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Editorial
The Editors

From the very beginning of Christianity the conception of the Torah, « the Law », has played an essential role in the relations between Jews and Christians. It is well known that there are different views and interpretations of the Torah in the New Testament writings, e.g. in Matthew, in Paul and in James. In spite of this a strong Christian tradition has held that the Torah was abolished and that Christ took the place of the Torah, fulfilling it in a perfect way. To be sure, certain texts of the New Testament, such as Matthew 5:17-19, continued to create problems for the exegetes.
We should keep in mind that « Torah » can be understood in the strict sense of the word, indicating the five books of Moses, or in the broader sense, referring to the whole Hebrew Bible. In any case, the translation of Torah as « Law » is inexact since this suggests a body of juridical measures, while Torah (from i r h, the same root as the word « teacher » and « parents ») means first of all the « teaching » (enseignement, Weisung) the Lord gives to his people. Often enough, Christian tradition led to the idea of an opposition between the new law of Christ and the Torah, seen as an opposition between love and legalism. The Guidelines and Suggestions published by the Vatican Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews (December 1, 1974) puts it this way: « The Old Testament and the Jewish tradition founded upon it must not be set against the New Testament in such a way that the former seems to constitute a religion of only justice, fear and legalism, with no appeal to the love of God and neighbor [cf. Deut. 6:5, Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:34-40]. »
In this issue SIDIC offers some reflections on the meaning of the Torah in Jewish and Christian life today. Of one thing there is no doubt: the question of the Torah cannot be treated in a simplistic way. The Torah is not just a book or a commandment; it is the written Word which, essentially linked to and interpreted by the Oral Torah, touches all aspects of life. It is first of all the story and the tradition of the profoundly human experience of Israel with God, an experience which according to biblical faith is the model and mirror of all human life. The Written and Oral Torah describe and try to explain how life should be lived in the presence and in the Spirit of the Lord. The Torah, therefore, is as broad and deep as is life. That is the reason why there is, in Jewish tradition and also in Christian tradition, a continuous need for seeking the concrete way of following the Lord in the constantly changing social and political circumstances of life and history. The psalmist expresses it thus: « Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes and I will keep it to the end » (Ps. 119:33). But at the same time this living the Torah can mean joy and peace because searching for and trying to follow the teaching of the Lord creates a harmonious relationship between the human person, his neighbors, creation and God. This is the deep sense of the feast of Simhat Torah, « Rejoicing in the Torah ».