PEOPLE OF THE BOOK

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. — Psalm 119:97–98

Sometimes a group of people gain a reputation for widely held practices or beliefs. For example, Southerners are known for their hospitality and friendliness, Midwesterners for being down-to-earth, and Easterners for their fast-paced, driven lifestyle. But did you know that we Jews, particularly Orthodox Jews, are known as the "people of the book"?

That reputation has been earned largely because of our long-standing belief that the Bible is eternally valid and utterly authoritative. We believe, like many of our Christian brothers and sisters, that the Bible is the actual embodiment of God's Word. We believe it was divinely transmitted and the primary source of God Himself. It is, in the words of the Jewish liturgy, "given to the children of Israel from the mouth of God through the hand of Moses."

And even though it was given at a particular time in history, God's Word is valid for all time and in every circumstance. Further, we believe that the Word of God is complete. Everything needed for life and our spiritual growth can be derived from it. Psalm 19:8 instructs, "The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes." God's Word literally gives us the ability to see — His will, His laws, and His ways.

Still, we sometimes allow excuses to keep us from studying God's Word. We don't have enough time to fit it in, or we don't know how to get started. Or we fear we won't be able to understand everything we read. But as God told the people of Israel, "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach… No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it" (Deuteronomy 30:11, 14).

As "people of the Book," Jew and Christian alike, we really have no excuses: God's Word is clearly written in the Bible and evident in the world around us. It is not too difficult for us. All we need to do is obey.

What one step can you take today to earn a reputation as one of God's "people of the book"?

With prayers for shalom, peace,


Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein