Tag Archives: The Torah

The Torah a Law of Love

Spirituality, ,

This quote came from the article,  “An Elder Among the Rabbis” by Rasmussen, which was published by BYU Studies. I found the article when I was researching the “Law of Love” while teaching for the Institute of Religion for the Moroni Stake.  Dennis Rasmussen’s story is a fascinating one and worth sharing.

The Beginning

Over the years, he had become fascinated with Judaism and Rabbinic traditions. He learned of an institute, to be held at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, entitled, “Institute for the Teaching of the Post-Biblical Foundations of Western Civilization.” It was to last for eight weeks during the summer of 1978 (with one additional week the following summer) and would be taught by five rabbis on the faculty.

College teachers in the humanities and social sciences were invited to apply. Twenty would be selected as fellows of the Institute. Rasmussen applied and was delighted to be chosen as one of the twenty.
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The Torah – A Law of Love

Spirituality, ,

The following is a fascinating exchange between an Elder and a Rabbi regarding the Torah, the Talmud and the Book of Mormon.  Torah is “The Law of the Lord.” the Five Books of Moses.  The Talmud includes”Oral Traditions” and interpretations of the Torah as passed down through the centuries and is like scripture to the Jews.  “Love” is a central value in Jewish theology and ethics.  At the center of “Love” is “Peace and Joy”.  The Elder and the Rabbi discover an amazing relationship between these two theologies through the understanding of joy.

The Law of Love

I taught institute for eleven years for the Moroni Stake for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  During that time I was researching the “Law of Love.”  I found this fascinating article in BYU Studies: https://byustudies.byu.edu/content/elder-among-rabbis.  I made contact with Dennis Rasmussen, Professor of Philosophy at Brigham Young University, and he gave me permission to share this article with my institute class.  Here, I only share a summary of his fascinating experience and insights.

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