That’s the feeling Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Naḥman evokes in his teaching on the verse, "Rather the matter is very near to you" (Deuteronomy 30:14). It's a beautiful passage about the Torah, and how accessible it truly is to us. But Rabbi Shmuel doesn't just tell us this. He paints us a picture.

He tells a story, a mashal. Imagine a king, see? This king has a daughter, a princess, kept hidden from the world. No one knows her. Except… the king has a very dear friend, someone who’s always welcome in his presence. And every time this friend visits, the princess is there, standing right before him.

One day, the king turns to his friend and says, "Look how much I value you! No one else even knows my daughter exists, yet she stands unveiled before you."

Isn't that a powerful image? The king’s daughter, a symbol of something precious and rare, is constantly available to this trusted friend.

Now, Rabbi Shmuel applies this parable to us and our relationship with God. He says that the Holy One, Blessed be He, says something similar to Israel. "See how beloved you are to me! There is no creature in my palace who knows the Torah, and yet, I have given it to you."

He continues, referencing the book of Job, "It is vanished from the eyes of all living" (Job 28:21). But for you, Israel, "it is not hidden from you" (Deuteronomy 30:11), but rather, "the matter is very near to you" (Deuteronomy 30:14). The Torah, this profound source of wisdom and guidance, is not locked away in some inaccessible realm. It's not hidden from us. It’s near.

The Zohar, that foundational text of Jewish mysticism, echoes this sentiment, emphasizing the inherent accessibility of the divine teachings to those who seek them with sincerity.

And it gets even better. God, according to Rabbi Shmuel, goes on to say, "My children, if the matters of Torah are near to you, I call you near as well." He then quotes Psalms, "For the children of Israel, the people who are near to Him. Halleluya" (Psalms 148:14).

It’s a reciprocal relationship. The closer we draw to the Torah, the closer we draw to God. The more we engage with its teachings, the more we become part of that inner circle, that beloved group who are "near to Him."

It's not about being a scholar or having all the answers. It’s about the willingness to engage, to learn, to let the Torah’s wisdom shape our lives. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, the Torah isn't a distant, unattainable ideal, but a living, breathing guide that's always available to us.

So, what does this mean for us today? Perhaps it's a reminder to stop overcomplicating things. To stop thinking that spiritual growth requires some herculean effort. Maybe it's about recognizing that the wisdom we seek, the connection we crave, is often closer than we realize. It's already within our reach, waiting for us to embrace it.

Maybe the princess is already standing right in front of us.