And in Jewish tradition, the answer might surprise you: it's the Torah.
Devarim Rabbah, a collection of homilies on the Book of Deuteronomy, offers a powerful idea: God says that if we read the Torah, we’re performing a mitzvah, a sacred obligation, for the sake of the entire world. Without Torah, the world would revert to emptiness and disorder. Imagine that! It’s a pretty bold claim, isn't it?
But what exactly is "the mitzvah" being talked about here? The Rabbis in Devarim Rabbah tell us it's a "hard matter." Intrigued? So was I.
The text goes on to illustrate this with a parable. A king entrusts a precious gem to a friend. He pleads with him: "Guard this gem carefully! If you lose it, you can't repay me, and I have no other like it. You'll have sinned against both of us. So, please, perform this mitzvah on behalf of both of us, and guard it well."
Moses, in this analogy, says something similar to the Israelites: "If you observe the Torah, you aren't just acting charitably (tzdaka) for yourselves, but for God and for you." As Deuteronomy 6:25 states, "It will be, therefore, to our merit [tzdaka]… for Me and for you." When? "…if we observe to perform all this mitzvah."
Think about that for a moment. The Torah isn't just a set of rules or stories. It's a precious gem entrusted to us. Our observance, our study, our engagement with it – that’s what keeps the world from falling apart. It's a shared responsibility, a collaborative effort between us and the Divine.
It suggests that our actions have cosmic significance. Every time we open the Torah, every time we wrestle with its teachings, every time we try to live its values, we’re not just fulfilling a personal obligation. We're contributing to the very fabric of creation.
It's a powerful and humbling thought, isn't it? It reframes our understanding of the Torah, from a set of ancient texts to a vital, living force that sustains the world. And it places us, each of us, at the heart of that ongoing process. So, what gem will you polish today?