Thirsty for Torah ; thirsty for water.

Abstract

Rav Aryeh Kaplan, noting that everything in the spiritual world has a counterpart in the physical world, cited several sources showing "water" is the physical counterpart of Torah study [l]. For example, in Taanis (7a), R' Chanina ben Pappa contrasted two verses in Yeshaya. On the verse, "Bring water to the thirsty" (Yeshaya 21:14), he expounded that water refers to Torah, i.e., a teacher should go to the student to teach Torah. On the other verse, "Everyone that is thirsty, go to water" (Yeshaya 55:1), he explained that the student also must go to the teacher to study Torah. In both verses, water is the symbol for Torah study. In Avodah Zarah (Sb), R' Yochanan, in the name of R' Bennah, explained the verse, "Fortunate are you who sow upon all waters, who send forth the feet of the ox and the donkey" (Yeshaya 32:20) as follows. Fortunate is Israel for when they engage in studying Torah and in bestowing kindness, their evil inclination is delivered into their hands and they are not delivered into the hands of their evil inclination. Again, water is analogous to Torah study. Other Talmudic sources in which Torah study is symbolized by water include Avodah Zarah 19b, Baba Kama 17a and 82b, Berachos 56b, and Chagigah 14a. Shir HaShirim Rabbah contains numerous passages providing analogies between Torah study and water. "Just as water is a source of life for the world, as it says, 'A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters' (Shir HaShirim 4:15), so the Torah is a source of life for the world, as it says, 'For they are life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh' (Mishlei 4:22)." Rav Slifkin also notes parallels between Torah study and water in Nature's Song [2].