False dichotomy is a common logical fallacy, if not THE most common one. It assumes there're only two mutually exclusive options, and you must choose one over the other, when in fact there're more options, or these two are NOT mutually exclusive.
And so herein lies the error in a flawed understanding of the word "torah", which is commonly translated as "law". But when you dig in deeper, upon close examination, the Hebrew word torah literally means DIRECTION, TEACHING or INSTRUCTION. The root, yod-resh-hey (ירה), originally likely meant to throw or shoot an arrow. The noun torah is rendered in a causative conjugation, which is just a way of saying that it literally means to cause something (or someone) to move straight and true. A torah is therefore something that directs, having connotations of offering strong and virtuous guidance, in other words, tradition.
Beyond instruction or teaching, torah can also mean law or statute — something one is not just guided to do, but required to do. And it can also refer to a custom, a kind of loose, unwritten law. And this is where it gets ugly, from positive to negative, since "law" by nature is restrictive and punitive, but that was never the original intention and definition of torah. Only has it been stiffened into "law" when it's applied on rebellious, untrustworthy trouble makers, the kind of bums with a "slave/victim mentality" that always have to be monitored, always have to be regulated, always have to be yelled at, always have to be told what to do, always have to be whipped into action, otherwise they just forsake their duty or do whatever they like.
When you ditch this slave/victim mentality and take torah as instruction, however, instead of restriction, it becomes your moral compass, especially in dark, turbulent, perilous times such as this when up is down, black is white, torah is your frame of reference that guides you down the path of righteousness toward greatness, it works in the same way as any training program, you follow the rules for bodily and spiritual discipline first and foremost. Christ fulfilled the torah by correctly demonstrated every rule without adding additional ones, watering down existing ones or editting any one to suit it to his own liking, therefore as the Word, he's the perfect living embodiment of the torah, He fulfilled it as a living example, quite the opposite of your supposed "abolition" of the torah, isn't it? When you obey it, understand it and practice it to the point of making it your natural, habitual way of life, that's what it means to have the law "written in the heart". God's grace is his trust in your obedience. But as long as you resent it and argue against it just for the sake of being argumentative and playing identity politics, you'll be forever bound to not the torah, but your own slave/victim mentality and your flawed, oversimplified black-or-white view.
I used to hate cleaning my room, a heavy burden, even humiliation; but when I live alone, I have to clean my room without anybody ordering me, for hygiene and practical reasons, a messy room is bad for health and hard to find stuffs I'm looking for; then I regularly clean my room for therapeutic benefits, believe it or not, as a messy room contributes to depression, cleaning relieves you from depression; furthermore, I found out I can "piggyback" habits by developing a new habit I don't quite enjoy upon an old one I very much enjoy, in this case, I get to listen to an audiobook, podcast or music while I clean my room, so when I wanna have a listen to my favorite content, I keep my hands busy by cleaning instead of lying on the couch. This might be the end for me, but it can go further to a higher level if you're living with a partner, you clean the room not just for your own wellbeing, but for your partner's, you do it out of care and respect, finding your own value in your service and seeking no return. Likewise is the transformation of your understanding on Torah from "law" to "teaching" to lifestyle.
www.myjewishlearning.com
And so herein lies the error in a flawed understanding of the word "torah", which is commonly translated as "law". But when you dig in deeper, upon close examination, the Hebrew word torah literally means DIRECTION, TEACHING or INSTRUCTION. The root, yod-resh-hey (ירה), originally likely meant to throw or shoot an arrow. The noun torah is rendered in a causative conjugation, which is just a way of saying that it literally means to cause something (or someone) to move straight and true. A torah is therefore something that directs, having connotations of offering strong and virtuous guidance, in other words, tradition.
Beyond instruction or teaching, torah can also mean law or statute — something one is not just guided to do, but required to do. And it can also refer to a custom, a kind of loose, unwritten law. And this is where it gets ugly, from positive to negative, since "law" by nature is restrictive and punitive, but that was never the original intention and definition of torah. Only has it been stiffened into "law" when it's applied on rebellious, untrustworthy trouble makers, the kind of bums with a "slave/victim mentality" that always have to be monitored, always have to be regulated, always have to be yelled at, always have to be told what to do, always have to be whipped into action, otherwise they just forsake their duty or do whatever they like.
When you ditch this slave/victim mentality and take torah as instruction, however, instead of restriction, it becomes your moral compass, especially in dark, turbulent, perilous times such as this when up is down, black is white, torah is your frame of reference that guides you down the path of righteousness toward greatness, it works in the same way as any training program, you follow the rules for bodily and spiritual discipline first and foremost. Christ fulfilled the torah by correctly demonstrated every rule without adding additional ones, watering down existing ones or editting any one to suit it to his own liking, therefore as the Word, he's the perfect living embodiment of the torah, He fulfilled it as a living example, quite the opposite of your supposed "abolition" of the torah, isn't it? When you obey it, understand it and practice it to the point of making it your natural, habitual way of life, that's what it means to have the law "written in the heart". God's grace is his trust in your obedience. But as long as you resent it and argue against it just for the sake of being argumentative and playing identity politics, you'll be forever bound to not the torah, but your own slave/victim mentality and your flawed, oversimplified black-or-white view.
I used to hate cleaning my room, a heavy burden, even humiliation; but when I live alone, I have to clean my room without anybody ordering me, for hygiene and practical reasons, a messy room is bad for health and hard to find stuffs I'm looking for; then I regularly clean my room for therapeutic benefits, believe it or not, as a messy room contributes to depression, cleaning relieves you from depression; furthermore, I found out I can "piggyback" habits by developing a new habit I don't quite enjoy upon an old one I very much enjoy, in this case, I get to listen to an audiobook, podcast or music while I clean my room, so when I wanna have a listen to my favorite content, I keep my hands busy by cleaning instead of lying on the couch. This might be the end for me, but it can go further to a higher level if you're living with a partner, you clean the room not just for your own wellbeing, but for your partner's, you do it out of care and respect, finding your own value in your service and seeking no return. Likewise is the transformation of your understanding on Torah from "law" to "teaching" to lifestyle.
What Does 'Torah' Mean? | My Jewish Learning
When most people think of Torah, they likely think of the Five Books of Moses (also known as the Pentateuch): ...
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