“Torah is a friend. When you see Torah in this way, Torah becomes a delight. It inspires you. There is a feeling of joy at having something precious, a treasure. When you apprehend Torah as a personality and not just a book, it infiltrates your emotional as well as your intellectual life.”
At TAL TORAH we are often asked about our name. What does “TAL” mean? How is “dew” connected to Torah? In response to these questions, I love to bring a text from the Shem MiShmuel that speaks beautifully about Tal. The Rabbi of Sochatshov writes:
“In the Talmud we learn that Israel requested from the Holy One: ‘May God come to us like rain’, meaning to bring abundance from above. And the Holy One answered them: ‘I will be like Tal for Israel.' Behold rain and tal are different matters.... It is the nature of Tal to arouse the dampness within the bones even though nothing remains of the Tal. Behold, Tal ascends toward the sun (and evaporates). Even so, Tal helps the seeds because it awakens the dampness that is within the seeds....
"There are those who receive like rain, meaning they are not awakened themselves, through the efforts of mind and heart. Rather, they are content with an awakening that is temporary. And there are those who put effort into themselves and awaken themselves down to the inner point that is in their hearts. This is like Tal.... Tal awakens them, so that they themselves become holy.”
At TAL TORAH, we understand Tal to be a gentle, transformative mist that awakens, sustains and protects a process of growth deep within, in the soul of a person. This nascent awareness and strength remain because they reside within a person and are not imposed from without.
Perhaps it is our love of Torah and the joy we have in sharing our learning with our students that are the Tal-inspired agents in our work. Perhaps it is the respect we offer our students and receive in return. Surely the words of Torah and the sages themselves serve to enliven, challenge, illuminate and clarify each person’s soul journey. At TAL TORAH we balance the exploration of a student’s own potential with a sense of commitment and belonging to the Jewish people and the land of Israel.
One of our greatest satisfactions is seeing how many of our students return to continue their Torah education with us. As one young woman who has studied at TAL TORAH for six years said recently: "With TAL TORAH, I am learning what I want and need to know. School gives me information, TAL TORAH educates my soul.”
At TAL TORAH, we aspire to the “Tal” in our name.
~ Ariel Lester Ben Moshe