Shalom and thank you for your question! You wish to begin studying the weekly Torah portion and would like to know if you should start now or wait till Simchat Torah. You should start now, and we’ll explore the reason for that.
Remember way back in the Garden of Eden? There were two trees involved in the drama of the forbidden fruit from the tree of Knowledge. (That fruit by the way was only intended to be forbidden until the Sabbath, but the serpent came and influenced Eve who influenced Adam- and they ate it on Friday.) Surprisingly, the tree of Knowledge is not the tree that represents Torah learning, but rather the second tree, the Tree of Life. Why is it called the Tree of Life? It is written in the book of Proverbs by King Solomon. (3:18,) “(Torah) is a tree of life, those who uphold it…”
In Deuteronomy (30:15) we read “Behold I have set before you life and good, death and evil.”
Then verse 16: “In as much as I command you this day to love the L-rd your G-d, to walk in His ways and to observe His commandments, His statutes and His ordinances, so that you will live…” The classic commentator Rashi explains that the ‘good’ referred to in verse 15, is the love of G-d mentioned in verse 16. How do we love? When we truly love someone, we want to fulfill their wishes, their needs and desires. (If we are talking about loving fallible human beings, then we need some boundaries at times. If we care about someone who wants money for a destructive habit, we may need to draw the line…) How do we know what are G-d’s needs and desires? They are outlined for us in the Torah.
The Holy One Blessed be He has put ‘Himself’into his writings, as we find in tractate Shabbat 105:a (The word) Anochi – I am, is an acronym for (the Aramaic phrase) “אנא נפשי כתבית יהבית”. “I have put my soul into my writing.” The Sages of the Talmud also teach us that G-d is found “within the four cubits of Halacha…” meaning that if we wish to connect with HaShem, we must learn and carry out the Oral law.
All these are but a few examples of the teachings that form the Torah outlook. G-d is good, and we want to connect with His infinite goodness. Thus the logical thing to do is study HisTorah and live according to it. Additionally, it is written in the book of Joshua 1:8: “והגית בו יומם ולילה,” – “You shall meditate (literally speak of it) day and night.” It is actually a Mitzvah to be occupied in learning Torah at every available opportunity. For all these reasons, it makes sense to begin now!
There is more to it than all of the above. So far we have looked at it as an action we do to connect with G-d’s infinite wisdom and carry out the Divine will. What’s in it for us?
In a talk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Shneerson, on the Torah portion of Noah, we learn a fascinating concept that is so relevant today. Noah and his family enter an ark in order to escape the turbulent flood waters. (G-d commanded them to do so of course.) We are living in a generation that is flooded more than ever before with information. Some of it useful, much of it useless, and much of it destructive. To escape these floodwaters in a healthy way, it is a very positive thing to be learning Torah! And it’s a great idea not to keep it to yourself…you can try setting up a regular learning session with a teacher/mentor/friend or spouse…
We are made up of body and soul. We are grateful to G-d for both. We must nurture our body and maintain it in good health. Similarly, we must feed our souls! While physical nurture is in recommended quantities, spiritual nurture is infinite. When we learn Torah, whether the Written law or the Oral law, we are connecting with the infinite and nurturing our souls. Thus, the more the merrier!
If you start learning the Torah portion now, by the time we get to Simchat Torah, you will have covered more than two thirds of the yearly cycle of learning! This way you will have a tremendous sense of accomplishment:) It is true that on Simchat Torah we dance with a closed Sefer Torah because the Torah belongs to every Jewish person, not just Torah scholars, but on the other hand, the knowledge that you have acquired knowledge with your time, effort and energy, can only contribute to the quality of your celebration then!
Every year we start the learning cycle again, and as you embark on this exciting journey, you will find that there is always more and more to learn, more and more depths to plumb…
We wish you a successful journey!
