See Hashem in His Torah!

“Hashem spoke all these words, saying: I am the Lord your God.” (Shemot 20:1-2) 

The Chida, zt”l, wrote in his book Shem HaGedolim that R’ Aviad Basilea, the Av Beis Din of Mantua, was renowned for his expertise in all the wisdoms of the world. In his old age, he would say: “I studied all the wisdoms of the world during a little time of the day, and I finished all of them in ten years. But the wisdom of the Torah I studied all my years, and I only got to know a very small fraction of it”. 

Hashem is infinite and boundless, and so too is His holy Torah, His divine handiwork. Its depth and wisdom are limitless, extending beyond all measure. As Dovid HaMelech wrote in Tehillim (119:96), “Of every finite thing I have seen the end; Your commandments are very broad”. Every aspect of this world has a limit and an end. The Torah, however, is infinite.   

The Infinite Wisdom of the Torah 

This very idea serves as undeniable proof that the Torah is from Heaven. This limitless nature of the Torah makes it undeniably clear that it was given by Hashem, who is infinite. 

The vast number of commentaries on the Torah is further proof of its divine origin. Throughout history, millions of books have been written by human authors. Yet, no matter how brilliant the writer is, only a handful of books are typically dedicated to interpreting and analyzing their work. In contrast, millions of books have been written to explain the Torah — through the methods of p’shat (literal interpretation), remez (allusion), derash (homiletics), and sod (mysticism). 

This unparalleled depth and endless commentary highlight the Torah’s unique and divine nature. 

The Chafetz Chaim, zt”l, in his book Shem Olam (Part 1, Chapter 12), demonstrated the endless wisdom found in the Torah. In just a few words that can be read in moments, Hashem has packed a vast amount of knowledge — so deep that even the greatest Torah scholars can spend years studying and still not fully grasp it. For example, most of the tractates of Nezikin – in both the Babylonian and Jerusalem versions of the Talmud – are encapsulated within a few short passages in Parshat Mishpatim, which can be read in mere minutes. 

Countless interpretations, insights, and teachings have been drawn from every letter of the Torah, yet its depths remain unfathomable. Every generation uncovers new wisdom in this extraordinary book. 

Year after year, a person reads the same Torah portions, only to realize there is always more to learn and that its true essence remains beyond complete understanding. Yet, on the surface, the Torah appears simple and accessible, easily understood by anyone reading it without special effort. 

Millions of books have been written throughout history, each tailored to a specific audience. Some are meant for children but hold little appeal for adults, while others are written for adults yet beyond the grasp of the young. There are books for the general public that scholars may find unremarkable, and books for intellectuals that the average person finds difficult to understand. 

But there is one book that defies these limitations — a book that speaks to everyone. It captivates the young and the old, the seasoned scholar and the everyday reader, the deep thinker, and even the most profound philosopher. 

No human being has ever written such a book, nor could they. 

And yet, such a book exists — the Torah. It is accessible to all, each person understands it according to their intellect and abilities. The truly astonishing thing is that it remains endlessly engaging to every reader. A person may believe they have grasped its full meaning, yet even the greatest scholars continue to uncover new depths, never reaching its ultimate end.   

Never Enough Time 

It is said that one night, as the Arizal slept, his lips were seen moving. When he awoke, his student eagerly asked what he had learned in his sleep. The Arizal opened his holy mouth and declared, “I call upon heaven and earth to witness — without exaggeration — that I have just seen in the heavens so many interpretations of the passage about Bilaam’s donkey alone, that even if I were to live for eighty consecutive years, I would never be able to recount them all.” 

Even if a person were the wisest of all and lived for a thousand years, they would still not have enough time to grasp everything contained within the Torah — even in thought, let alone in speech. Throughout history, the greatest minds have recognized this truth: the Torah, written by Moshe Rabbeinu during the forty years in the wilderness, could only have been dictated by Hashem Himself, for no human being could ever compose such a work. 

Torah: The Path to Faith and Love 

Therefore, in Kriyat Shema (Devarim 6:4-7) it says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. And you shall love the Lord your God…” 

This is the source for the mitzvah of Emunah — faith in Hashem — and for the command to have Ahavat Hashem, to love Him. 

Immediately after, the verse continues, “And these words, which I command you today, shall be upon your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them…”, which is the mitzvah to study Torah. 

Why are these mitzvot described in proximity to each other? 

When a person studies the endless wisdom of the Torah, they will merit to have emunah and they will feel a powerful Ahavat Hashem, as Rashi quotes in the name of Chazal (Sifrei Va’etchanan 8). 

Now we can understand the proximity of the pasukim (verses) that describe the moment that the Jews received the Torah. 

The pasuk says: “And Moshe descended to the people and spoke to them: Hashem spoke all these words”- when you recognize that depth and the infinite vastness of the Torah, you will conclude that only Hashem could have spoken all of those words, and then you will inevitably see that “I am the Lord your God”. 

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The Kalever Rebbe is the seventh Rebbe of the Kaalov Chasidic dynasty, begun by his ancestor who was born to his previously childless parents after receiving a blessing from the Baal Shem Tov zy”a, and later learned under the Maggid of Mezeritch zt”l. The Rebbe has been involved in outreach for more than 30 years and writes weekly emails on understanding current issues through the Torah. Sign up at www.kaalov.org.