Contemplating Two Torahs: The Everlasting and the Contemporary

In the realm of science, a concern has arisen about the standard kilogram, which is losing mass over the years. This potential loss could have significant ramifications for commerce worldwide, as the kilogram is the calibrated weight used to measure all kilograms globally, kept in a triple layered glass casing in Paris.

Meanwhile, in the world of Judaism, a Jewish king, and by extension every Jewish parent, teacher, and leader, is tasked with possessing "Two Torahs." This duality represents a unique perspective that speaks to both the timeless truths and the timely issues and questions.

The instruction for a Jewish king to write two Torah scrolls is found in Deut. 17:18. The Talmud explains that the King is instructed to write not one, but two Torah Scrolls. One travels with him wherever he goes, and one remains permanently at home. The requirement for this duality symbolizes the king's responsibility to uphold and teach the Torah faithfully to his people, ensuring the law is preserved and accessible.

The Talmud does not provide a reason for why the king has two Torah Scrolls, but the Maggid of Dubno offered a poignant story to illustrate the error of adjusting Torah to one's predefined positions and desires. He told a story about a country boy who painted targets around his arrows after shooting them. This story serves as a reminder that the Torah should not be altered to fit our perspectives, but rather, we should seek to understand its teachings within our unique contexts.

The Torah represents the unwavering truth that remains unchangeable, unbendable, and un-phased by the flux of time, space, and history. It is a blueprint and luminary to the unique journeys of each milieu, to the climate of each generation, to the ambiance of every era, to the sensitivities of each age, and to the yearnings of every epoch.

The prophet Isaiah said that the Lord has granted him a tongue for teaching, to understand the needs of the times, to give knowledge to those who thirst for knowledge. The Jewish leader must be able to find in Torah the language of G-d to this particular generation, to this individual person, to this unique situation, to this singular struggle, to this mindset and weltanschauung.

Torah must also be a blueprint and luminary to the unique journeys of each milieu, to the climate of each generation, to the ambiance of every era, to the sensitivities of each age, to the yearnings of every epoch. It must be able to speak to the timeless as well as the timely, addressing both the unchangeable and the changes, developments, and fluctuations of history.

The Torah's words, "And it shall be with him and he should read it all the days of his life," indicate that the Jewish leader must be able to see in Torah a perspective for "all the days of his life," for everything that transpires in his life and in the life of his people. This duality of the Two Torahs ensures that the Jewish leader, and indeed all leaders, remain grounded in both the eternal truths of the Torah and the ever-changing realities of the world.