotional nature of the prayer experience, the wonder of praise to G-d, the joy of thanksgiving, the experience of the broken heart that craves forgiveness and atonement.
I would add that it is not only the rabbi or the cantor who says the prayers. Every believer, young or old, must recite them, whether they read them from the Prayer Book or recite them from memory. In this way, the many quotations from the Holy Bible become part of the core of the personality of the one who prays, an integral part of his Heritage.
The Bible is taught to every child from an early age. I was taught Tanach by my father, the famous rabbi, Nazir of Jerusalem, and I learned it by heart. In every religious school, teaching the Bible is a significant part of the compulsory curriculum.
Let me add that we rabbis, when we pronounce on certain topics in our sermons, such as "the sanctity of life", "the fight against promiscuity", "the fight against secularism", the promotion of the values of brotherhood and fraternity, love and peace, equality and respect for "the other and the different", always try to build our discourse using biblical quotations according to the interpretation of our holy sages, in the generations. Our starting point emerges from the treasures of our religious Tradition, even as we attempt to speak in a modern and contemporary language about current topics. It is surprising to observe how the Sacred Scriptures never lose their vitality and relevance for the present of our time and our time. This is the miracle of G-d's eternal Word.
I think that to illustrate how much theImportant to the Holy Scriptures in the life and in the State of Israel, it is worth mentioning that in the last fifty years, one of the major events of the Independence Day of the State of Israel is the National Bible Quiz. The participants are not only students of state religious schools, but also of the so-called 'secular' schools, both boys and girls. Participants come from all sectors of society and from all over the world. The final round is held in Jerusalem in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education, the Mayor of Jerusalem and other authorities, and has good media coverage. I believe this illustrates in an excellent way how important and essential the study and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures are in the life of modern Israeli society.
But I could not end my speech without expressing our deep shock at the terrible and malicious words of the president of a certain state in the Middle East, in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly. The false and malicious accusations, the threats and the incitement to anti-Semitism, have brought us back to the painful memory of the tragedy of our people, to the victims of the Holocaust, which we hope and pray will never happen again. We hope to have your help from religious authorities and that of the entire free world, to protect, defend and save Israel, the only sovereign state of the "People of the Book", from the hands of its enemies.
I conclude by praying with the famous words taken from the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah concerning the times to come: "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the child and the lamb and the calf, the young lion and the cow together, and a child shall lead them... No evil shall be done, neither shall it be destroyed upon all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters fill the sea" (Isaiah 11:6-9).
We can be blessed to see it happen in our day. Amen!