Jot and Tittle

For the last few months RabbiB has been striving to educate me on Judaism.  He has been teaching  me a lot about rabbinic thinking and Jewish spiritual processes.  The poor man has been bombarded with questions that must seem infantile to him.  Yet he has borne up and been a tremendous help in helping me discover a new way of exploring scripture.

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

I've been thinking about the context of this quote, and its ramifications since before I met my friend RabbiB.  Like most things in life, the impact of what is being said depends on your point of view.  If you take the quote as a literal statement of fact, it imparts a level of intensity and reverence to the study of scripture beyond that of modern religious expectation.

Even if you accept the above quote as literally true, arriving at a correct understanding of how to interpret those jots, tittles and spaces between the letters isn't an easy task.  For about 4,000 years the Levites and rabbis have been preserving a tradition of interpretation and study that maintains that there is nothing insignificant in scripture.  I have been pursuing that understanding with my friend RabbiB.

Our good rabbi has decided to start his own blog, Ashrei.  I've added him to Archie's Neighborhood.  If you have even a passing interest in Jewish thinking or spirituality, even if its only to see how its different from your own, drop by.  I think you will find it rewarding no matter how deeply you like to delve into this subject.